Louisiana Lt. Gov, Billy Nungesser, admitted that he was wrong to advocate for parades and conferences to be held in New Orleans despite the coronavirus outbreak.
What We Know:
- Nungesser apologized to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell for criticizing her decision to cancel events like the St. Patrick’s Day parades. He said he “absolutely” regrets his comments.
- “So the mayor did the right thing,” he said. “In hindsight, I was wrong and she was right.”
- “I was looking at the tourism aspect of it and not knowing what was to come in the weeks to follow that,” he added.
- Cantrell canceled New Orleans events in early March, including parades, prompting Nungesser to condemn her decision, saying in a USA Today interview that it would cause a ripple effect in the tourism industry.
- “It sends a message to conventions and anyone coming to the city that it might not be safe,” he had said.
- The lieutenant governor also stated that the state government also would have taken a different approach to Mardi Gras, which took place Feb. 25, if they had known what was to come. “Mardi Gras is a big celebration. It brings a lot of people to Louisiana, and in hindsight had we known we probably would have taken different action.”
- The state has been criticized for continuing to hold the Mardi Gras event, despite the severity of the coronavirus outbreak. Nungesser acknowledged that some of the people at Mardi Gras “surely” wouldn’t have contracted COVID-19 if it were canceled.
Louisiana has confirmed 21,016 cases of coronavirus leading to 884 deaths.
