Well, that was — first of all, Carnival begins in early January in New Orleans. And so there had been a whole bunch of very large-scale events and activities, parties, leading up to the Mardi Gras Day parade on the 25th. And that was where so many people gathered along the streets. And the Zulu club is known for throwing golden-painted coconuts out, and that’s the prize that people want to catch. So, everyone was standing shoulder to shoulder, you know, arm in arm almost, trying to catch the coconuts and seeing — standing on the sidelines, being part of the parade. So it was —
So, people were standing shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, along the parade route, as well as taking part in the parade. So it became, because it was so crowded — and it was a joyful time and a wonderful time. My daughter was there, and she was telling me about it. It became a coronavirus hothouse, just because no one knew what was brewing.
So, behind the scenes at the Louisiana Department of Health, and even the local Department of Health, there was worry, but they were looking to the federal government for direction. So, no one at the time knew that it was bad enough to cancel the parade or cancel any of the festivities. And also, they were more worried about people bringing it in,
— source democracynow.org | May 08, 2020