Postponing Mardi Gras parades
Terrebonne officials did the right thing last week in postponing the parish’s Mardi Gras parades, a decision that will save lives and prevent people from becoming infected with the novel coronavirus.
No one can guarantee the parades will roll at all next year, but the decision to postpone rather than cancel at least keeps the possibility afloat. Parish President Gordy Dove said he and Sheriff Tim Soignet plan to meet Jan. 11 with representatives of Terrebonne’s roughly one dozen Carnival clubs to explore options. An ordinance requires Carnival parades to roll just before and up to Mardi Gras, so it will take Parish Council approval to set a new date.
During discussion last week, one councilman noted that Jefferson Parish is considering a proposal to roll Carnival parades over the Memorial Day weekend. That’s one option for Terrebonne. Maybe some or all of Terrebonne’s parades could become part of the 2021 Rougarou Festival in Houma, held around Halloween each year. Parish officials and krewe leaders have plenty of other possibilities to consider.
Dove, Soignet and others involved deserve credit for listening to health officials’ warnings that large crowds like the ones that flock to Mardi Gras parades are dangerous, increasing the chance of spreading the deadly airborne virus in great numbers. They put solid science and expert health advice over politics and money, as Mardi Gras generates millions of dollars a year for local businesses.
Mayor Tommy Eschete did the same thing just over a week ago when he canceled Thibodaux’s five Carnival parades for 2021. And we’re confident Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson, Lockport Mayor Ed Reinhardt and Golden Meadow Mayor Joey Bouziga will do the same when they make final decisions on parades in their communities.
Since the pandemic began, Terrebonne and Lafourche officials have heeded the guidelines issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards, the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the federal Centers for Disease Control. That has helped the state and community reduce some of the nation’s worst COVID-19 caseloads to a level that no longer threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
Nonetheless, cases and deaths continue to mount, and infection rates are on the rise. As of Friday, the virus had infected nearly 5,300 residents in Terrebonne and 5,600 in Lafourche and killed 301 people across both parishes, state records show. The percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive has been rising, hitting 7.9% in Terrebonne and 10% in Lafourche for the week ending Dec. 9, the latest on record.
Both parishes marked a major milestone last week as local hospitals administered their first batches of COVID-19 vaccine to their doctors, nurses and other health care workers. It will take months to deliver the vaccine to enough residents to develop the herd immunity it will take to get back to some semblance of normalcy.
Those who want to increase the chance that Mardi Gras parades will roll later next year can get the shots as soon as they become available. In the meantime, canceling or postponing ensures that parades won’t delay the return to normalcy, or close to it, that everyone hopes will come sooner rather than later.