One of the things that I have always appreciated about New Orleans is the city’s commitment to public health, e.g., ensuring that visitors are adequately hydrated (“This Trendy New Orleans Bar Serves Gigantic 3-Gallon “Hurricanes” Filled With Rum”) and provided with nutritious low-fat gluten-free vegan muffuletta sandwiches.
We told neighbors here in the Florida Free State about our plans for a family trip to New Orleans over the Thanksgiving school break (a whole week for young scholars in Florida). “You know that they’re checking vaccine cards before you can get into restaurants,” was the response. We had some trouble believing that New Orleans would follow San Francisco and New York, but our neighbors’ information was confirmed by “Vaccine mandate: Which places will require them; how will it be enforced?” (August 12, 2021):
New Orleans residents and out-of-towners will now require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, music venues and many more places.
In New Orleans, you’ll need proof of vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test to go to bars, restaurants, performance venues, stadiums and large outdoor events.
Proof of vaccine should be checked before individuals are allowed to enter the building. Businesses can use the LA Wallet App’s “VerifyYou Pro” function to scan patron’s digital vaccine cards.
Do I still need to wear a mask? Yes, the entire state of Louisiana is currently under a mask mandate and even with your proof of vaccine, you will be required to wear a mask while indoors.
That was August, in the midst of the southern “case” wave. What about now? “NOLA Bars and Restaurants Will Require Vaccine Proof for Entry Through Mardi Gras” (11/16/2021).
It is possible to do some sightseeing without showing papers. The art museum, for example, requires masks, but checks for vaccine status only if people want to get food. Nonetheless, the idea of showing papers several times per day turned out to be a deal-breaker for one member of our family: “Why don’t we just stay in our Florida bubble?”
Readers: What are your Thanksgiving plans?
(above photos: from LEGOLAND, Carlsbad, California, 2005)
Related:
- “Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Bills Limiting Vaccine Mandates Into Law” (NBC, 11/18): DeSantis signed the package of bills during a news conference at a car dealership in Brandon, Florida on Thursday. … “I think that Brandon, Florida is a great American city,” DeSantis said, as some in the crowd of about 250 supporters chanted “Let’s go Brandon.” … Additionally, it bars schools and governments in the state from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements. [See video below for the gal that Palm Beach County might not want to mess with.]
“the Thanksgiving school break (a whole week for young scholars in Florida)”
In FL, I believe that school vacation days are decided at the county level by the school board. Forever, public schools in my FL county were closed Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving, until this year. Within a few days of Thanksgiving week, for the first time, the school board decided to close public schools and give public school teachers the whole Thanksgiving week off because “the teachers are exhausted!”
This makes me sad! Half of me wants you to travel to New Orleans for Thanksgiving and document how well/poorly the mandates are being enforced on the ground. It would be Must See Blogging, even though you’d need anti-fog for the glasses and it’s a bit of a pain in the rear.
As for myself, I will be spending Thanksgiving Week here in the Deplorable section of Massachusetts with a couple of trips to the outskirts of Civilization (Boston) for follow-up appointments with my various physicians. We plan to cook a 20 pound turkey with all the trimmings so that we have at least several days of really good leftovers for sandwiches, soups, and so forth. I will be wearing my N95 mask in all stores and my Pfizer booster shot is scheduled for next week, and last but not least we will be attempting to move a Subaru Outback that is suffering from what we think are blown head gaskets a distance of about 110 miles to have the engine fixed (long story.) My father the Engineer and adamant DIY or Die Cold Warrior wants to attempt removing the thermostat, toting along 10 gallons of extra coolant, and driving it gently the entire distance, stopping several times along the way, instead of paying $360 to have it flat-bedded to the place that’s going to be working on it. I will be following closely in my Escape Hybrid. If that comes off successfully, I will have much to be thankful for, indeed.
C’mon Philip – unless it violates one of your “won’t dos” – go to NOLA and see how well they’re obeying the Orders. I’ll only be a little let down if you don’t, I understand. You and the kids will have fun in Florida too.
Thanks, Alex, for the encouragement, but the decision on where to go is not being made at my management level.
Oh, and along with the 10 gallons of water in the Subaru we will be hauling all the pieces and parts to do the job including the timing belt, tensioner, pulleys, gaskets, head bolts, variable valve timing solenoid, serpentine belt for the A/C and power steering, the associated pulleys and tensioners for that, valve cover gaskets, all the sealants, new spark plugs, new coolant, new thermostat, and various and sundry bits needed to pull the heads and fix the car. We’re bringing all the parts to the mechanic and he is doing the work. Even that took some arm twisting on my part.
“Do you think I could do it in the driveway?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Not the last time I checked.”
“When was that, 1966? You don’t have a lift.”
“I checked when you moved here. I think I can do it.”
“I don’t. It’s not as simple as you think. And you don’t have air tools. Or a garage.”
That went on for about 30 minutes at a medium boil, but finally when I showed him what had to be removed, he reluctantly agreed to let the mechanic do the job – but only if I sourced all the parts, so we could photograph them. Rock Auto is great, BTW, in terms of price and selection but the only caveat is that if you order a bunch of items they ship out of several warehouses and arrive over several days.
http://www.rockauto.com
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Alex, assuming this is the Alex 1.0, you can join AAA and if you get the highest level of membership the tow could be free.
@Toucan Sam: Thanks! I forgot them! I think they are members but don’t know which level, but I’ll check. I’d prefer to have the car towed there, and while I dearly love my Dad this is all on interstate highways. It’s a “walking the tightrope” plan and if something goes wrong we’ll be calling them from the road in any case because I won’t let him seize the engine. My father is a determined man, sometimes overdetermined. His father was even more so and I know my father hears the Voice in his head, scolding: “Only a lazy man would do that, [name].”
Guys like Alex’s dad built Ameica. We’re all pygmies in comparison.
@Tom: He would be embarrassed if you singled him out in a crowd and said that, but I think you’re correct. And as someone who understands the modified von Neumann architecture from first principles, he would agree: “Violently anti-Communist and much more militaristic than the norm.” – John von Neumann.
In some ways it is a miracle we’re all alive.
Instead of showing your papers, tell the haters you’re Trans-Vaxxed.
2xV’d and boosted grandma wants rapid tests for the family before visiting so we ain’t visiting. I’d hate to kill her over a false negative. She’s in covid #1 VT, by the numbers we are safer at home in Maskachusetts.
Might go to VT anyway and see a friend but that would be at his second house filled with less diseased nonVTers.
Curiously VTers are the most V’d, you’d almost think there is something to notice about that but there just can’t be.
From the government which does bother track per-capita death rates for vaxxed and unvaxxed separately: https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/vaccinated-english-adults-under-60
“I don’t know how to explain this other than vaccine-caused mortality.” – From the article.
I can explain it. Unhealthy people are more likely to get vaccinated. They are also more likely to die (these numbers are deaths from all causes, not just COVID).
Phil,
We are visiting Florida as one of the ignorant deplorables from Makachusetts. We spent 2 days at Disney (Friday & Saturday) and now we are on 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise on Harmony of the Seas visiting the Caribbean. We plan to visit Epcot for a day before returning home.
Bless you for keeping Royal Caribbean alive! I am shocked that people voluntarily sign up (and pay) for 7 days of almost continuous mask-wearing (like an essential worker would endure). Maybe the answer is that the world is packed with the COVID-concerned. But if they’re concerned enough about COVID to happily wear a mask for most of their waking hours, why aren’t they concerned enough about COVID to simply stay home?
Phil,
On the cruise ship you don’t have to wear a mask when eating or drinking, so for the most part you don’t have to wear a mask. When you do want to cross the promenade to go from one trough to another trough, the advantage of a mask is that you do not have to worry if you have food stuck in your teeth.
Dave
I turned down a Thanksgiving invitation this year due to the other attendees – a bunch of know-it-all, opinionated, rude, blowhards all talking over each other. I’ll greatly enjoy a quiet, calm day at home.