On Friday, the New Orleans Health Department and the Louisiana Department of Health announced they are investigating apparent clusters of cases of COVID-19 in Orleans Parish.
The two separate clusters are related to a New Orleans high school graduation party and a large, non-physically distant gathering at a bar outside the parish. Both clusters appear to be affecting young people who are Orleans Parish residents.
As additional information is gathered on these clusters, the City is urging all residents, especially young people, to take immediate precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Activities that pose the highest risk for transmission are large, uncontrolled gatherings like those that take place at a party or bar. These activities can fuel a rapid rise in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This is why there are strict gathering size and capacity limitations for planned events in the State of Louisiana and Orleans Parish.