New Orleans Health Department Recommends Indoor Masks

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Months after the city lifted its mask mandate, the N.O. Health Department has come out with new recommendations after a continued rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city, Nolafi.com has learned.

While stopping short of issuing a mandate, the Health Department advises that people wear masks and face coverings while indoors.

Nola Health Officials: No Mandate, But Mask Up

Dr. Jennifer Avegno said in a livestream that reported coronavirus cases in the New Orleans area have shot up five times what they were in April 2022.

“We’re not surprised at a summer surge. This is the third year in a row,” Avegno said. “But none of us want to have the surge we did last year.”

How To Protect Yourself From COVID In 2022

As a result, Avegno said that to protect yourself, you should do three things:

If you haven’t already, get tested for COVID.
New Orleans residents and visitors should mask up in indoor public spaces.
If you show symptoms, get treated and isolate yourself from others.

“We think we have time at this point to get ahead of it” Avegno said. “So we’re going back to the basics — testing, masking, vaccination and now treatment, which is something new.”

According to the CDC,, the fight against COVID-19 continues. Here is where to get a booster shot in New Orleans.

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Keisha Smith

Keisha Smith is a Contributing Writer who attended college at Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge. She is currently writing a book on south Louisiana culture.