EXCERPT:
BLITZER: “I know, I guess reports are that within a week or two after Mardi Gras, all of a sudden the cases started emerging in Louisiana. Obviously, that’s very disturbing. I will point out, we did some checking back on February 12th, the CDC, Dr. Nancy Messonnier said and I’m quoting her now, ‘we can and should be prepared for this new virus to gain a foothold in the United States.’ But you are saying no one from the federal government came to you and urged you to at least cancel or postpone Mardi Gras?”
CANTRELL: “That’s absolutely correct. And not only that, it was backed up with the response of our national leader. When it’s not taken seriously at the federal level, it’s very difficult to transcend down to the local level in making these decision. But when the experts told me that social gatherings would be an issue, I moved forward with cancelling them, as well as St. Patrick’s Day parade, as well as our Super Sunday, where our Mardi Gras Indian’s parade, the suits that they’ve made, all year long, so this is something that not only concerns us, but it sets the tone for how leadership matters at every level of government in the United States of America. We’re mayors on the front line.”