business

Why restaurants and drive-thru daiquiri shops can sell alcohol to-go as bars remain shuttered

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While some bars in New Orleans hoped they could survive the economic fallout of COVID-19 by selling alcohol to-go, city and state officials have clarified that they must close completely – leading to a peculiar situation where restaurants, breweries and even drive-thru daiquiri shops can sell alcohol to-go, but not regular bars. To stem the spread of coronavirus, on March 16 Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered all bars in the state closed until at least April 13. However, drive-thru daiquiri stores can still remain open and restaurants can still sell packaged beer or wine for curbside pick-up or delivery. Breweries can still sell their beer, though not from the tap. Some bars with kitchens initially thought that they could still employ some staff by selling alcohol and food to-go as well, but officials ordered them to stop.

business

Viewpoint: Individual efforts are meaningful, but significant federal help is essential

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By Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

Every morning just before 7 a.m. Jonathan Rietmaier unlocks the doors of Mammoth Expresso, his popular CBD coffeehouse, so his employees can serve up the aromatic brew and pastries for which his small business is well known. Although strictly take-out these days, Riethmaier hadn’t changed Mammoth’s hours or staffing in an effort to help his five part-time employees. “I am strictly trying to support the hourly wage earners who work for us. I want to help them earn a living so that they do not fall in a vulnerable space,” Rietmaier said. “As long as we can serve our customers in a safe and sanitary environment, we’d like to remain open.”

Though Mammoth does not operate at its pre-corona pace, customers — usually one at a time — trickle in all day long.

coronavirus

Helping during the coronavirus crisis: Where, what and how to donate and volunteer

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Donating or volunteering can alleviate the feelings of anxiety and helplessness — and the boredom — most of us are experiencing during this crisis. There are ways to help during this coronavirus pandemic without violating the stay-at-home order and putting yourself or others at risk. At the same time, you can reduce the risk for the front-line workers, help an out-of-work musician earn some money, virtually tip your favorite bartender, cheer up a nursing home resident and more. You don’t even need to donate — if you buy a restaurant gift card now, you can treat yourself and others to a nice dine-in meal when all this is over.  (updated March 28)
Volunteering
Help with errands and more
Serving Seniors Program: Volunteer drivers are needed to pick up and deliver meals to the doorsteps of seniors and other high-risk residents on Mondays and Thursdays from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. Hands On New Orleans, in partnership with World Central Kitchen, is coordinating the program. Each driver will deliver to five to six households in the same ZIP code.

business

Wedding industry adjusting to cancellations and postponements, while trying to stay in business

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By Sue Strachan, Uptown Messenger

Near the end of a meeting to discuss the future of the wedding industry in New Orleans, event planner Emily Sullivan took a phone call. “It’s a client,” she said. With restrictions getting tougher every day due to the spread of COVID-19, a phone call from a client is going to mean a cancellation or a postponement. Weddings are big business in New Orleans. And like many businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the city, they are worried about their future.

COVID-19

Gov. Edwards orders everyone in Louisiana to stay at home

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Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide stay-at-home order today that goes into effect at 5 p.m. Monday (March 23) to further fight the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana, as the number of confirmed cases have topped 800 and spread to more than half of of the state’s parishes. “In Louisiana we have taken aggressive measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve; however, this is not enough. As our number of cases continue to grow, I am directing all Louisianans to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave,” Edwards said. The stay-at-home order follows similar guidelines to the order issued by Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday. The cases of COVID‑19 in New Orleans on Sunday climbed to 451, with 15 resulting in death.

COVID-19

City expands drive-thru testing to anyone with symptoms

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The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the New Orleans Health Department announced Saturday that, beginning Sunday (March 22), drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be available to anyone with a fever and other symptoms.

The two drive-thru COVID-19 testing locations in Orleans Parish can perform up to 100 tests per day, per site. They will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until the 100-test cap has been reached. The testing sites are:
• Mahalia Jackson Theater parking lot, 1419 Basin St. • University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena parking lot, 6801 Franklin Ave. Upon arrival at a site, individuals will be required to remain in their vehicles and to provide identification and health insurance information, although everyone will be tested regardless of whether or not they have insurance, city officials state.

business

Where to find help if you’ve lost income because of COVID-19 closures

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With New Orleans a hotspot for the pandemic, officials have put in place a daunting array of restrictions and closures that have disrupted the life — if not the livelihood — of nearly every New Orleanian. Hundreds of New Orleans workers have been impacted by COVID-19 related closures. If you’ve experienced a loss of income because of the coronavirus pandemic, here are some resources to help you through, including unemployment compensation; relief funds for gig workers, musicians, bartenders and others; help for small businesses; counseling for stress and more. Gig-worker relief fund
The New Orleans Business Alliance announced on March 17 that it had set up a dedicated relief fund to meet the needs of the gig economy workers, many of who have been adversely affected by the loss of income. This includes ride-share drivers, musicians, arena workers and festival production staff.

city government

Viewpoint: Leaders must demand sheltering in place to flatten the curve

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By Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Mayor LaToya Cantrell are being too soft on New Orleans. With the number of confirmed cases and deaths skyrocketing, our elected officials don’t have the luxury of merely suggesting that people stay home as much as possible. Some form of sheltering in place must become the law of the land if we don’t want martial law and the additional restrictions it will bring. Though it might sound extreme, sheltering in place slowed the virus in China and is currently being implemented in Italy, Spain, Belgium and France. The Ukraine has shut down all transportation.

city government

COVID-19 updates: Revenue collection; financial impact on city; updates from courts, Parks and Parkways, Youth Works

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From the Mayor’s Office
Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Tuesday announced that, response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the city is waiving fines, fees, interest and penalties on sales tax payments due to the city for 60 days. In addition, the City will extend the renewal period for alcoholic beverage outlets, or ABOs, up to 30 days without penalty. “The impacts of COVID-19 are going to leave a mark in history for the city. How we respond to this pandemic will define us. My No.

business

‘Most people won’t survive’: Local stores grapple with economic effects of coronavirus

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By Sharon Lurye, Uptown Messenger

The economic effects of coronavirus reverberated across New Orleans on Monday, with local store owners describing feelings of bewilderment and anxiety as they considered how the virus would affect their bottom line. While some are cautiously optimistic, others have despaired of being able to keep their business alive through the pandemic. “If it lasts for months, then most people won’t survive,” said Bettye Barrios, owner of the home goods store Aux Belles Choses on Magazine Street. “We’ve been here 29 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Just one customer entered Barrios’ shop on Monday. She sells linens, soaps, and gifts, many imported from France and England, but she had to cancel an upcoming business trip to Europe.