A State Trooper vehicle drives down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter on March 15, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The state government has placed a ban on large public gatherings and postponed the April 4 primary until June 20 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
New Orleans police cleared the city's famous Bourbon Street over the weekend to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Officers attempted to disperse crowds by driving slowly down the street, still crowded with revelers in spite of the pandemic ripping across the U.S. and the world.
"Large groups of people are prohibited from congregating together. Your actions are jeopardizing public health. We are directing you to clear the streets and go home or back to your hotel," an officer can be heard announcing in a video uploaded to Twitter on Sunday night, and retweeted by the New Orleans Police Department.
The action came on the heels of an executive order by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, banning gatherings of 250 people or more across the state and shutting down schools. The Pelican State reported on Saturday its first fatality from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The first victim of the virus was a 58-year-old New Orleans resident with underlying health conditions. The city has since reported another death, a 53-year-old patient, also with underlying medical conditions, who New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called a personal friend.
"The news this morning of a second death in New Orleans is deeply heartbreaking to me, personally — and is additional tragic news for the people of our City. The patient in this instance was a friend of mine, but every one of those impacted by this outbreak is someone's friend, someone's loved one," she wrote on Facebook on Sunday morning.
Louisiana's tally of reported COVID-19 cases more than tripled over the weekend to 114 on Monday morning — from 33 presumptive positive cases across the state as of Friday morning. Of those, 79 cases are in New Orleans, the state's most populous city. The Louisiana Department of Health reported 302 total tests completed as of Monday morning.
Louisiana has joined other states in implementing extreme measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, a disease that spread from Wuhan, China to close to 150 countries across the globe. It has killed 41 and sickened more than 1,600 in the U.S. so far as of Friday, according to the CDC. The Pelican State also became the first state in the nation, according to the New York Times, to postpone its presidential primary, out of an abundance of caution for elderly poll workers who are "among the most vulnerable to this virus," Gov. Edwards said in a statement. The election was originally scheduled for April 4, but has been postponed by more than two months. Georgia has since followed suit, and other states are reportedly considering similar action.
The most recent school shooting in Michigan is highlighting the tragic fact that U.S. shootings on campuses are ticking up. The aftermath of these incidents leaves students, faculty, and families suffering intense trauma with lasting effects. Darby Fox, an adolescent family therapist, joins Cheddar News to discuss how school shootings impact the mental health of students and their families.
With so many high-profile court cases taking over the media, from the trial over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse to the ongoing Elizabeth Holmes trial, Cheddar took a look at these cases and why there is such a big interest in them. Rachel Fiset, a white collar criminal defense lawyer and partner with Zeiback, Fiset, and Coleman, and Bryan Hance, attorney-at-law, professor, and academic program director of the pre-law and paralegal studies program at National University, joined Cheddar for a roundtable discussion on why there is so much public interest in so-called courtroom drama.
2022 is just around the corner and one of the world's most famous trendspotters says that there is a wide-ranging mix of trends coming up in the new year that could impact businesses, culture, and our society at large.
Trendspotter and cultural zeitgeist analyst Marian Salzman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Spotify has just officially released its 2021 'Wrapped'. For the past few years, the streaming giant has been presenting customers with their listening habits from the prior year, including favorite artists, most listened to the genre, podcasts, songs you name it. However, critics say this method just shows how apps can collect our data. CEO of Prevailion Karim Hijazi, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Recent internal documents obtained by the New York Times reveal how exactly TikTok's algorithm works. The report highlights how the app is mainly focused on retaining two metrics which are retention and time spent. In addition, the document titled, "TikTok Algo 101" details how the algorithm understands human nature from when we get bored to our sensitivity and culture ques. It means the app monitors will kind of videos you like. Professor of Computer Science at the University of California in San Diego Julian McCauley, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
According to a recent study by a group of international researchers, artificial intelligence can predict new illegal drugs before they hit the streets. This method could help save lives and fight crime. Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker discuss the sweeping new vaccine mandate in NYC that will target all private businesses. Plus, Trump's media venture gets its CEO and more.
A lockout is now in place for Major League Baseball. The collective bargaining agreement between the league and players association expired at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said both sides were unable to negotiate a new contract by that time, so the league locked out the players on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. The lockout also means trades and free agency deals have to stop for now. Dodgers Nation lead editor Clint Pasillas joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
