For a Safe Reopening
BEGINNING MAY 16, 2020
Phase One: Safest at Home
Phase One will ease the Stay Home Order and restrictions on some low-risk operations, while implementing limits on occupancy, social distancing measures, and requirements for personal protective equipment. If milestones for progress are not met or if there is a spike in cases or deaths, it may be necessary to move back to stricter measures. Phase One in Orleans Parish will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday, May 16.
What Stays the Same
- Continue to stay home except for essential needs and other permitted activities on a limited basis.
- Seniors and people with serious medical conditions should continue to stay home.
- Gatherings are limited to a household size. Limit the number of people with whom you regularly come into contact to a small and consistent “crew.”
- Everyone must wear a mask or face covering when performing activities in public. You do not need to wear a face covering while performing outdoor recreation but you must abide by all social distancing and hygiene rules.
- Practice social distancing, wash hands often, and frequently disinfect surfaces.
- Continue to work from home if you are able.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- If you have been in close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive, you must quarantine for 14 days.
- All non-essential businesses and organizations will continue to stay closed during Phase One, except under the following conditions, as outlined by the Governor’s Office and the Mayor’s Office. These exceptions are only allowed while paired with strict requirements for social distancing, face coverings and other PPE, and hygiene and cleaning protocols.
Operations Allowed in Phase One
Bolded items are specific requirements for businesses operating in Orleans Parish:
SHOPPING MALLS AND RETAIL STORES
- Stores with exterior entrances limited to 25% of permitted occupancy. Stores within malls with no exterior entrances remain closed.
- Curb-side pickup and online shopping are highly encouraged.
FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS
- Restaurants with table service should utilize a reservation or appointment system.
- Only bars with a Louisiana Department of Health food permit are allowed to serve food with same restrictions as restaurant.
- Outdoor seating is allowed.
- Indoor seating is limited to 25% of permitted occupancy.
- Tables must be arranged to keep parties at least six feet away from others.
- Take out and delivery are highly encouraged.
- No restaurant or food service establishment should serve any alcoholic beverage to a patron who is not also purchasing food.
- Video poker is not allowed.
BEAUTY SALONS, BARBER SHOP AND NAIL SALONS
- Service by reservation or appointment only.
- Limited to 25% of permitted occupancy.
- Chairs must be arranged to keep people at least six feet away from others.
- Gloves must be worn and changed between customers.
HOUSES OF WORSHIP
- Services are limited to 25% of permitted occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
- No choirs permitted.
- Six feet of distance between people and small groups must be maintained and crowd managers must be provided.
- Seniors and people with serious medical conditions should continue to stay home.
- Interior gathering spaces (ie fellowship halls, classrooms) cannot be used.
- Community assistance services are permitted.
- Online or drive-up services are highly encouraged.
CHILDCARE, EARLY LEARNING CENTERS, K-12 SCHOOL AND EXTRA CURRICULAR PROGRAMS
- Limited to 10 people per group, including adults.
- Contact sports are not permitted.
MOVIE THEATERS
- Limited to 25% of permitted occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
- Six feet of distance between people and small groups must be maintained and crowd managers must be provided.
- Seniors and people with serious medical conditions should continue to stay home.
- Interior gathering spaces cannot be used.
MUSEUMS, ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS
- Limited to 25% of permitted occupancy.
- Admission must be staggered using an appointment or reservation system.
- Six feet of distance between people and small groups must be maintained and crowd managers must be provided.
- Seniors and people with serious medical conditions should continue to stay home.
- Interior gathering spaces cannot be used.
GYMS AND FITNESS CENTERS
- Limited to 25% of permitted occupancy.
- Contact sports and group fitness classes are not allowed.
- Individual personal training allowed without physical touching and with strict social distancing.
- Equipment and exercise areas must be arranged to keep people at least six feet away from others.
- No use of locker rooms, showers, saunas, or spas allowed.
OFFICE BUILDINGS AND BUSINESSES
- People who can work from home should continue to do so.
- Limited to 25% of permitted occupancy.
- Conference rooms limited to 10 people with six feet between each individual.
- Virtual meetings are highly encouraged.
LIBRARIES
- Limited to 25% of permitted occupancy.
- Story time or other group events are not permitted.
OUTDOOR RECREATION SPACES, SPORTS COMPLEXES, PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS
- Parks and playgrounds can reopen, but residents must avoid close contact with others.
- Permitted sports include running, biking, lap swimming, tennis, golf, archery, curling, softball, and baseball. No spectating from bleachers nor dugout use will be allowed.
- Contact sports are not permitted.
RACETRACKS
- No spectators allowed.
- Casinos and video poker not allowed.
Not Allowed in Phase One
- CASINOS AND VIDEO POKER (NOT ALLOWED IN ORLEANS PARISH)
- SPAS
- TATTOO AND MASSAGE PARLORS
- LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
- AMUSEMENT AND EVENT VENUES
- CHILDREN’S MUSEUMS
- BARS WITHOUT FOOD PERMITS
- PRIVATE GATHERINGS WITH MORE THAN A REASONABLE HOUSEHOLD SIZE
Enforcement
The Department of Safety and Permits and the New Orleans Police Department will enforce requirements for Phase One operations and the limit on gatherings. Residents should call 3-1-1 or go to nola311.org to make a complaint about a violation of these restrictions. Complaints about businesses can also be made to the State Fire Marshal’s Office by visiting OpenSafely.la.gov. Anyone not following these requirements may be found in violation of Chapter 54 Section 501 of the New Orleans Criminal Code, which may result in a misdemeanor citation and a fine up to $500 or six months in jail.
Prepare to Modify Your Operations
Register your Business With the State Fire Marshal
If you have a business or an organization in Orleans Parish, you are required to register with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office at OpenSafely.la.gov. This process will answer the important questions:
- When can I partially or fully open my business?
- What are the steps to open my business?
- What changes can be expected for businesses that have been operating, but with restrictions?
- What restrictions are my business subject to, if any?
- Are there any new sanitation requirements for my business?
- Are there any personal protective requirements (masks, gloves, etc.) for my employees?
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of Executive Appraisers Louisiana, an MBE-certified real estate appraisal firm, and EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of Executive Appraisers Louisiana, an MBE-certified real estate appraisal firm, and EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu