New Orleans will require 5-year-olds to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to enter restaurants, skating rinks, arcades and other public places, starting Monday.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she is implementing the policy “to keep the omicron variant at bay,” amid surging cases in Orleans Parish. Most of southeast Louisiana is currently labeled high risk, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
The city’s vaccine passport system already ranks among the most stringent public health protocols in the country, alongside New York City and San Francisco. Residents and visitors have had to show proof of vaccination or negative tests to enter businesses and government buildings since August, including children age 12 and older.