Senator John Kennedy says people drinking too much at Mardi Gras caused the rapid spread of coronavirus in Louisiana and slams China for being ‘worried about their image’
- The Republican senator slammed China for being ‘worried about their image’, claiming the country was not concerned about the ‘world’s health’
- Kennedy then blamed the lack of information as to why people were so willing to travel to New Orleans to take part in the boisterous activities
- As of Tuesday, the state had 1,388 confirmed cases and 46 deaths as a result of the virus
- New Orleans has 675 cases alone
- Kennedy remarks come after Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said his state has the fastest growing cases of coronavirus in the world
- Edwards announced a stay at home order for the 4.6 million residents in his state
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy declared that partiers drinking during Mardi Gras caused coronavirus to spread in the state as they had weaker immune systems when they contracted the virus.
The Republican senator slammed China for being ‘worried about their image’, claiming the country was not concerned about the ‘world’s health’ when sharing how severe the virus is.
Kennedy then blamed the lack of information as to why people were so willing to travel to New Orleans to take part in the boisterous activities towards the end of February.
As of Tuesday, the state had 1,388 confirmed cases and 46 deaths as a result of the virus. New Orleans has 675 cases alone, WDSU reports.
The Republican senator slammed China for being ‘worried about their image’, claiming the country was not concerned about the ‘world’s health’
‘We’re a hot spot,’ the conservative politician said in a segment with Fox News. ‘It started in New Orleans. It’s moving into the rest of the state.’
He continued: ‘I think it has a lot to do with Mardi Gras. I think our friends in China were worried about their image more than the world’s health and sat on the news about this virus for longer than they should have.
‘We held Mardi Gras. People flew in from all over the world. We were in close quarters. One or two had too much to drink and lowered their immune system. They diminished their immune systems and we got a problem.’
Kennedy then blamed the lack of information as to why people were so willing to travel to New Orleans to take part in the boisterous activities
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton expressed similar sentiments to Kennedy after he tested positive for the virus last week.
‘The concern with Louisiana is the amount of people that come in and out of this area after Mardi Gras season,’ Payton told ESPN, which was the first to report his infection. ‘This is an area that doctors are concerned about.’
Kennedy remarks come after Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said his state has the fastest growing cases of coronavirus in the world.
Edwards, who announced a stay at home order for the 4.6 million residents in his state, said on Sunday that Louisiana had seen the highest initial growth rate of confirmed cases globally.
‘We held Mardi Gras. People flew in from all over the world,’ he said. ‘We were in close quarters. One or two had too much to drink and lowered their immune system. They diminished their immune systems and we got a problem’
As of Tuesday, the state had 1,388 confirmed cases and 46 deaths as a result of the virus. New Orleans has 675 cases alone
There have been 628 deaths in the country as a result of the coronavirus
Citing statistics from a University of Louisiana at Lafayette study, Edwards said the growth rate in the state was headed for a steep upward trajectory similar to what Spain and Italy have experienced.
He said Louisiana had the third highest number of cases per capita in the US behind New York and Washington respectively.
Edwards announced a stay at home ban for his state that went into effect on Monday at 5pm.
Residents have been asked to stay home unless they are performing an essential task like getting food or medicine.
First-responders and workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other critical infrastructure are exempt from his directive, which will remain in effect until April 12, and could be extended beyond that.