New Rules for Wind-Blown Instruments Go into Effect

NEW ORLEANS – Beginning Friday, Jan. 29, the City of New Orleans will begin enforcing a new set of rules for musicians who play wind-blown instruments at outdoor events. 

Sarah Babcock, the New Orleans Health Department’s director of policy and emergency preparedness, said that city leaders created the rules based on guidance from several new research studies on the potential spread of COVID-19 from singing and wind-blown instruments. A University of Colorado study was particularly useful.

Here are the highlights of the new guidelines:

• All performers must wear masks during the performance; performers using wind-blown instruments should use a mask with a slit cut in it to fit the mouthpiece.
• All wind-blown instruments must use a bell cover or instrument bag.
• All singers and speakers should use amplification if necessary to avoid projecting their voices to increase their volume. 
• All performers should be six feet apart from one another in all directions, except for trombone players, who must be nine feet from those in front of them, due to the length of the instrument.  

All live entertainment still requires a permit, but there is a new porch concert permit that will be available tomorrow morning that will be easier to complete. 

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