How New Orleans Became the New Hot Spot for Coronavirus Cases | TODAY

EXPERTS BELIEVE THIS AREA MAY PLAY A ROLE IN THE EXPLOSION CASES WE ARE SEEING NOW CASES WE ARE SEEING NOW THANKS TO THE BIGGEST HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR, MARDI GRAS. THE YEAR, MARDI GRAS. IN LOUISIANA, THE NUMBERS IN LOUISIANA, THE NUMBERS ARE SIMPLY AMAZING. THEY ARE JUST AMAZING. IT SCARED ME. IT SCARED ME. I SCREAMED. I SCREAMED. I'm like, you're kidding. I'm like, you're kidding. Reporter: THE STATE HAS SEEN Reporter: THE STATE HAS SEEN THE FASTEST GROWTH RATES IN THE WORLD. WORLD. 2,300 CORONAVIRUS CASES WERE SHOT 2,300 CORONAVIRUS CASES AND 83 DEATHS WERE SHOT. CASES AND 83 DEATHS. IF THIS THREAD CONTINUES IF THIS THREAD CONTINUES ON ITS CURRENT ROUTE, COULD IT START ITS CURRENT ROUTE, COULD IT START LOOKING LIKE SPAIN OR ITALY?

LOOK LIKE SPAIN OR ITALY? ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. ALMOST 1,000 CASES WITH 46 ALMOST 1,000 CASES WITH 46 DEATHS. DEAD. NOW THE EXPERTS POINTING TO ONE NOW THE EXPERTS POINTING TO ONE MAIN FACTOR, MARDI GRAS. MAIN FACTOR, MARDI GRAS. PEOPLE ARE DRINKING AND PEOPLE ARE DRINKING AND SHARING GLASSES, THROWING BEADS SHARING GLASSES, THROWING BEADS FROM A FLOAT. OF A FLOAT. UNFORTUNATELY, PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST UNFORTUNATELY, PEOPLE ARE NOT ONLY CATCHING MARDI GRAS BEADS, BUT CORONAVIRUS. BUT CORONAVIRUS. OLIVER STOKES, A D.J. POPULAR OLIVER STOKES, A D.J. POPULAR WAS RIDING ON ONE OF THOSE FLOATS, HE WAS RIDING ON ONE OF THOSE FLOATS, NOW HE FEELS SICK.

NOW HE FEELS SICK. THE COMFORTER AND PROVIDER. THE COMFORTER AND PROVIDER. THE DOCTOR ORDERED NO THE DOCTOR ORDERED NO VISITORS IN HIS LAST HOURS. VISITORS IN HIS LAST HOURS of him. HIS WIFE CASSANDRA COULD NOT BE HIS WIFE CASSANDRA COULD NOT BE BY HIS SIDE of him. AT HIS SIDE of him. I COULD NOT TAKE HER HAND from him, I COULD NOT TAKE HER HAND from him, I COULD NOT TELL HIM THAT I LOVE HIM, I COULD NOT TELL HIM THAT I LOVE HIM, NOTHING. NOTHING. THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART FOR ME WAS THE HARDEST PART FOR ME WAS THAT I COULD NOT BE WITH HIM.

IT WAS THAT I COULD NOT BE WITH HIM. IN NEW ORLEANS, THE IN NEW ORLEANS, PAIN SHOWS NO MERCY. HEART PAIN DOES NOT SHOW MERCY. JAY BANKS LOST THREE FRIENDS IN JAY BANKS LOST THREE FRIENDS IN A SINGLE DAY. ONE DAY ONLY. TWO DIED STILL WAITING FOR THE TEST TWO DIED STILL WAITING FOR THE TEST RESULTS. RESULTS. SHE'S CRAZY. SHE'S CRAZY. THREE PEOPLE DEAD IN THREE THREE PEOPLE DEAD IN THREE HOURS, THEY WERE ALL LIVING HOURS, THEY ALL LIVED VERY VIBRANT, VERY, VERY, VERY VERY VIBRANT, VERY, VERY, VERY PLENARY, NOW THEY ARE LIVING LIVES, NOW THEY ARE GONE.

MISSING. GONE TOO THE CROWD GONE ALSO THE FULL RESTAURANTS, THE ACTIVE FRENCH RESTAURANTS, THE BUSY FRENCH QUARTER ACTIVITY, A MUCH OF THE CITY NEIGHBORHOOD, A MUCH OF THE SOUL AND THE CITY'S LIVELIHOOD. SOUL AND LIVELIHOOD. IT IS NOT NORMAL. IT IS NOT NORMAL. WILL YOU EVER COME BACK? WILL YOU EVER COME BACK? ON THURSDAY, A MESSAGE FROM ON THURSDAY, A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HOPE FROM THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS MARSHAL DREW BREES WHO MARSHAL DREW BREES WHO DONATE $5 MILLION TO HELP HIS DONATE $5 MILLION TO HELP TO YOUR CITY TO WRITE, LET'S ALL GO, LET'S ALL WRITE OUR CITY, LET'S ALL DO OUR PART, LET'S KEEP HOPE, AND LET'S GET A PART, LET'S KEEP HOPE, AND LET'S GET OVER THIS TOGETHER.

THROUGH THIS TOGETHER. MOST PEOPLE ARE LISTENING AND MOST PEOPLE ARE LISTENING AND STAYING HOME. STAY AT HOME. BUT BECAUSE OF THOSE FEW EXCEPTIONS, BUT BECAUSE OF THOSE FEW EXCEPTIONS, CASSANDRA HAS THIS WARNING. CASSANDRA HAS THIS WARNING. THEY STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.