Mardi Gras is Back: Keeping Your Krewe Safe This Season

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by LCMC Health Urgent Care

Mardi Gras is Back: Keeping Your Krewe Safe This Season

Mardi Gras is Back: Keeping Your Krewe Safe This SeasonIt looks like Mardi Gras is back and for us here in The Crescent City and everyone across Louisiana, it is a welcome return to normalcy at this time of year. Don’t get us wrong, house floats, King Cakes shared with a few family members and five-person crawfish boils helped us get through, but nothing beats a real-life parade raining beads on you along with communal pots of jambalaya shared between a boatload of family and friends. Since we missed Mardi Gras in 2021 and two St. Patrick’s Day parades, LCMC Health Urgent Care is here to offer a few reminders on how to stay safe this season.

COVID-19, Flu and Colds Are Still Around

Despite parades and festivities moving forward, all the icky bugs like COVID, the flu and the common cold are still alive and ready to spread to unsuspecting citizens who left the house to simply enjoy a parade. While encasing your entire family in a plastic bubble would certainly be helpful, it’s not very practical. Luckily, washing your hands is still one of the best ways to keep from catching something more than just great throws. To review: when you wash, rub your hands together briskly for at least 20 seconds with soap and running water. No water? Bring some wipes with you to the parade along with some hand sanitizer as a first layer of defense. Additionally if you think you may be coming down with a little bug, be on the safe side and get tested! LCMC Health Urgent Care offers rapid testing for both COVID-19 and flu, as well as cold and flu treatment.

Beware of Overindulgence

They don’t call it Fat Tuesday for nothing (it may as well be called Fat February, right?). While it’s definitely time to eat, drink and be merry before Lent, rethinking that third piece of King Cake and big glass of wine at the end of the night might be a good idea for your long-term health. Also, don’t abandon your workouts, runs, walks or whatever you do to get your heart pumping. Keeping up at least part of your routine can make it that much easier to hit it hard again next month.

Water is Your Friend

Remember to continue drinking lots of water over the course of the season and especially on parade days and nights. Water keeps you hydrated, prevents headaches/migraines, flushes toxins out of your system and is a natural appetite suppressant to reduce calorie intake before a meal.

Dress Accordingly

There’s no telling what the weather will be like come parade day in Louisiana. It could be 70 degrees in the morning and drop down into the 30s by nightfall. Keep an eye on the forecast and make sure you dress you and the kiddos warmly or prepare for rain. Layers can always be added or removed.

Watch Those Ladders

If you set up ladders for your kids to snag throws and get a better view of the floats, take some precautions because ladder accidents happen every year. Make sure the ladder is set up on flat ground away from the curb. Chaining or roping ladders together or to public property is not allowed. Kids should NEVER stand on ladders and parents should stand behind or on the sides of ladders to make sure the kids are safe and other exuberant bead catchers don’t bump or jostle the ladders while attempting to grab throws.

Be Wary of Parade Stompers & Parade Projectiles

While the legendary 610 Stompers are always a welcome site strutting down the route, people using their feet to secure throws are not. You know the type, you or your child is reaching for beads or a doubloon and bam! They stomp down on it to claim it and sometimes at night don’t see fingers and hands that are in the vicinity. In addition, parents of children under the age of seven, keep an eye out for loose beads or bead packets hurled at warp speed into the crowd. While the rider may have good intentions, a blow to the face or eyes can cause trauma to anyone and ruin a good time.

LCMC Health Urgent Care is here for you, Nola

We hope you have a happy and safe Carnival Season, but if you do have an accident or illness, from sprains and minor cuts that may need stitches, to fever or sore throat, LCMC Health Urgent Care has seven convenient, walk-in clinics in New Orleans and the surrounding areas to treat you and your family. Additionally, we’ll be joining the Kenner community at the beginning of March with our new Kenner location. Clinic hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All LCMC Health Urgent Care locations will have regular hours of operations for Mardi Gras with the exception of Uptown and Algiers. Click here for more information on our holiday hours.

LCMC Health Urgent Care is backed by the outstanding resources and reputation of LCMC Health. LCMC Health manages some of the top hospitals in the New Orleans area including Children’s Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center, New Orleans East Hospital and West Jefferson Hospital.  For more infor­mation, visit www.lcmchealthurgentcare.com. Get answers at any LCMC Health Urgent Care location. Also, be sure to “Like” and “Follow” LCMC Health Urgent Care on Facebook and Instagram.    

 

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