In a Thursday interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Mayor LaToya Cantrell explained that the city's Mardi Gras planning happens year-round and in close coordination with the federal government. This year's Mardi Gras celebrations took place on February 25.

She was given "no red flags" about a public health threat at any point, so they decided to continue with business as usual.

"When it's not taken seriously on the federal level, it's very difficult to transcend down to the local level in making these decisions," Cantrell said. "But when the experts told me that social gatherings would be an issue, I moved forward with canceling them."

When Blitzer asked if it's correct to say that federal officials made no suggestion that the event should be canceled, Cantrell responded: "That's absolutely correct, and it was backed up by the response of our national leader." 

"Allowing science to lead us, it does matter," Cantrell went on to say. "Leaders on the ground, we rely on the facts to make decisions for the people that we serve. Given no red flags, we moved forward. In hindsight, if we were given clear direction, we would not have had Mardi Gras, and I would have been the leader to cancel it."