NEW ORLEANS — After a Mardi Gras week like no other, with bar closures and tightened covid restrictions, a silver lining is around the corner. Landmark bars on Bourbon St. and across New Orleans will expand to 25% indoor capacity starting tomorrow.

“I think it’ll be good. This is a social event in here. People don’t come in just to drink, they come in to socialize,” said Pamela Fortner, owner of Tropical Isle.

There hasn’t been much socializing at the Tropical Isle because of recent covid restrictions. Fortner says things have been quite, but she looks forward to seeing customers.

“We’ve had people coming in for years, they come in from New York and Alabama and all over and it’s fun to see them when they come back. People just have been staying inside a lot, and it’s been boring,” said Fortner.

It’s not just bars on Bourbon St. that are gearing up for an increase in business.

“We were shut down from Friday, up until Fat Tuesday, so we reopened Ash Wednesday at 11 am. It’s sad to miss out on Mardi Gras, it’s sad to miss out on what was going to be a busy week for us, but we’re happy to be reopened again,” said Jeff O’Bryon, owner of Cooter Brown’s in Uptown.

Unlike Tropical Isle, Cooter Brown’s has been able to operate with a restaurant license. O’Bryon says having neighboring bars reopen will help everyone financially.

“A rise in tide raises all boats, if that makes sense. It’ll be great to have other bars, and other places in the neighborhood open back up, and there will be more things to do and people to see and stuff to do in a safe way,’ said O’Bryon.

The new covid guidelines will go into effect at 6am tomorrow. New Orleans bars will be able to maintain that 25% indoor capacity, as long as the positivity rate in the parish stay below 5%.

The modified guidelines will stay in place for three weeks.