The Advocate: Festival International canceled

The gist: While no doubt disappointing, the news was widely expected. Health officials have heavily emphasized social distancing and authorities have placed attendance caps on gatherings to tamp down the threat of community spread. On Monday, the Gov. John Bel Edwards imposed a 50-person limit on public events for the next eight weeks, responding to updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, the federal agency that sets the pace of nation’s response to the virus.

“We held strong as long as we could, hoping for a better turn of events, but when that CDC recommendation came down, we figured it was time,” Festival International Director Scott Feehan told The Advocate.