Each day we’re learning more and more about the severity of COVID-19 and the effects of not adhering to social distancing measures. As of last week, the state of Louisiana reported more than 2,300 confirmed cases with 46 deaths coming from New Orleans alone.

City officials are now being flooded with backlash for not canceling Mardi Gras, which drew thousands to the ‘Big Easy’ a few months ago. In an interview with CNN, Mayor Latoya Cantrell said she would have canceled the event had she received better information from federal leadership.

“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.”

Despite warning from the CDC that the virus would ramp up, Cantrell said there was still no indication as to how severe things would get or that the large events should be canceled. But now, Cantrell wishes that she would have canceled.

“Allowing science to lead us, it does matter,” Cantrell said. “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.”

Related: A Black Expat Opens Up About What It’s Like In South Korea During Coronavirus Outbreak