Beyond inspiring satiric costumes, coronavirus concerns apparently had little impact on the just-completed Carnival season.

But what about the upcoming festival season in New Orleans?

Over the next two months, three major music festivals are on tap: the Buku Music + Art Experience at Mardi Gras World on March 20-21; the French Quarter Festival on April 16-19; and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which is April 23-26 and April 30-May 3.

Together, they attract hundreds of thousands of attendees, many of them from out of town.

Worries about the new coronavirus have resulted in some conferences around the country — and one major oil-related international conference scheduled for late March in New Orleans — being called off.

Two upcoming New Orleans conferences canceled amid coronavirus fears A major oil conference and a smaller technology gathering that were scheduled to be held in New Orleans this month have been canceled by their…

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations for organizers and staffers of upcoming “mass gatherings or large community events in the United States,” including festivals, on what to do before, during and after a potential outbreak of what is formally coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.

Organizers of the three major springtime festivals in New Orleans say that, for now, they are proceeding as normal, even as internal discussions on the evolving, novel coronavirus threat continue.

The French Quarter Festival “is moving ahead as planned, and preparations are on track,” marketing and communications director Rebecca Sell said. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and follow official CDC recommendations. Public health and safety is our first priority, and we’ll implement whatever strategies are necessary to keep our guests safe.

“We will remain in contact with all local agencies, including public health officials and hospitality leaders, to stay abreast of this rapidly evolving situation and keep fans updated should our production schedule be affected.”

A statement from Jazz Fest said, "In cooperation with city and state officials and local tourism agencies, the Festival is monitoring the situation carefully. We continue to prepare for a successful and safe Jazz Fest."

A spokesperson for Buku, which, like Jazz Fest, is co-produced by international live entertainment powerhouse AEG, said the Buku team “echoes that (Jazz Fest) statement. They are also taking necessary steps to have a safe and successful weekend.”

As of this writing, no cases of the coronavirus have been reported by authorities in Louisiana. But officials, from Gov. John Bel Edwards on down, expect that to change. Area schools and other institutions are formulating plans to deal with a local outbreak. Catholic churches are considering changes to their communion and sign of peace practices.

And with health officials warning of the potential for the coronavirus to spread rapidly as it has in China, Italy and Iran, some panicked Americans are binge-buying disinfectants, bottled water and other supplies.

+2 Communion, sign of peace changes up to pastors amid coronavirus scare, Archdiocese says Though a case of the coronavirus has not been confirmed in Louisiana, the Archdiocese of New Orleans is among one of the many entities in the …

The novel coronavirus may ultimately fizzle like the H1N1 virus in 2009, which turned out to be far less serious than initially projected.

But regardless of the actual threat, fear could still have a chilling effect on festivals. Some fans and performers may not want to travel to New Orleans or be in a large crowd.

All Facebook and Twitter employees scheduled to participate in the massive South by Southwest music, media and film conference in Austin, Texas, from March 13-22 have dropped out because of the coronavirus scare.

The Austin-American Statesman newspaper reported that more than 20,000 people had signed an online petition demanding that South by Southwest, which draws thousands of attendees from all over the world, be canceled outright. South by Southwest organizers have said that the event is still slated to go on as scheduled, as no Texas health department official had requested a cancellation.

Similarly, Louisiana tourism representatives are encouraging local events to stay the course. In response to the World Petrochemical Conference’s recent cancellation, Kristian Sonnier, a spokesperson for New Orleans & Co., the city's official tourism promotion agency, said, "Our position is that domestic travel and meetings should continue uninterrupted until the federal, state and local health experts advise that it should not.”

The newly issued CDC guidelines suggest various precautions for festival organizers, such as “providing COVID-19 prevention supplies at your events.” Those include “sinks with soap, hand sanitizers, tissues and disposable face masks (for persons who start having symptoms).”

Disposable face masks, the CDC says, should be “used only if someone (worker or attendee) becomes sick at your event. Those who become sick should be immediately isolated from staff and participants who are not sick and given a clean disposable face mask to wear.”

The CDC also suggests festival organizers plan for staff absences and promote messages that discourage those who are sick from attending.

If a COVID-19 outbreak occurs, the CDC recommends event organizers “work closely … with local public health officials to discuss the criteria you will use to postpone or cancel your event.”

Festivals inevitably deal with adversity. Both the French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest have cut short or canceled days because of stormy weather. Last year, the Rolling Stones, the marquee act of Jazz Fest’s 50th anniversary, canceled so singer Mick Jagger could undergo heart surgery.

But pulling the plug on an entire festival would be both unprecedented and extremely costly.

It’s still too early to consider such a doomsday scenario. Festival fans, and organizers, no doubt hope they never do.