After more than a year of shutdown, New York City is set to fully reopen starting July 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week. The city was shut down in March 2020 and later became the country’s epicenter for COVID-19 infections and deaths.
“This is going to be the summer of New York City,” Mayor de Blasio said in his briefing.
“We’re all going to get to enjoy the city again and people are going to flock here from all over the country to be a part of this amazing moment in New York City.”
This means that restaurants, gyms, shops, hair salons and arenas will open at full capacity.
“We now can set this goal because we’ve been moving forward constantly – more and more vaccinations, fewer and fewer infections, thank God,” he said.
On Tuesday, May 5, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced during a briefing that Broadway will open its doors on September 14.
“On Broadway, I said September is a long way away. They will have to make a market decision because they need a high capacity. So see where we are in September, and they will have a range of options. My option that I like is 100% vaccine,” he said.
It’s the first time the city will be fully reopening in more than a year. The first shutdown began March 2020 when the city became the country’s epicenter in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York City has recorded 931,947 cases and 32,698 virus-related deaths. The city as of May 5 had administered 6.7 million doses of Covid vaccines, according to city data.
The mayor encouraged everyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated to come forward now.
“Let’s keep being smart about all those basic, smart health care measures we’ve been taught by our health care heroes. We can do this. July 1st – we’ve all got a little bit of work to do, but we can get there together,” he said.
Responding to questions about the possibility of having state or city vaccine passports as a requirement when it comes to indoor dining or even gyms and theater, de Blasio said, “we’re going to be led by the data and the science” and that they “will make adjustments as we go along.”
The bottom line, he added, is that more people should get vaccinated.
The city is planning to reach deeper into the grassroots, create more incentives for vaccination and make it more convenient for people.
