The mayor of the city aims to deconfin New York in early July, reaching 5 million vaccinated.
After months of caution in the face of a second wave of Covid-19, Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York announced Thursday April 29 that he was planning a “full reopeningOf the city on July 1, while the governor of New York said it could intervene “before», The latter deciding to lift the restrictions.
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«We are ready to reopen New York completely on July 1», Said Mayor Bill de Blasio during a press briefing. “It means going to the shops, the possible return of bars and restaurants, the return of many employees, the theaters which resume and so many things that we cherish.“. Many shops and restaurants are already open, but with limited capacity, and the mayor did not specify exactly what this “total reopeningImplied in terms of lifting the restrictions.
The latter are set not by the town hall but by Governor Andrew Cuomo, with whom Bill de Blasio has a difficult relationship. When asked about this July 1 target, the governor immediately challenged it. “I don’t like to make projections, I think they are irresponsibleAndrew Cuomo said during a separate press briefing. “I hope we will have a reopening date sooner. If we do what we have to do, we can reopen before“. The two men seemed to agree, however, that the complete lifting of the restrictions would depend on the continuation of the current vaccination effort. “The key is to get everyone vaccinated», Underlines Bill de Blasio. Some 6.4 million doses of the vaccine have already been injected in New York, hit hard by the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, with some 32,000 deaths from the coronavirus in total. Some 2.4 million New Yorkers, out of some 8.5 million, are now fully vaccinated, according to city figures.
Vaccination for over 16s
The goal is to reach 5 million by the end of June, said the mayor. “We need to create incentives for vaccination, make it even more convenient for people», Indicated Bill de Blasio. As in other American cities, the rate of vaccination has slowed down in recent weeks, even though vaccination is now open to all people 16 years of age and over, without prior appointment. The restrictions still in force are mainly the responsibility of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has a particularly difficult relationship with Bill de Blasio. Weakened politically by several scandals, Andrew Cuomo has relaxed many restrictions in recent weeks, allowing the reopening of restaurants, stadiums, cinemas and performance halls, but reception capacities remain limited. Broadway theaters, one of New York’s top tourist attractions, remain closed. The mayor, who recently announced a major campaign to revive tourism from June, admitted on Thursday that they would remain so until September, except “some more intimate theaters“. Despite the vaccination campaign and the significant drop in the COVID-19 positivity rate, a majority of office workers continue to work from home, and the large New York business districts remain far from their pre-activity. pandemic.
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