LCI editorial staff – 2020-03-16T08:26:34.697+01:00
—
“Our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must react as if we were at war.” Faced with the growing threat of the coronavirus, Bill de Biasio took drastic measures: Sunday evening, the mayor of New York decided to close the bars, cafes and restaurants in his city. A radical solution also adopted by Los Angeles, where there too the virus is gaining ground.
According to the decree signed by Bill de Biasio, the activity of restaurants will be limited from Tuesday morning to take-out and home deliveries. “These places are an integral part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it is to be New Yorker,” said the city councilor. The suspension of social life in the Big Apple does not end there: nightclubs, cinemas, museums, small theaters and concert halls will also have to close as of Tuesday.
–
A few thousand kilometers away, in Los Angeles, it is also time for drastic measures. The “City of Angels” has ordered all bars, restaurants and nightclubs to close from midnight Sunday, except for take-out. This ban will remain in force at least until March 31, said Mayor Eric Garcetti on his Facebook page, who signed a decree to this effect. “It’s not easy, and I don’t take this decision lightly,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
“We’ll get through this eventually, but until we do, we have to make all the necessary sacrifices,” said Bill de Biasio. For the latter, the shutdown of the “city that never sleeps” was not obvious.
Despite the rise in the toll – 329 cases on Sunday, including 5 dead – the mayor wanted to delay. In particular for schools: for several days, the mayor repeated that their closure would have cascading effects even worse than the risk of contamination via children, clearly fearing a paralysis of New York and its 8.5 million inhabitants . “If you no longer have schools, a lot of the people we need will no longer be able to work if they have to take care of their children”, pleaded Bill de Blasio.
Under pressure from New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, the town hall finally gave in on Sunday. Teachers will thus be trained on Monday in the “challenge” of online education, said the mayor, stressing that things “would gradually improve”. The authorities recommend that anyone who can switch to telecommuting. For now, subways, buses and airports are still open in New York. Until when ?
– .
