New York celebrates a year of confinement; progressive reopening continues

The city is immersed in the progressive reopening with the advance of the vaccination campaign, although fearful of the impact of the new variants

New York marked a year since confinement measures, social distance, business closures and the end of mass tourism began to be imposed, with the city immersed in the progressive reopening with the advance of the vaccination campaign, although fearful of the impact of the new variants.

In a display of how unpredictable the pandemic has been, on Friday, March 13, 2020, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, inaugurated the first COVID-19 testing center in county of Westchester and warned that the pandemic and measures to contain it could last “six months or more.”

For his part, the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, declared a state of emergency in the city and prohibited the crowds of more than 500 people, a number that in just a few days was reduced to zero and that today seems absurd.

The councilor assured that his priority was to keep schools and public transport open. Two days later all classes were suspended and the first deaths were announced by the coronavirus in the city, which in just one month would become the global epicenter of the pandemic.

The use of urban transport is still well below pre-pandemic levels, largely due to the city’s still prioritize remote work or to travel by private car.

On March 13, the then president, Donald Trump, declared a national emergency due to the pandemic, which began to release federal funds to fight the virus, which was beginning to ravage both coasts of the United States, especially in nursing homes.

After the closing of the theaters of Broadway, the state authorities of New York ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses and the beginning of a home confinement that was not relaxed until the arrival of summer and that was reinforced again since the fall.

So it started in New York a year of confinement, businesses closed, limited international flights to which the end is only now beginning to be seen thanks to the extension of the vaccination campaign.

The authorities of New York recently announced that Broadway performances could return to the city beginning April 2, but with a reduced capacity of 33 percent; a limit that for large productions of Broadway it feels like very difficult to fulfill.

Also, in April, national travelers will no longer be required to self-quarantine at home and stadiums may allow up to 500 people if they provide negative proof of coronavirus o de vaccination.

Restaurants in “the city that never sleeps” can now open at 35 percent of capacity from the end of February and starting Monday they will be able to organize events at 50 percent capacity up to a limit of 150 people.

Although the vaccination campaign is progressing slowly in the districts most affected by the coronavirus, such as the Bronx, one in five New Yorkers have already received one or two shots of the vaccine and with spring the new normal could arrive in the city.

With information from EFE

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