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![Nicola Imfeld, USA correspondent for the Blick Group.]()
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Nicola Imfeld, USA correspondent for the Blick Group.
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![The corona pandemic hit New York hard.]()
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The corona pandemic hit New York hard.
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![Half a year after the pandemic broke out, Times Square is almost deserted.]()
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Half a year after the pandemic broke out, Times Square is almost deserted.
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![In the spring, New York was the corona epicenter of the world.]()
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In the spring, New York was the corona epicenter of the world.
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![Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, imposed the lockdown in mid-March.]()
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Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, imposed the lockdown in mid-March.
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New York is my favorite city in America. History, culture, sport: it never gets boring in the Big Apple – and there is something for everyone. At the beginning of the week I was shocked when I visited my beloved city for the first time since the outbreak of the corona pandemic for a report (soon in BLICK). You don’t recognize Manhattan!
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In spring New York was the corona hotspot in the world. The virus killed over 23,000 people in the city alone. What is still going on here half a year after the horror spring is hard to imagine from outside. While in Switzerland you are chauffeured for days about the requirement to wear a mask in shops, in New York everyone wears a mask in a disciplined manner – whether during sport, walking or on a park bench. Criticism? Nothing!
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The reason is tragic: the people here weren’t as lucky as we were in Switzerland. Every New Yorker knows someone who is either seriously ill or has died from Covid-19. Taking to the streets to demonstrate against measures to contain the virus – as would-be lateral thinkers in Switzerland or Germany have been doing for weeks – does not come to mind in Manhattan. People literally saw death drive past the front door in spring when the hearse was in constant use.
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Pampered Swiss complainers
Manhattan resembled a ghost town for months and is only slowly awakening from its deep sleep. The subway is still largely avoided, empty Times Square lacks thousands of tourists and Broadway lacks shows. Even if New Yorkers have already gone through a number of crises with 9/11 or Hurricane Sandy, the corona pandemic represents a new dimension.
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The economic impact is devastating: Thousands of companies have had to turn off the lights forever. These are lifelong dreams of people who were destroyed almost overnight. When you talk to those affected, you can feel their despair. The difference to the spoiled Swiss complainers is that almost without exception everyone blames the virus – and not the measures.
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New York needs us – after the pandemic
A quarter of a million Swiss visit New York year after year – in normal times. For many, the city is a place with a special meaning. The first kiss? The engagement? Christmas for two in the Big Apple? The first vacation together as a family?
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Those who care about this city should stay away from it during the pandemic. The New Yorkers don’t even want us here because the pandemic is being taken seriously. As soon as this global crisis is over, we should all stop and celebrate anyway. And where does that work better than in Manhattan?
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The report from New York will soon appear in BLICK – a city in the state of Corona.
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Coronavirus![]()
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The coronavirus is currently occupying the whole world and there are new developments every day. All current information on the subject is available in the coronavirus ticker.
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Published: October 9th, 2020, 3:42 am-Last updated: October 9th, 2020, 8:57 pm–Related posts:
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