Nightclubs, cinemas, small theaters and concert halls closed after Thursday’s ban on gatherings of more than 500 people.
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IHe had resisted the pressures for days, but finally resigned himself: the mayor of New York announced on Sunday the closure of New York public schools and then that of bars and restaurants, in turn depriving the financial and cultural capital of the United States. United in social life in the face of the threat of the coronavirus.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at the end of the afternoon the closure, from Monday until April 20 at least, of some 1,800 schools in the city, attended by 1.1 million students, the most large school district of the United States.
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Then, in the evening, following the example of the Belgian, Italian or French authorities, he announced that this flagship city of world tourism would sign a decree on Monday limiting the activity of restaurants, bars and cafes to take-away and to home deliveries – essential services for many New Yorkers starting Tuesday 9 a.m.
Nightclubs, cinemas, small theaters and concert halls that had not closed after Thursday’s ban on gatherings of more than 500 people and the extinguishing of fires on Broadway and in most museums will also have to close as of Tuesday.
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“These places are an integral part of the heart and soul of our city”, lamented the mayor. “They are part of what it is to be New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must react as if we were at war ”, he added.
“We will get through this eventually, but until we do, we have to make all the necessary sacrifices,” he said.
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For 48 hours, the pressure on the mayor of the first American metropolis, whose number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is increasing rapidly and reached 329 cases on Sunday, including 5 dead, has continued to mount.
The decision to close public schools was particularly difficult for the authorities, who had long hoped to be able to maintain this vital lung to the economic functioning of the city.
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It took 48 hours of increasingly insistent calls from several unions, parents of students, elected officials and hospital officials to convince them to agree to give up this “pillar” of New York life.
A similar measure was also adopted Sunday at midnight in Los Angeles while in Las Vegas, the MGM Resorts group announced the temporary closure of 13 casinos and hotels.
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