New York City enters the second phase of its deconfinement

New York City entered the second phase of its deconfinement on Monday, marking an important turning point in its efforts to fight COVID-19.

This transition is “a giant leap for the city”, as most of New York’s economic activity is expected to pick up in “phase 2”, as the city mayor noted. , Bill de Blasio. Barbers, hairdressing salons, real estate agencies and vehicle sales and rental companies will notably be able to reopen; office work will also resume, and people will once again be able to browse stores, except in malls.

The city’s playgrounds are now allowed to reopen, and thousands of restaurants can now set tables outside, such as in front of their establishment or on a sidewalk, as long as they maintain a distance of at least six feet ( approximately two meters) between each table.

“Today is a very, very important day for our city. It is the largest city in the country, the most important economy in the country which is recovering,” Mr. de Blasio said on Monday during a lecture. briefing.

According to the mayor, some 150,000 to 300,000 people are expected to return to work, in addition to the 200,000 to 400,000 people who have already returned to work under phase 1, which began on June 8.

Compliance with social distancing measures and wearing a mask remain mandatory in companies that have reopened. The mayor announced that an additional 2 million masks would be distributed free of charge to small businesses to help them move forward.

The mayor said metro ridership increased 29% from the days before phase 1, now approaching one million. Bus ridership also increased by 22% over the same period.

Before the pandemic, an average of 5.5 million people took the metro every working day.

New York, which was for a time the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States, has recorded a total of 209,562 cases of coronavirus and 22,321 deaths (including 4,685 deaths that could not be attributed with certainty to the coronavirus ), according to data provided by the city.

The city’s COVID-19 transmission rate fell to 1.1% on Sunday, slightly above New York State’s 0.97% rate, according to data provided by the state.

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