NEW YORK (AP) – After three months and 21,000 deaths that made it the deadliest center of infection in the United States, New York City began to resume economic activities on Monday, in what represents the largest test yet. to the ability of Americans to keep the coronavirus under control.
Stores that had been deemed nonessential have been cleared to reopen for takeout or curbside sales, though customers are still unable to enter the stores. Construction companies, factories and wholesalers also received the green light to resume activities.
“So far everything is fine,” said Frank Sciame, owner of a construction management company, as workplaces were back in business, but with new precautions, such as medical check-up questionnaires and a reduction in the number of workers. allowed on construction hoists. “Let’s hope it continues like this.”
“New York,” he noted, “will always recover.”
Some major chain stores took it easy: Macy’s declined to give a date to begin curbside sales at its flagship store, which suffered damage and theft during protests last week over the death of George Floyd. For their part, Saks Fifth Avenue, which was protected with barbed wire last week, and Tiffany’s could launch a collection service in the coming days.
Small store owners were eager to reopen, even though they weren’t expecting many customers.
“We are going to open every day in order to show life,” said eyewear designer Ahlem Manai-Platt, who was reopening a store in lower Manhattan.
Mayor Bill de Blasio celebrated the reopens and said they were a sign of New York’s resilience. But he also warned New Yorkers not to lower their guard and jeopardize hard-won progress against the virus. “Let’s keep that. We are going to build on that, ”he said.
Riots over racism and police brutality could compound the challenges America’s largest city faces as it struggles to overcome the coronavirus crisis. Authorities, who had focused for months on public health and economic issues, now also face urgent pressure for police reform.
New York City accounts for about one in five of the more than 110,000 coronavirus deaths nationally.
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Associated Press journalists Carla K. Johnson in Washington State and Anne D’Innocenzio, Karen Matthews and Brian Mahoney New York contributed to this report.
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