At eight at home. Or, at least, in theory. Faced with the threat of the coronavirus, New York bars were due to close at eight in the afternoon on Monday, almost without margin for the preview of Saint Patrick (March 17), the traditional party in which hundreds of thousands of people traditionally gather in New York bars, as in many other cities in the United States, to celebrate the Irish pattern.
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The cancellation of the historic parade had already been announced, it had not failed since 1762. And it has been chained the closure of cultural spaces, including the iconic Broadway stages, which are estimated possible losses of $ 100 million (about 90 million euros). The total economic impact in a city with 25,000 restaurants and 120,000 hotel rooms is projected to be devastating.
But there is also great concern about the ability of the US healthcare system to absorb the high pressure caused by the virus. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the 8,200-bed booster. As of 3:00 p.m. Monday, there are 463 confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, where seven deaths have been recorded.
However, at the Bailey’s Corner Pub, in Manhattan, have resisted curfew. Large posters on their windows presented the premises on Monday as “the official headquarters of St. Patrick’s Day.” “I’ve been working here for 22 years, so I was here on 9/11, the blackout [2003]Hurricane Sandy (2012), and I’ve never seen anything like this. We never close for any of those events, “says owner Sean Cushing,” born and raised in New York, three blocks from here. “
“I am incredibly concerned, because my employees will not be able to earn money. I don’t have enough cash to keep paying them and we have bills. Politicians force us to close, but there is no discussion, no tax amnesty, “says Cushing. And remember that Saint Patrick is traditionally “your best day of the year”, with up to 10 times more benefits than a normal day. Inside the pub, a dozen people, some wearing Saint Patrick’s hats, together with the innkeeper, were challenging the curfew.
Cushing’s is a vision shared by the guild, admits Daniel Labrador, a bartender at the Boat bar in Brooklyn, which has already been closed all day. Labrador, however, supports the measure: “It is absolutely necessary. Many colleagues are angry, but the lives of the people of this city are more important, ”says this Mexican by birth, who has already accumulated two thirds of his 30 years in the United States. Labrador plans to apply for unemployment aid, though he’s not sure if it will be awarded, and focus on his work as a writer. freelance.
According to a report on the New York Nightlife 2018, the city has 25,000 establishments linked to this sector, of which 2,100 would be bars (more focused on the dispensing of alcoholic beverages) and 19,400 food establishments. Other sources raise the figure to around 10,000, depending on the conditions of the “bar” concept. In any case, the study on nightlife promoted by the mayor’s office reveals that this industry generated in 2016 almost 300,000 jobs and more than 35,100 dollars (31.4 billion euros). Now, the first estimates point that only the losses related to tourism can touch the 1,000 million dollars (895 million euros).
Between the concern and the discredit, the cosmopolitan city of 8.4 million inhabitants, has dressed for Sunday this Monday, the first also for the closing of the 1,600 public schools in the city (the largest school district in the US). The day has left the first striking pictures, such as that of the low influx of pedestrians in Times Square, normally one of the busiest points at any time of day and night, and iconic enclaves, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State, closed. The headquarters of the United Nations closed to the public and limited the presence of personnel from Tuesday 10, to Friday 13 to extend teleworking to all employees who can develop it, for three weeks.
Although no movement restrictions have been enacted so far, and public transport and businesses such as clothing stores remain open, official recommendations at both local how state They already recommend staying home as much as possible. At Manhattan’s Bayley’s Corner, Cushing is still not convinced. “Of course, we have a responsibility to clean everything up well,” he acknowledges. “But it seems to be a problem that affects older people more.” And although it is more than eight in the afternoon, he assures that it is “in the process of closing” and recalls that the mayor (who decreed the closure from Tuesday) and the governor (who anticipated it on Monday afternoon) did not they had agreed on the date.
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