NYC reopens after lockdown in big test amid race protests
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After three gloomy months and 21,000 deaths that made it the United States鈥 most lethal hotspot, New York City slowly began reopening on Monday in the biggest test yet of Americans鈥 ability to keep the coronavirus in check.
Stores previously deemed nonessential were cleared to reopen for delivery and curbside pickup, though customers cannot yet browse inside. Construction, manufacturing and wholesalers also received the go-ahead to resume work.
鈥淪o far, so good,鈥 construction management company owner Frank Sciame said as job sites started humming again, with new precautions such as health screening questionnaires and lower limits on the number of workers allowed in construction hoists. 鈥淟et鈥檚 hope it continues.鈥
Some major store chains took it slow: Macy鈥檚 declined to give a date for starting curbside pickup at its flagship store, where smash-and-grab thieves hit amid last week鈥檚 protests over George Floyd鈥檚 death.
Owners of smaller shops were eager to reopen, even if they didn鈥檛 expect much business.
鈥淲e are going to be open every day for the sake of showing life,鈥 said eyewear designer Ahlem Manai-Platt, who was reopening a lower Manhattan store.
Mayor Bill de Blasio welcomed the reopenings as a sign of New York鈥檚 resilience. But he also warned the city against letting its guard down and jeopardizing its hard-won progress against the virus: 鈥淟et鈥檚 hold on to it. Let鈥檚 build on it.鈥
Unrest over racism and police brutality could compound the challenges facing the US鈥 biggest city as it tries to move past the coronavirus crisis. Officials who had focused for months on public health and economic woes are now also facing urgent pressure for police reform.
New York accounts for roughly one in five of the more than 110,000 coronavirus deaths across the US. At its peak, the virus killed more than 500 people a day in the city. New hospitalizations topped 800 a day for a time.
Reopening the economy could spark a resurgence of the virus as people circulate more.
鈥淎ll eyes will be on New York next couple of months,鈥 said Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future.
New York, population 8.3 million, has already reawakened somewhat as warm weather drew people outdoors, more restaurants offered takeout service, and thousands of people marched in protest over Floyd鈥檚 death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Subway ridership is ticking back up after plunging from 5.4 million rides per weekday in February to under 450,000 in April. Subway schedules are returning to normal, though workers are dispensing masks and hand sanitizer, signs show riders how far apart to stand on platforms, and the 1am-to-5am shutdown that began in May will continue so trains can be cleaned.
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