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DeBlasio Expresses Optimism on NYC Reopening, Upbeat Summer to Begin on July 1st

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By: Jared Evan

Mayor Bill de Blasio declared last Thursday that New York City would fully reopen on July 1, while Governor Cuomo went one step further and lifted most restrictions promising a Mid-May re-opening, but will the re-opening be as grand and spectacular as promised?

“This is going to be the summer of New York City,” Mayor DeBlasio said at a news briefing. “We’re all going to get to enjoy the city again, and people are going to flock here from all over the country to be a part of this amazing moment.”

The mayor is overly optimistic, and the NY Post pointed out; “Look, we are going to be ready July 1. Eight weeks from now, New York City is going to come back, because we are making incredible progress,” Hizzoner said on Spanish-language TV network Telemundo’s morning show, “Hoy Día.”

“New Yorkers want a reopening, and they’re actually doing something about it, going out and getting vaccinated in extraordinary numbers.

“This is going to be an amazing summer in New York City, it’s going to be an exciting summer, and we’re going to be ready for it.”

Many are still skeptical that the city will come roaring back, and there is much confusion coming from the two competing leaders, de Blasio and Cuomo.

While the mayor promises a full re-opening on July 1st, Cuomo is promising a quicker May re-opening and lifting on most restrictions, however if you look at the details, this is not actually a full reopening.

Large-Scale Indoor venue capacity increases to 30% and Large-Scale Outdoor Venue Capacity Increases to 33% on May 19 in NY and NJ, far from a wide-open state. Also, restaurants and stores, while no longer have to maintain a limit on capacity, have to maintain their business in a manner in which six feet social distancing is still in effect, therefore limiting the actual ability to operate at full capacity. Two different re-opening dates and a promise for a full reopening -vs- a wider but still restricted re-opening is bound to cause mass confusion.

NY Times also points out; De Blasio’s optimism may be met with disappointment. The Times reported:

“The hospitality industry does not expect tourism, a key economic engine of the city, to return to prepandemic levels for years. Transit officials do not believe ridership on the subway will completely rebound until 2024”.

The Times also points out:

“The city’s devastated cultural sector has yet to bounce back. Mr. de Blasio hailed the impact a reopening would have on the theater industry, but full-scale productions on Broadway — one of the city’s crown jewels and a key draw for tourists — will not return until September at the earliest, the Broadway League confirmed in a statement”.

The question also remains, will people return to business as usual, or will COVID fear become a permanent fixture in NYC and will the world still be eager to visit NYC in a post COVID environment?

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