#With COVID-19 deaths near zero and economy on its knees, NYC must reopen wide
“#With COVID-19 deaths near zero and economy on its knees, NYC must reopen wide”
July 22, 2020 | 8:16pm
Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have no good excuse to prolong the lockdown any longer.
Matthew McDermott
It’s time to reopen — wide.
Yes, the death figures are preliminary; an early report citing zero COVID deaths on July 11 was later revised to show 13 deaths, and Monday’s number might yet change.
But the daily mortality rate statewide has been under 50 almost every day for several weeks now and at least close to zero for the past two. Indeed, progress has been so dramatic, Cuomo can’t stop boasting about it.
Nonetheless, he refuses to go the distance: a full-fledged Phase Four, where nearly everything is open, and New Yorkers are trusted to take precautions to avoid a resurgence of COVID cases.
That was supposed to happen Monday, and last week, the gov again patted himself on the back for it: “There are no more phases,” he bragged. He should’ve followed up with: Fooled ya!
Turns out, much of the economy remains closed in Cuomo’s revised Phase Four, including parts of key importance to the city: theaters, museums, indoor dining . . .
Plus, the gov is imposing bizarre new restrictions on bars. Tuesday’s new guidance from the State Liquor Authority demands that anyone drinking also order food — chips and cookies aren’t enough, but cake will do.
Worse, it’s unclear what the next steps will be or when they’ll come: “We’re in no man’s land,” says New York City Hospitality Alliance boss Andrew Rigie. “No one knows when we’re going to be able to reopen and what the metrics are.”
Yes, the virus is clearly on the upswing in other states. But the city can employ social distancing, mandatory masks and other measures to contain the virus. As The Post’s Johnny Oleksinski showed Wednesday, movie theaters can easily reopen safely.
This represents a paralysis and laziness on the part of government. Rather than give businesses specific guidelines, like how indoor eating could work, our “leaders” just leave us in a state of limbo — and hurt the economy even more.
Several reports this week — by the Citizens Budget Commission, the Partnership for New York City and more — highlight the lockdown’s huge economic toll. That’s a matter of life and death, too.
No matter what, the city has a long way to go. It needs to start recovering faster or the road back will grow even longer.
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