What to Know
- Hundreds of thousands are expected to return to work Monday as New York City enters Phase I of its long-awaited reopening
- Much of the rest of New York has already entered Phase II or will do so this week; New Jersey is poised to enter its Stage 2 in one week
- New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have topped 40,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, while the national toll has exceeded 100,000
Exactly 100 days since its first reported case of COVID-19, New York City ends its months-long virus shutdown Monday and looks to turn the page on one of the bleakest chapters in the five boroughs' -- and in America's -- history.
Between 200,000 and 400,000 people are expected to return to work as New York City enters Phase I, reopening tens of thousands of jobs in manufacturing and construction -- the same industries it has had to tap in limited fashion to survive amid a pandemic that has wreaked havoc on its supplies and its spirit.
"New York City’s restart begins today. It’s been a long road to get here. New Yorkers have earned it day by day," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "Keep up what works: face coverings and social distancing are as important as ever."
In less than three months, New York City has lost at least 15,900 people to a virus that no one had heard of this time last year. The actual toll could be as high as 21,000, fueled in part by people who died before they knew to get help. Relatives have had to watch loved ones pass through a virtual lens as battle-weary strangers on the front lines of the pandemic pause to hold their hands.
Today, New York daily COVID deaths are in the double digits -- a somber note of progress from a week-long stretch in April where nearly 800 were dying a day. Tens of millions of jobs have been lost along with the tens of thousands of lives; the true toll of COVID-19 on the American psyche may forever be incalculable.
Many questions remain -- how many are truly sick? will it be safe for children to go to school in the fall? will the virus have a second wave -- and could that be as devastating as the one that crashed on the healthcare system earlier this year?
Amid the unknowns, New York City looks to restore at least some of the persona that makes it one of the world's most vibrant places. At the same time, it looks to reform that persona amid institutionalized racial inequity that has contributed as much to higher virus death rates in black and Latino communities as it has higher death rates of black men at the hands of police.
Today, New York City looks to start a new chapter, easing restrictions that have shut down life as we know it since mid-March. Many of the hundreds of thousands expected to return to work Monday return to a transit system facing unprecedented public health challenges and a historic loss in revenue.
Commuters find daytime subway schedules back to usual Monday, with signs showing people how far apart to stand — or try to — on platforms. Most trains appeared fairly empty for their first "rush hour" commute. The 1 a.m.-to-5 a.m. shutdowns that began in early May continue so trains can be disinfected. They'll also see new social distancing decals on Metro-North trains, which mandate facial coverings among other protocols to reduce the risk of spread.
Construction, manufacturing, wholesalers and previously “nonessential” retailers resume work as of Monday, with restrictions. Retailers reopen for delivery and pickup, though customers can't yet browse inside. The latter restriction will be eased when New York City enters Phase II, which de Blasio says could happen in early July. Much of the rest of the state has already taken that next step, with the Long Island and Mid-Hudson regions expected to do so this week.
Protests happening all over New York City have created a new layer of uncertainty for some businesses as they look to reopen. Checkey Beckford reports.
Monday marks an inflection point for New York City, which faces complex questions ranging from how to recoup billions in economic losses to how to restore public confidence in police and in daily life itself. Both require incremental steps toward recovery and long-term commitment to change.
New York City has had to prove itself before — after its population decline and fiscal crisis in the 1970s, after its 1980s-’90s crime peak, after 9/11.
“You can’t keep us down,” says Carlo Scissura, president of the New York Building Congress, a construction-industry group. “We may go down a little bit, but we go right back up.”
For native New Yorkers, accustomed to the sights and sounds of urban life, isolation has become the norm. Sam Solomon, a 22-year-old with a health-related job, finds it strange that she'll have to adjust to the same dense crowds that she once found as normal as waking up in the morning.
"I don't know if it'll ever be the same," she said.
Region by Region Status
For months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he doesn't want New York to reopen the same. He wants to build it back better, expanding access to healthcare and education through innovative technologies, accelerating long-overdue infrastructure projects, developing stockpiles of critical resources and regional coalitions with a collective strength far more powerful than any single state.
New Jersey and Connecticut are both part of that new seven-state Northeast coalition -- and both have experienced their own unique challenges as it relates to the novel coronavirus. New Jersey and Connecticut continue to see some of the highest new death and new hospitalization rates per 100,000 residents in America. They are both at various stages of their reopening processes.
The Garden State is expected to enter Stage 2, opening up hair salons, in-person retail and outdoor dining, in one week, while Connecticut looks to take its next major step forward just before Father's Day. Gov. Phil Murphy, meanwhile, expects to have an announcement on the reopening of pools on Monday.
As more restrictions relax, there are continuous concerns about virus spread, especially across state lines. A county health department in Pennsylvania, for example, said over the weekend it had linked a-third of its 33 new cases to a New Jersey resident who attended multiple Jersey Shore house gatherings over the past two weeks.
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New York City Reopens 100 Days After Its 1st Known COVID Case - NBC New York
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