New York mayor says city will fully reopen on July 1

Reuters/Inquirer.net Los Angeles / 06:33 AM April 29, 2021

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that officials plan to “fully reopen” the city on July 1 after more than a year of coronavirus-induced closures and low-intensity operations.

“We are ready for stores to open for businesses to open offices, theaters — full strength,” de Blasio said on MSNBC.

The mayor said much of the reason for his optimism for the country’s largest city being able to get back to a normal level of operating was that 6.3 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the city of some 8.3 million people.

“What we’re seeing is people have gotten vaccinated an extraordinary numbers,” he said. “We know the vaccination effort is going to grow and grow,” he added “We’ve got to keep working hard at that.”

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

.@hodakotb and @JennaBushHager talk about getting their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine yesterday and what they’re looking forward to when New York City reopens. pic.twitter.com/orx2MwIiqw

— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) April 29, 2021

It was not immediately clear how the mayor’s plans would square with those of the state government, which has control over operating restrictions on restaurants and other businesses.

Broadway theaters have started to reopen this month for special events in front of limited indoor audiences. Many producers have targeted June 1 for their reopening dates.