New York City is planning to fully reopen July 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday morning on MSNBC. This means that businesses including stores, restaurants, theaters, gyms, offices and more can operate at full capacity. In the announcement, Mayor de Blasio commended the city’s vaccination efforts and low hospitalization numbers, noting that New Yorkers are “beating back COVID more and more.”
According to The New York Times, New York City has seen a 44 percent decrease in average daily new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days, along with a 27 percent decrease in deaths. In addition, The Times reports that 29 percent of the city’s population has been fully vaccinated.
Further, Mayor de Blasio noted that the city is currently below most of the thresholds it has set in order to fully reopen. He added, that while businesses would be able to fully reopen, health and safety measures like the use of masks indoors and washing your hands—“all the basics”—would still be in effect.
“We now have the confidence that we can pull all these pieces together and get life back really in many ways to where it was, where people can enjoy an amazing summer,” Mayor de Blasio said.
For theatergoers, Mayor de Blasio pointed out that Broadway has been planning for a September restart (“it takes time because they have to mount a whole production,” he said) but some smaller shows may be ready to go by July or August.
This announcement followed on the previously announced good news for bars and restaurants in the state: From May 17, the curfew (currently midnight) will be lifted for outdoor dining venues. For indoor dining, that date is set at May 31. On May 3, seating will again be allowed at New York City bars. In addition, as reported by ABC7, the state plans to end Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order from last year requiring the sale of food with alcohol at bars and restaurants.