With the coronavirus somewhat slowing down in NYC and New York state, plans to reopen the economy have begun. Because the virus is still most likely being spread, there are a lot of questions being asked about what would life in NYC after coronavirus would look like. Surely, there will be certain restrictions.
Andrew Cuomo, who is the governor of New York plans to “UN-pause” the state up slowly. The target date for opening up-state New York is May 15. Down-state New York, which consists of Westchester and New York City might see the opening date by either the end of May or the beginning of June.
Once NYC opens, how will it look like and what will we be able to do?
Multi-phase reopening for New York and NYC
Right now NYC streets are empty in all of the boroughs. There’s no one in sight in Manhattan and DUMBO which is usually packed with people is eerily quiet. The first phase of reopening NYC will begin with construction workers and manufacturers. The second phase will be determined depending on how the first phase plays out. Also, reopening downstate New York will most likely be coordinated with the tri-state area since people who live in New Jersey and Connecticut come down to NYC.
Social distancing in NYC post-coronavirus
Social distancing has been drilled into our brains for the last few months because of coronavirus in NYC, and it’s to the point where this behavior will be a part of our psyche for quite some time. When NYC opens back up, social distancing will definitely be encouraged, we just don’t know to what extent.
How will it be possible to stay at least 6 feet apart from people in a city where over 8 million people live and call home? New York City is pretty congested already and socially distancing from people could pose a challenge. Life in NYC after coronavirus will obviously affect restaurants, public transportation, and many other establishments that naturally bring in a lot of people.
Are masks mandatory in NYC?
In mid-April, New York state made it mandatory to wear masks where you can’t safely keep your distance from other people. Some stores now won’t let customers enter their establishment without a mask. Masks are meant to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 from each other. It’s even more important now since the latest antibody tests show that 1 in 4 New Yorkers had or have an infection.
Prepare for street closures
A post-coronavirus NYC will see a lot of streets being closed. The city is doing this because people will need their space from each other. NYC is very congested and it will need to free up a lot of room in order to promote social distancing.
NYC Public Transportation and COVID-19
Millions of New Yorkers use the public transportation system ran by the MTA daily in order to get around. Governor Cuomo and the MTA stated on Thursday, April 30th, that they plan to disinfect public transportation such as trains, buses, LIRR, and Metro-North daily. Additionally, ridership will stop between 1 AM-5 AM to complete the cleaning.
For essential workers, the MTA will launch the “Essential Connector Program” where they will be able to access buses, for-hire vehicles, and compliant “dollar-vans” without any additional costs. This will go into effect on Wednesday, May 6th.
We will definitely be seeing fewer people on the subway and we hope most of the people will be wearing masks in order to protect themselves and others.
When will Broadway shows open up?
Life in NYC after coronavirus will most likely not include Broadway shows for a while. These shows are top-rated among locals and tourists, and all it does is that it brings a large number of people into a small confined space. That scenario is perfect for coronavirus to spread between people.
The government will be taking every cautious step to slow down COVID-19. As of right now, 41 Broadway theaters have been closed since mid-march and will be closed at least until June. That can obviously change, and we’re hoping that they do open up in the summer, but don’t count on it.
When can we expect for observation decks to be open?
We’re not exactly sure when NYC observation decks will be open again to the public. We hope that some of the buildings will open to people again soon, especially the ones with outdoor platforms such as Edge NYC, Empire State Building, and Top of the Rock. If they do open up, we’re almost sure masks will be required and they will definitely limit the number of people going up at the same time. Below are the observation decks and whether they are closed or open.
- Edge NYC – Closed
- Top of the Rock – Closed
- The Empire State Building – Closed
- One World Trade Center – Closed
- Statue of Liberty Crown – Closed
Museums and art galleries post-coronavirus
Museums and art galleries in NYC have been affected by the pandemic as well. Some museums are having trouble preserving artifacts because the staff isn’t able to work. As of right now, we’re not sure when they will open. Some are even providing virtual tours of the museum through the internet.
Will prices change for NYC tourist attractions?
There haven’t been any official statements from organizations in regard to price changes, but we won’t be surprised if there will be some. Maybe we’ll see more deals instead of a surge or drop in prices. At this point, the state is still assessing the situation.
Restaurants in NYC after coronavirus
Opening restaurants will definitely be challenging when it comes to post-coronavirus NYC. Right now, we’re hearing that restaurants will not be allowed to have self-service buffets which could really damage restaurants that are based around that business model. Eateries operate on very slim profit margins.
Also, restaurants depend on seating as many people as possible throughout the day. With social distancing, this will definitely hurt the industry. The city will be looking to see if they could place seating on streets that will be closed. NYC plans on closing about 100 miles of streets to promote social distancing.
Will there be any events in NYC for summer 2020?
For the short answer: Yes, there will be events and activities in NYC during the summer. Other than Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, we’re just not exactly sure what those activities are. Governor Cuomo mentioned that there will be something for people to do in the city. However, we do know as of right now, public pools and beaches will be closed throughout the season.
Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks – post-coronavirus NYC
Mayor DeBlasio, who is the mayor of NYC stated that he spoke with the CEO of Macy’s, Jeffrey Gennette, and confirmed that there will be a 4th of July Fireworks celebration in New York City this year. We will post more information about this event once the city receives updates.
Sports and post-coronavirus NYC
Just like Broadway shows, sporting events bring in huge crowds which would make it difficult for people to socially distance from each other. One way around this, however, is that there have been talks about sporting events taking place in an empty stadium. People have openly stated that they want their sports back and this might be the only way for right now.
Status of upcoming parades
New York City is home to numerous parades and that usually brings in a crowd. With COVID-19, this makes it very difficult for parades to continue. The parades in June 2020 have already been canceled. The parades include the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Celebrate Israel parade, and the Pride Parade which is their 50th anniversary. These are all major events so it’s a big deal that they got canceled two months out.
Will NYC parks be open?
Parks in NYC have been open, even when the city and state were under “stay-at-home” order. Officials encourage to keep exercising but also warned to keep your distance from people. In order to promote social distancing, the city took down basketball hoops and soccer nets so people wouldn’t be tempted to play team games. Parks will also be distributing masks throughout the city.
It’s pretty strict, but at least we’re able to go outside and go for a run if needed. When the city slowly opens again, we anticipate that team sports will be held off for a while. We think that volleyball courts, soccer fields, basketball courts and certain areas of parks will be off-limits.
Will retail stores be open post-coronavirus in NYC?
Mortar and brick stores are taking a huge hit with the lockdown. Shopping in New York will most likely change for a while, but we’re expecting a lot of the stores to open up again. There will most likely be some type of restrictions, such as having a limit of people in the store at one time, and we think shops and boutiques will require customers to wear face masks.
Airports and health guidelines in the Tri-State area
At the end of April 2020, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey started restricting access to all terminals at JFK airport, LaGuardia, and Newark International. Ticketed passengers and airport employees are the only ones allowed inside. This is to ensure that the number of people in a congested area is minimized. More updates will follow once we hear from the state.
Office-life in NYC after coronavirus
Offices and workspaces will have to adapt to the new normal. Once everything slowly re-opens, employers are encouraged to have a plan on how to promote social distancing within the work environment. Shared workspaces can be even trickier. WeWork has already sent out a PDF where they outline on how to move forward with COVID-19 in the workspace. Some of their plans include increased sanitation, reducing the number of seats in the community area, installing wipe stations and touch-free hand sanitizers, and many other changes to hygiene protocol.
NYC schools and post-coronavirus
New York state closed down schools back in March in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. There have been talks of possibly opening schools during the summer in order to finish the year. This too is also very tricky. Offices will most likely be open to some extent and children will need a place to go while parents are at work. We will update this once we receive more information.
NYC life after coronavirus and a potential second wave
The first wave is currently on a decline, but many experts fear of a second wave of coronavirus cases. If the economy opens up too fast and social distancing rules are relaxed, we could possibly see another lockdown, and recovery could take much longer. Life in NYC after coronavirus will be challenging, but we have no doubt that we will prevail. This is the reason why there are different phases of opening. NYC will most likely be the biggest challenge because it is already congested. Nevertheless, when things start opening-up, these are some of the things we look forward to post-COVID-19 in NYC.
For more information in regards to coronavirus and COVD-19, please refer to the guidelines provided by the WHO, CDC and New York’s dedicated website to the virus. If you’d like, you can also stay up-to-date with your Loving New York family while the city battles the pandemic.
Der Beitrag Life in NYC after Coronavirus erschien zuerst auf Loving New York.
from Loving New York https://ift.tt/3c0P13m
No comments:
Post a Comment