The Issue
While every other region in the state got back to business, New York City sat and waited—its own reopening mired for weeks in mixed messages from the state and the local government.
Now the Big Apple is ready for its grand re-entrance.
June 8 marks the beginning of phase one of the economic restart, three months after the governor and the mayor ordered nonessential businesses to shut down to stop the spread of Covid-19.
About 400,000 workers will flood back into the city. Construction, manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale trade and curbside retail will return. The hallmark industries, such as real estate and finance, will not be back in the office until phase two. It won't be until then that storefronts can open their doors for in-person, socially distanced shopping.
But it will be a long road back to normalcy. Businesses that reopen now have to conduct health checks, hold off on in-person meetings, place markers to enforce social distancing and provide face coverings for employees.
The Players
Gov. Andrew Cuomo made it clear that he is the only one with the power to lift the lever on New York's reopening. His June date preempted Mayor Bill de Blasio's tentative start date by a week.
The top health adviser in New York City, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, gave the reopening her blessing but urged caution and social-distancing precautions even as the city restarts.
President Donald Trump has been an unpredictable factor throughout the reopening process. After initially pushing for the country to reopen by Easter, Trump also threatened to force states to end their lockdowns.
Ultimately Trump settled on a patchwork approach that allowed states to make the final call. New York City is reopening nearly two months later.
Transportation will be a major issue. Patrick Foye, the head of the MTA, offered weak comfort. Subways are a safe way to get around the city, he maintains—while also saying businesses that can let their employees work remotely should.
Yeah, But …
Protests and civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd have totally eclipsed the pandemic.
Both anger over Floyd's death and the economic frustration that has built up during the shutdown may be fueling the widespread looting that has taken place at night in multiple boroughs.
New Yorkers must make the choice between Covid-19-related safety guidelines and rallying against racially biased policing.
The protests are the first mass gatherings the city has seen in months and threaten to spark a resurgence in coronavirus cases.
New York also needs to figure out how to safely transport thousands of commuters across the city. More trains will run during operating hours once phase one begins. The authority will offer face masks, required to board a train, and hand sanitizer at stations.
Some Background
Now that the time has come to begin the reopening process, businesses will face a number of requirements.
Retail shops and construction sites alike will have to provide face masks to their workers and ensure employees keep 6 feet apart. They'll also have to operate at half-capacity.
De Blasio says the city will launch a restart hotline to advise businesses and have teams on the ground to help firms get in line with reopening mandates.
Cuomo has insisted that these guidelines will define the reopening, which he also has insisted that only he has authority over. Eventually, he and the mayor came together to give the process the green light.
What's Next
City officials now have to monitor seven metrics, including hospital bed capacity and the infection rate. If any of those barometers rise past acceptable levels, the reopening will freeze.
If all goes well, the city will follow in the footsteps of the regions ahead of it. For them, it's already proving to be a bumpy road. Cuomo seemed to revoke the start of phase two, which includes professional services, before reinstating it for five regions.
Which businesses fall under which phase is a moving target. Cuomo recently shifted outdoor dining, previously siphoned into late-stage reopening, to phase two.
Not coming along with the retail opening in phase two are malls, gyms, casinos and movie theaters.
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June 05, 2020 at 06:30PM
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Pandemics, politics and looting: What's coming between the Big Apple and the end of the lockdown - Crain's New York Business
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