New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio says he is ordering 1,000 cops into the city’s parks this weekend to fine anyone gathering in groups in defiance of coronavirus social-distancing restrictions.
With temperatures rising to 70 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, the mayor expects New Yorkers will be venturing out to enjoy the weather, and that there will likely be people not wearing masks and gathering in crowds in public spaces.
‘The nice weather is very much a threat to us,’ de Blasio said on WNYC Friday.
New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio, pictured at his coronavirus hearing Friday, says he is ordering 1,000 cops into the city’s parks this weekend to fine anyone gathering in groups in defiance of coronavirus social-distancing restrictions
With temperatures rising to 70 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, the mayor expects New Yorkers will be venturing out to enjoy the weather, and that there will likely be people not wearing masks and gathering in crowds in public spaces, including Central Park (pictured)
Crowds showed up to Central Park on Monday to enjoy the spring weather
‘There’s nothing wrong with going out and getting some exercise and getting back home,’ he added. ‘Go out for a little bit, but don’t go out for too much. Don’t gather, don’t try and do the things we would normally do on a beautiful spring day.’
The mayor considers good weather a ‘threat’ to the city, which has had 172,784 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and at least 12,571 deaths.
There have been 308,314 confirmed cases in New York state of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 18,610 deaths. Across the US there have been 1,131,876 confirmed cases and 65,708 deaths.
The NYPD will enforce what de Blasio described as a ‘no tolerance for gatherings’ policy.
‘We’re going straight to summons,’ he said, adding that anyone who resists the fine may face arrest.
Police will be out on bikes and mounted on horses to make sure people are properly spaced apart according to social-distancing guidelines. Organized sports, parties and other gatherings will not be tolerated, said NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, the Daily News reports.
Police will be out on bikes and mounted on horses to make sure people are properly spaced apart according to social-distancing guidelines. Organized sports, parties and other gatherings will not be tolerated, said NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan
‘The days of warnings are over,’ Monahan said.
Even with progress made in slowing the spread of the outbreak, a full reopening of the city is ‘obviously’ months, the mayor says.
De Blasio gave the estimate while speaking with a Brooklyn bar owner who called into WNYC’s ‘The Brian Lehrer Show’ to ask what the city was doing for small businesses during the restrictions.
‘I’ll have more to say on that soon, on other ways we can help small businesses to get through to the point where we can really start at reopening, which obviously is a few months away at minimum,’ de Blasio told Leyenda, owner of Ivy Mix.
New York is working to start to ‘normalize,’ de Blasio said, which might include limiting space at bars or requiring outdoor-only seating at restaurants.
New York is working to start to ‘normalize,’ de Blasio said, which might include limiting space at bars or requiring outdoor-only seating at restaurants
‘There’s a lot of ideas out there we’re working on right now,’ he said.
De Blasio’s plan relies heavily on increasing the city’s coronavirus testing capacity. Only 13,000 tests are currently conducted on a daily basis, when the mayor says as many as hundreds of thousands more may be needed.
A ‘test and trace’ plan to gradually ease the restrictions would need as many people tested as possible, provide for isolating and treating anyone who is infected and quickly track those who may have come in contact with the sick.
De Blasio earlier this week instructed police to arrest mourners at funerals and anyone gathering in large groups after he witnessed hundreds gathered in Brooklyn.
The mayor showed up at an Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg Tuesday night and threatened mourners with arrest for ignoring social distancing rules.
De Blasio traveled to personally shut down the gathering after images surfaced on social media of a massive funeral for a rabbi who died from coronavirus.
The mayor showed up at an Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg Tuesday night and threatened mourners with arrest for ignoring social distancing rules.
Shocking photos revealed hundreds of people gathered in the streets to pay their respects to Rabbi Chaim Mertz.
The mourners were seen crammed in together much closer than the six feet recommended under social distancing guidelines and many people were not wearing face masks.