New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing on Tuesday that he is not confident the authorities will allow large social gatherings throughout the summer amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing on Tuesday that he is not confident the authorities will allow large social gatherings throughout the summer amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"We are not confident about June, we are not confident about July, we are not confident about August that we can have people gathering together again in large numbers," de Blasio said
However, De Blasio said he is certain the city's schools will reopen in September, suggesting that this could be the time for New York City residents to return to "normal life."
The mayor pointed out that before the authorities ease social distancing restrictions, three indicators tracking the COVID-19 progress - number of people admitted to hospitals, number of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the percentage of those who test positive - have to demonstrate a constant decrease.
The data from the last weekend revealed that New York City still sees a slight increase in the rate of residents contracting the virus and the number of COVID-19 patients requiring treatment in ICUs.
"We have got to see consistent progress to be able to talk about any changes in those rules and restrictions that are working. So we are going to stick with them until we see really sustained progress," de Blasio said.
Earlier in the day, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said he believes the COVD-19 pandemic in the state has reached the apex of the plateau.
