A day after warning that another New York City shutdown could happen soon, Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated Tuesday that might occur right after Christmas.
“I don’t say this with anything but sorrow, but I do think it is needed, we are going to need to do some kind of shutdown in the weeks ahead,” de Blasio told reporters. “If we implement that my nomination would be right after Christmas.”
The shutdown would resemble the spring’s New York state PAUSE, in which shuttered all non-essential businesses across the state and stopped residential and commercial evictions for 90 days. This time, however, the city would be out of it “in a matter of weeks” if the curve begins to flatten in January, the mayor noted.
Details about a potential post-Christmas shutdown remain fluid and in the works, he added.
De Blasio spoke about the potential for another PAUSE hitting the city Monday night on NY1. Ultimately, it is the state’s call on whether new restrictions will be placed on the city.
The mayor said on Tuesday that a second PAUSE would most likely not impact schools, but again, New York state would make the call on whether to keep school buildings open amid a citywide spike in cases.
“We are seeing extraordinary success and keeping our schools safe,” said de Blasio. “I want to keep them open.”
Both of the health’s advisors, Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi and Senior Advisor for Public Health Dr. Jay Varma also supported keeping schools open during a second potential PAUSE order.
“There are tremendous health and social benefits that come from being in school,” said Dr. Varma. “I do feel strongly that we can keep the school environment safe even while we have this pandemic region around us.”
On Monday, Cuomo warned that New York City, along with any declared “red zone” in the state, would be put on pause if hospital capacity reaches 90%.
