"New York City will fully reopen starting July 1," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday on MSNBC's Morning Joe. “We are ready for stores to open, for businesses to open, offices, theaters, full strength."
As of Wednesday, more than 6 million doses of COVID vaccines have been given out around the city with about 36% of people 16 or over fully vaccinated.
“What we’re seeing is that people have gotten vaccinated at extraordinary numbers,” de Blasio said. “This is going to be the summer of New York City. I think people are going to flock to New York City because they want to live again.”
In regards to Broadway reopening, Mayor de Blasio stated “I’d say you should expect Broadway at full strength in September, but I’d love to see some of the smaller shows up in July or August.” While it was unclear what shows de Blasio was referring to, it should be noted that no official Broadway or theatre announcement have been made on how the industry will navigate opening with unions, safety measures or audience capacity.
This news come after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that the midnight curfew for outdoor dining will be lifted May 17th while the indoor dining curfew will be lifted on May 31st. Seating at bars in NYC will begin again on May 3rd.
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