New York City set to reopen on July 1st

By Alyssa Wilson Published: May 5, 2021

New York City set to reopen on July 1st

FILE - In this March 20, 2020, file photo, a police officer walks across an empty Seventh Avenue in a sparsely populated Times Square due to COVID-19 concerns in New York. Los Angeles is half the size of New York City but has a disproportionately small fraction of the coronavirus cases and deaths as the nation's largest city. The same goes for California when compared with New York state as a whole, which is the current epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The city that never sleeps is making a comeback this summer. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City will reopen 100% on July 1. “We are ready for stores to open, for businesses to open, offices, theaters, full strength,” de Blasio said on MSNBC.

“Our plan is to fully reopen New York City on July 1” —@NYCMayor pic.twitter.com/2CqSC9XqJr

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) April 29, 2021

The city has been shut down since March 2020 when it was one of the epicenters for COVID-19.

Although Mayor de Blasio set a date for July, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he wants the city open sooner. “I don’t want to wait that long. I think if we do what we have to do, we can reopen earlier,” Cuomo said.

The governor also announced the state would lift statewide dining curfews and the ban on bar seating.

“I don’t want to wait that long. I think if we do what we have to do, we can reopen earlier,” he said.

Restaurants, gyms, hair salons and arenas will be allowed to open at 100% capacity. Small theaters could reopen over the summer, and Broadway may reopen by the fall, CNBC reported.

To date, New York City has administered more than 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.