Cuomo Hopeful for Full Reopening of NY Before July 1: 'Literally, Everything Back to Normal'

[brooklynite]

Source: WNBC

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he's hopeful that New York can fully reopen earlier than July 1, the date Mayor Bill de Blasio pitched for the city's lifting of restrictions earlier Thursday, though he said he was reluctant to make projections.

"I think they're irresponsible," Cuomo said, reiterating decisions on state pandemic restrictions were his call. "July 1 - you have May, June, what happens in May, what happens in June? I'd like to get the hopeful reopening date before that. I don't want to wait that long. I think if we do what we have to do we can reopen earlier."

Asked what a full reopening would look like, the governor was clear: "What does reopening mean? Reopening means, literally, everything back to normal."

Read more: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/ny-opens-all-mass-vaccine-sites-to-walk-ins-for-age-16-city-halfway-to-shot-goal/3026315/

---

Why does this feel like Cuomo trying to one-up De Blasio?

[roamer65]

1. Bad move.

Needs to be contingent on vaccination rates.

[lapucelle]

2. Isn't this is the third time that De Blasio made a splashy announcement

concerning covid-related openings and closings that he doesn't have the actual authority to implement?

What's up with that?

[Polybius]

9. While the Governors can override them, Mayors usually make these kinds of decisions

In our case though, Cuomo has a personal vendetta against Bill de Blasio.

[lapucelle]

12. I live in NY, so I am well aware that De Blasio and Cuomo have been butting heads for years.

Nevertheless, other NYS mayors and county executives are taking their lead from the state.

As for vendettas, Cuomo threw cold water on the De Blasio's announcement noting,

“I am reluctant to make projections because I think they’re irresponsible,” adding that it’s too early to know what July will be like,

Mayor De Blasio's spokesman (Bill Neidhardt) had this response:

“I don’t care what a serial sexual harasser and assaulter and someone who covered up the deaths of thousands of people at nursing homes has to say about anything.”

Sorry, Mr. Mayor. Splashy announcements and vitriolic invective delivered by a third party are not helpful to either the city or the state.

Anyone interested in the full text and context of what Cuomo actually had to say on April 29 can read the transcript of his remarks to the press on April 29 here:

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/new-york-gov-andrew-cuomo-covid-19-press-conference-transcript-april-29

[onetexan]

17. I'm with you on this one. De blah blah can put a sock on it

[PA_jen]

3. Deflection from sex sandal? I think this is going to backfire HUGELY.

Vaccination is slowing down More people refusing to get vaccinated and you got the India and Brazil variants in the world. It is just a matter of time before we see it here but it is coming. Everyone wants to open WAY to fast. It is not good to start talking like Trump's "By Easter we will be fully open" B.S.

[lapucelle]

7. "Cuomo Won't Commit To Reopening Timeline"

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, facing resistance to lingering COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, says the virus is not yet conquered, and is urging caution on reopening up society too quickly.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that the city would fully reopen on July 1, saying vaccinations are increasing, and infection numbers are going down.

“Our plan is to fully reopen New York City on July 1st,” said de Blasio who explained that includes, restaurants retail stores and theaters, though he says Broadway shows will likely be delayed until September.

snip===========================================================================================

“I am reluctant to make projections because I think they’re irresponsible,” said Cuomo who said it’s too early to know what July will be like.

“What happens in May, what happens in June?” he said.

================================================================================================

The governor says New York City and the rest of the state could open up sooner than July, but he says there’s still a ways to go before enough New Yorkers are fully vaccinated. While over 70% of state resident 65 years of age and older are now vaccinated, younger populations lag behind. Only 34% of those 16 to 25 have received the shot. Access to the vaccine for younger New Yorkers began earlier this month.

“We’re making progress, I know, but we’re not home yet,” Cuomo said. “And we have to keep up with the precautions.”

https://www.wamc.org/post/cuomo-wont-commit-reopening-timeline

[FBaggins]

4. Can't be "literally everything"

Didn't the TSA just announce a mask requirement through mid-September for all public transportation?

[HUAJIAO]

5. INSANE! What is the matter with Cuomo? To say nothing of de Blasio!

This is nuts.... for many of the reasons mentioned above and just pure common sense...

[GulfCoast66]

6. I agree with him. By then everyone who wants the jab will have it.

It would politically a death sentence for any politician to extend restrictions past that time.

So those who aren’t vaccinated keep dying. The number keep stacking up and the vaccines are very effective. 100 million vaccinated. Less than 10,000 have had Covid. Less than 150 dead. I can live with those odds. I drive which is more dangerous than that.

[Yavin4]

10. Agreed. We're not set up for an extended quarantine.

There are no more relief checks coming. People have to get back to work. We have to get things back to normal as soon as possible.

[Polybius]

8. Is he ending the mask mandate too?

I wonder...

[dutch777]

11. We all better be vaccinated and then pray that Brazil or India doesn't spawn an immune Covid variant

This could get much worse if we keep loosening and dropping our guard. Billions of viruses around the world are working 24/7 to make the next more infectious variant to improve their progeny's chance of survival. It doesn't think, it just is wired this way by nature. And if the vaccines we have get end run by a new more infectious and maybe deadlier variant they are less effective against, we will be screwed.

[lapucelle]

13. It's Mayor De Blasio who committed to the July 1 date. Governor Cuomo will continue to adjust

and refine the timeline as the situation evolves. People might get a different perspective if they read the Governor's full remarks rather than a decontextualized clickbait headline.

From the transcript of Governor Cuomo's April 29 press event:

It’s a statewide management system and we are managing it by the science, by the data. You look at the number and you will see the rate of opening. I would hope, I am reluctant to make projections because I think they’re irresponsible, July 1. You have May, you have June. What happens in May? What happens in June? I would like to get the reopening, hopeful reopening date before that, before that. I don’t want to wait that long. I think if we do what we have to do, we can be reopened earlier.

snip======================================================================================

What does reopening mean? Reopening means literally everything back to normal. Everything back to normal. The way we’re doing it is we are reopening, and I would say aggressively, but it’s phased to the change in the data. When you see the positivity and the hospitalization rate go down or stabilize, we reopen more. It is a mathematical function, if you will, to positivity and hospitalization rate.

snip======================================================================================

There’ll always be some safety precautions in the near term, you know, six feet. This is less about government regulations because people are smart. Even if I said today you don’t have to wear this and forget the six foot rule, I think people would still be careful. It’s now culturalized to people. Some people don’t believe it. And by the way, the people who don’t believe it don’t wear the mask anyway, right? Some people don’t believe the six foot guideline and they don’t follow it anyway. But some people I think are always going to be more careful.

snip======================================================================================

But functional reopening is getting to 100% capacity near-term with certain safety precautions, six feet, like that, mask wearing. We look to the CDC and the NIH for the main guidance. We’ve adopted everything basically that they have said. We’re actually a little more aggressive than the federal CDC and NIH because I think the cost of not being open is much greater than people think.

snip======================================================================================

So I think the cost of closure is much, much higher than people think because it goes beyond the dollars and cents. So we are more aggressive than the CDC and NIH. I don’t think recklessly so, but there is no person who will safely reopen faster than myself. I’m not going to predict the future, but if you said to me July 1, I hope to get there before July 1.

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/new-york-gov-andrew-cuomo-covid-19-press-conference-transcript-april-29

[Yavin4]

14. We cannot continue with semi-quarantines indefinitely. That's not possible.

There won't be any more relief checks coming, and people need to get back to work and play. We cannot live in our homes forever. We won't survive for very long.

[brooklynite]

15. BREAKING: Cuomo has announced full re-opening on May 19.

[Raftergirl]

16. There will still be some restrictions

and likely masks still required in public places indoors.

“Still, Mr. Cuomo acknowledged on Monday that immediately restarting operations might not make practical or economic sense for some businesses, such as Broadway theaters. Last week the Broadway League said theatrical performances there would likely not resume until September.

Businesses in New York will still have to abide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social distancing guidelines, which require a minimum of six feet of space between individuals.

So the size of crowds will still be limited by space constraints, but businesses won’t need to abide by the six-foot rule if they require that all individuals present proof of full vaccination or a negative coronavirus test result, Mr. Cuomo said. Restaurants can also get around the six-foot rule by erecting barriers between tables.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/nyregion/new-york-city-subway-reopen.html