After spending more than two months under lockdown, New York City became the final region in the state to reopen Monday — as retail, construction and other industries resumed limited business.
“This was the epicenter and folks did the hard work, they sheltered in place, they did the social distancing, the face coverings and they got us to this day,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on CNN’s “New Day.”
The Big Apple — the hardest hit city in the nation by coronavirus — has been largely closed since Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the state’s nonessential businesses to shutter in March.
Under phase one guidelines, retail is open for curbside pickups, and construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade and agriculture work can resume, too.
About 16,000 nonessential retail shops and 3,700 manufacturing businesses will reopen, the city’s Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Jonnel Doris told the Wall Street Journal.
On Friday, de Blasio said more than 32,000 construction sites would also resume but with strict social distancing and other safety measures in place.
“We’re going to have city inspectors out at worksites to make sure people are following the rules,” de Blasio said on Monday.
Meanwhile, retail-industry groups have predicted a slow return to business again, as stores navigate the new normal of social distancing and heightened health concerns amid the deadly pandemic.
With the city taking its first steps, subways were expected to be at 95 percent of their pre-pandemic service to help get people around, officials have said.
MTA conductor Peter Pharaoh said there were small signs of the city returning to life at Grand Central, as more people returned for the morning commute.
“It used to be a ghost town and now it’s a small town,” Pharaoh told The Post. “It’s like springtime when the first flower starts to bloom. It’s a good sign.”
Jarvis Hunt, a chief operating officer at a travel company, said he was returning for the first time since the lockdown to his office, which has begun a staggered reopening process starting with less than five employees.
“Working from home is OK but there is nothing like being able to see people face to face and getting more stuff done,” Hunt, who lives near Times Square, told The Post.
“I am so sad seeing the city the way it is and I really look forward to seeing things get back to a more normal.”
De Blasio cautioned that following the state’s health measures will be critical for the city to reach phase two, which would allow many workers to return to their offices, restaurants and bars to offer outdoor seated service, retail shops to operate in-store business and other places, such as hair salons, to reopen.
While phase two could come as soon as June 22, Hizzoner said that he believes that day will arrive “more likely [the] beginning of July.”
“We got to hold the line we got to do this piece right and get to that next even bigger phase,” de Blasio said on PIX11.
