Mayor Bill de Blasio warned residents to avoid crowding on city beaches, saying they could be shut down completely if necessary.
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New York City officials are investigating 137 cases of the inflammatory syndrome that is affecting children and appears to be linked to the virus.
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Don’t crowd city beaches, de Blasio warns.
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Although New York City beaches will not open as usual by Memorial Day weekend, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would still be monitoring them in order to prevent crowding among people who do go there.
“No swimming. No parties. No sports. No gatherings,” Mr. de Blasio said at his daily news conference on Sunday. “We’re going to give people chance to get it right.”
When city beaches are not officially open, lifeguards are not on duty and swimming is prohibited, but people are allowed onto the sand. With temperatures rising in the region, the mayor said the city would continue to treat the coming days as a typical off-season. “If someone from the local community wants to walk on the beach, that’s OK,” he said. “We’re going to let that happen for now.”
The city is preparing fencing, the mayor warned, to be used to “close off the beaches” in case there were widespread reports of people crowding and violating social distancing rules — though he praised residents’ behavior on and near the beaches so far. The mayor also said he did not want to see people traveling long distances to get to city beaches, especially to prevent crowding on public transportation.
The news came as beaches in four neighboring states — Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and New York — prepared to formally open later this week.
Other developments from the mayor’s news conference:
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City officials are investigating 137 cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a rare and mysterious illness in children that appears linked to the coronarivus, Mr. de Blasio said. Of those 137 cases, 66 had tested positive for the virus or antibodies, he said.
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One hundred newly trained contact tracers will begin working next week with people who tested positive at city hospitals, the mayor announced. Five hundred additional contract tracers have completed their training and will join the force soon, he said.
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The city had a “good day but not a perfect day” in slowing the spread of the virus, the mayor said, with 469 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, down from 506 on May 14. The percentage of people testing positive for the virus was at 11 percent, down from 13 percent.
The police are enforcing social distancing with a “reset” approach at city parks.
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With warm weather arriving this weekend, New York City is again working to reduce crowds at parks in Brooklyn and Manhattan, including deploying police officers to limit access to the popular Sheep Meadow in Central Park, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
But the city is also trying to “reset” its approach to enforcing social distancing, Mr. de Blasio said on Friday. Police officers would now focus on breaking up large gatherings, with the goal of avoiding giving summons, he said.
The Police Department would also no longer be asked to enforce orders requiring people to wear face coverings if they cannot properly social distance, Mr. de Blasio said.
Sheep Meadow slowly began to fill with people early Saturday afternoon, with sunny weather and temperatures in the mid-70s. By about 2 p.m., police officers had decided to temporarily close off the entrance to the grassy expanse, telling parkgoers that it was too full.
Horse racing tracks in New York can open in June, Cuomo says.
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Saturday said the state would allow horse racing tracks and the Watkins Glen International auto racing track to open without fans on June 1, opening the door for televised events at those venues.
“We can have economic activity without having a crowd, that’s great,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We can do that in this state. But no crowds, no fans.”
“Remember, the problem here are crowds and gatherings,” he said.
With the coronavirus’s grip on the region easing, Mr. Cuomo’s announcement paved the way for events to begin at tracks, including Belmont Park on Long Island, which hosts the Belmont Stakes. Watkins Glen International is an annual stop for NASCAR, which is set to resume its top series in South Carolina on Sunday.
What’s set to reopen (and when) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
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For almost two months, much of daily life has been halted in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as officials sought to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control.
But with the virus showing signs of retreat, officials across the region have turned their attention to reviving the economies of their states.
This week and next will offer some of the first crucial tests of whether those plans will work and a window into what “normal” life may be like in the months ahead.
Here is a look at what types of businesses, services and public places are expected to reopen, and when, in each of the three states:
New York
On March 20, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued an executive order putting New York “on pause.” Under the 10-point plan, all of nonessential businesses had to close by the evening of March 22. Mr. Cuomo extended the order once in April, and again on Thursday for a majority of New Yorkers.
On Friday, five of the state’s 10 regions became eligible to begin “phase one” of the state’s reopening plan. The five regions are:
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the Finger Lakes, including Rochester
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the Southern Tier, which borders Pennsylvania
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the Mohawk Valley, west of Albany
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the North Country, which includes the Adirondack Mountains.
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and Central New York, which includes Syracuse
The following types of businesses can resume in those regions, provided that certain public health measures are in place:
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Construction, manufacturing and wholesale trade.
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Some retail businesses — including those that sell clothing, electronics, furniture, books, sporting goods, shoes, flowers, jewelry and other types of goods — may open for curbside service only.
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Other activities that are allowed include drive-in movies, landscaping and gardening businesses and “low-risk recreational activities” like tennis, a sport with built-in social distancing.
As of Wednesday, elective surgeries were allowed in 47 New York counties; state court officials said this week that judges and staff members would begin returning to courthouses in 30 upstate counties on May 20.
New Jersey
State residents have been mostly required to stay at home under an executive order in effect since March 21. Gov. Phillip D. Murphy’s order makes exceptions for trips to visit businesses considered essential: getting takeout food restaurants, procuring medical services or to meet other urgent demands.
Mr. Murphy said this week that under a new executive order, some nonessential businesses would be allowed to resume operations at various points this month. Among the changes:
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All retail stores in the state can begin offering curbside pickup of goods starting Monday; nonessential construction projects can also restart at 6 a.m. that day.
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Drive-in movies, religious services and other gatherings will be allowed as long as people stay in their cars.
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Officials allowed parks and golf courses to reopen on May 2.
Connecticut
Most Connecticut residents have been under orders to stay at home as much as possible since mid-March. But the state has not been hit quite as hard by the virus as New York and New Jersey, and officials envision what amounts to a broader, faster reopening.
More specifically:
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Restaurants will be open for outdoor dining only; menus will need to be disposable or posted on boards; and silverware must be packaged or rolled.
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Offices can open but companies have been advised to encourage employees to continue to working from home.
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Retail businesses are required to close fitting rooms, create physical barriers at checkout and install markers that indicate six feet of distance.
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Hair salons can open, but can see customers by appointment only and must close their waiting areas.
Connecticut officials have also said that colleges and universities in the state can reopen in stages over the summer and fall and that summer camps are on track to begin in late June.
Are you a health care worker in the New York area? Tell us what you’re seeing.
As The New York Times follows the spread of the coronavirus across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, we need your help. We want to talk to doctors, nurses, lab technicians, respiratory therapists, emergency services workers, nursing home managers — anyone who can share what’s happening in the region’s hospitals and other health care centers.
A reporter or editor may contact you. Your information will not be published without your consent.
Reporting was contributed by Maria Cramer, Corey Kilgannon, Sharon Otterman, Azi Paybarah, Andrea Salcedo, Edgar Sandoval and Alex Traub.
