Bar Scene Crowds and NO MASKS
Bar Scene: New York City residents worked very hard and stayed at home for 100 days before we could begin to reopen in Phase 1. Our 5 boroughs were the epicenter of Covid-19 in the US and in mid-April we had over 118,000 cases with over 7800 new cases in one day and almost 11,000 total deaths. During those days more than 500 people were dying each day. Yesterday NYC had only 332 new cases and 21 deaths (Gothamist Stats).
At the peak of the infections, there were few cars on the streets and even fewer people on the streets. That is why many of us are very upset about the behavior of those who chose to celebrate every evening in large groups in front of bars and in the street. There were no masks to be seen, and no one was more than 1-2 feet apart. PARTY TIME.
Phase 1 reopening was June 8th - and it didn't include bar parties. Residents are supposed to wear masks outdoors. Only 1.2% of NYC residents had positive tests yesterday in a random sample of the virus in as many as 28,000 residents. The testing will be done daily, and as soon as positive tests start to increase, the reopening "will be dialed back" per Governor Cuomo. The party groups across the City appear to not understand the concept of "deferred gratification."
