NYC Reopening Decision Rests On Weekend Tracking Data: Mayor

NEW YORK CITY — The decision to launch New York City into Phase II of its reopening next Monday rests on the novel coronavirus tracking data that will come out this weekend, Mayor de Blasio said Wednesday.

"I feel very good," de Blasio said of tracking indicators released Wednesday that show New York City remains below its thresholds for COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU patients and percentage of positive tests.

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De Blasio's hesitancy rests with the police brutality protests spurred George Floyd's death and the Phase I reopening on June 8, both of which could have caused the virus to spread, he said.

"What we're looking at going into the weekend to see if there is any variation," said de Blasio. "We are watching to see how these factors are affecting reality."

Cuomo shared no such hesitancy:

The New York City Health Department's data this month show numbers steadily below the thresholds set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

On Wednesday, New York City had 55 hospitalizations related to COVID-19 (the threshold is 200), a total 333 ICU patients (375 threshold) and 2 percent testing positive with a 15 percent threshold.

But, warned de Blasio, "There's always the danger that things going the wrong way."

The decision made this weekend, on whether to enter Phase II on June 22, relies on data coming about three weeks after New Yorkers first took to the streets to protest Floyd's death and about two weeks after the June 8th reopening.

Last week, Dr. Jay Varma, the mayor's senior advisor for public health, said it would take about 28 days before health officials could determine if a particular event caused the disease to spread.

"In public health, we generally try to wait even as long as two full incubation periods ... before we can be comfortable saying that a certain event, whether it's a protest or any other type of gathering might cause an increase."

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