People trying to lead normal lives are still going out…
Officials want THAT to end…
Per Fauci…
America is to cease being for weeks….
Mayor de Blasio on Sunday night enacted new restrictions on public life in New York City after coming under increasing pressure from other elected officials, who had raised growing alarms that the city was moving far too slowly as the coronavirus outbreak spread.
They pointed out that on Saturday night bars and restaurants in many parts of the city were still relatively crowded, elevating the risk that the coronavirus would continue to spread rapidly.
Early Sunday night, Mr. de Blasio indicated that he was taking these concerns seriously. Around 10 p.m., he issued a statement saying that he was closing restaurants and bars, effective Tuesday.
“Our lives are all changing in ways that were unimaginable just a week ago,” he said. “We are taking a series of actions that we never would have taken otherwise in an effort to save the lives of loved ones and our neighbors.”
He said his executive order would limit restaurants, bars and cafes to takeout and delivery. Nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses and concert venues must all close.
The order will go into effect on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
“This is not a decision I make lightly,” he said. “These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality.”
In a statement earlier on Sunday, Corey Johnson, the Council speaker, had called for the closing of “all nonessential services, including bars and restaurants. We should keep essentials like grocery stores, bodegas, pharmacies, and banks open. And restaurants that can make deliveries should be able to stay open to provide delivery service.”
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. de Blasio announced a number of other measures: Ordering hospitals in the city to cancel all elective surgery, postponing an upcoming election for the Queens borough president and closing city senior centers….
NYC de Blasio call backgrounder….
“For most of last week, as Mayor Bill de Blasio continued to urge New Yorkers to mostly go about their daily lives — sending their children to school, frequenting the city’s businesses — some of his top aides were furiously trying to change the mayor’s approach to the coronavirus outbreak,” the New York Times reports.
“There had been arguments and shouting matches between the mayor and some of his advisers; some top health officials had even threatened to resign if he refused to accept the need to close schools and businesses.”
Politicalwire…