The New York City Mayor wanted things to be open by July….
The Governor overruled him…
He wants mid-May….
People are heading to restaurants and bars….
But?
Business and Residential places aren’t gonna just go with an ‘all clear’. back to pre-virus days ways…
On Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that come May 19, restaurants, stores, museums, offices, health clubs and barbershops in New York City would be permitted to operate at full capacity for the first time since restrictions were put in place more than a year ago to stem the spread of Covid-19.
It’s great news, of course, and many want to celebrate. That desire explains the load of calls already fielded by the property manager at the Dime, a rental building in Williamsburg, from tenants eager to book the Havemeyer Lounge on the building’s 22nd floor for dance parties.
But many in the real estate management business don’t seem to be tossing all their concerns away and joining the festivities just yet.
“Most of our buildings have amenity spaces, and if they’re closed now they’ll open at limited capacity,” said Michael Rogoff, the president of the property management firm AKAM, which oversees 270 rentals, condos and co-ops in New York City. “But I can’t imagine any residential building rushing to loosen Covid rules and opening up 100 percent….
…
The decline in Covid cases and the increasing rate of vaccinations undoubtedly influenced the governor’s decision to open the city.
“But the virus is not gone,” said Mr. Wallack, of Wallack Management. Accordingly, certain pandemic protocols will be sticking around….
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo says that most pandemic capacity restrictions will ease in two weeks. Mayor Bill de Blasio says he wants the city to fully reopen on July 1. But Broadway, a beacon for tourists and an engine for the economy, is not quite ready to turn on the stage lights.
Most shows are not planning performances until September or later. But there are signs of life: Mr. Cuomo said Wednesday that Broadway shows would start selling tickets for full-capacity shows with some performances starting Sept. 14.
Why the four-month wait? With as many as eight shows a week to fill, and the tourists who make up an important part of their customer base yet to return, producers need time to advertise and market. They need to reassemble and rehearse casts who have been out of work for more than a year. And they need to sort out and negotiate safety protocols….
Of course, the news of reopening for restaurants, bars, offices and stores at 100 percent capacity only led to more questions for many. With social-distancing restrictions still in place, the vast majority of restaurants and bars can’t fully reopen to prepandemic crowds. What will elbowing up to a bar feel like when the next elbow is six feet away?
“I want to see the restaurant open 100 percent and have business back to prepandemic days,” said Shaukat Ali, 68, the owner of Kabab King in Jackson Heights. “It has been difficult. Business has come back slowly, and it could be better if the city reopened completely.”
The reopening is far from universal….