Cool, cruel summer

Friday’s hot spell was a searing reminder that summer is in the air, presenting significant challenges for a city trying to keep coronavirus at bay without forcing people to stay inside stiflingly hot apartments. The pressures are even greater given Mayor de Blasio’s decree last month that city beaches and public pools would stay shut due to both cost and pandemic concerns, foreclosing tried and true methods for many New Yorkers to catch a breeze and take a dip.

The city beach ban stings especially because parks are rightly open; because sunlight, heat and humidity are known to weaken the virus; and because Gov. Cuomo joined New Jersey to open state beaches next week, albeit with capacity limited to half of what it had been.

The best justification for drawing the line in the sand is that opening Coney Island, the Rockaways and more would encourage New Yorkers to pile onto subways, ferries and buses. For now, that risk outweighs the benefit.

To its credit, City Hall just made bold moves to help cooped up seniors and others stay cool in some of our most challenged communities, where heat can and does kill. The mayor announced the purchase of over 74,000 air conditioners for low-income seniors, including 22,000 units set to go to NYCHA residents.

There will be lots of A/Cs working overtime this summer. Too bad activists are winning the fight to shut down Indian Point nuclear reactor, a plentiful source of affordable energy. We could do without a blackout this year.