Former virus hotspot New York reopens for business
NEW YORK: New York businesses opened their doors to returning waves of workers Monday as the city that was once the epicenter of the global pandemic marked an important milestone in its return to normalcy, even as other US states were seeing an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases.
Nationwide, cases have been on the rise for the past two weeks following a long plateau in the spring, with California hitting levels of new infections not seen since March and Florida passing the 100,000 cases benchmark on Monday.
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the US death toll — which has surpassed 120,000 — could reach 150,000 people.
“It could go beyond that,” he said.
But for many in hard-hit New York, where more than 20,000 people succumbed to the disease, the return to normal meant resuming their small everyday rituals. For some, that meant getting a haircut.
“I’ve been cutting it myself and doing a very bad job, so I was very excited to see (the barber),” said Jeremiah Zinn, a man in his 50s who was the first client to walk through the door at Benny’s Barbershop in Brooklyn.
Yury Ykubov, the owner, told AFP he had opened the shop six months prior, and negotiated with the landlord to make rent during the lockdown.
Ykubov himself contracted Covid-19 but, like the city itself, has recovered and has antibodies for protection.
Statewide, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 10 new deaths Sunday while the rate of positive test results has fallen to one percent — which has paved the way for incremental lifting of restrictions.
New York City is now in the second of its four-phase reopening, which began two weeks ago when construction and industries were allowed to resume working.
But the picture is far less positive in other parts of the United States, with the virus spiking in several states despite predictions that summer heat, humidity and bright sunlight would limit its spread. Cases were soaring in California, Texas, Arizona and in the Midwestern state of Missouri.
In Florida, which reopened bars and restaurants earlier this month, emergency physician Rajiv Bahl said cases were rising across age groups.
“Personally, I am seeing more patients who are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s with upper respiratory symptoms than I did before,” he told AFP.
“While it is not exactly known why this is the case, it may be because of the opening of bars and restaurants,” he added, with service industry workers accounting for a high volume of the cases.