Reopening tests city torn apart by crises

NEW YORK — Scarred by the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the nation, New York City gradually began reopening Monday in a turning point in the three-month-long crisis and an important test of the city’s discipline.

With the virus in check — at least for now — stores previously deemed nonessential were cleared to reopen for delivery and curbside pickup, though customers cannot yet browse inside. Construction, manufacturing and wholesalers also were cleared to resume work.

“So far, so good,” construction management company owner Frank Sciame said as job sites started humming again, with new precautions such as health screening questionnaires and lower limits on the number of workers allowed in construction hoists. “Let’s hope it continues.”

“New York,” he said, “will always come back.”

Some major store chains took it slow: Macy’s declined to give a date for starting curbside pickup at its flagship store, where smash-and-grab thieves hit amid last week’s protests over George Floyd’s death. Saks Fifth Avenue, which girded itself with razor wire last week, and Tiffany’s may launch pickup service later this week.

Owners of smaller shops were eager to reopen, even if they didn’t expect much business.

“We are going to be open every day for the sake of showing life,” said eyewear designer Ahlem ManaiPlatt, who was reopening a lower Manhattan store.

Mayor Bill de Blasio welcomed the reopenings as evidence of how “strong and resilient” New York is. But he also warned the city against letting its guard down and jeopardizing its hard-won progress against the virus: “Let’s hold onto it. Let’s build on it.”

Unrest over racism and police brutality could compound the challenges facing the nation’s biggest city as it tries to move past three bleak months. Officials who had focused for months on public health and economic woes are now also facing urgent pressure for police reform.

More than 21,000 deaths in New York City have been blamed on COVID-19, or roughly 1 in 5 of the more than 110,000 people who have died of the scourge across the U.S.

At its peak, the virus killed more than 500 people a day in New York City in early to mid-April. The number has since dropped into the single digits. New hospitalizations, which topped 800 a day in late March and early April, were down to 67 on Saturday.

Reopening the economy could spark a resurgence of the virus as people circulate more.

“All eyes will be on New York this next couple of months,” said urban policy expert Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future.