With most of the remaining Covid restrictions lifted, New York “revived”

New York State lifted almost all remaining Covid-related restrictions on Tuesday. 15 months ago, a raging pandemic forced the largest U.S. city into an unprecedented lockdown, destroyed its small businesses, and took away The lives of more than 33,000 residents.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this milestone during a towering ceremony held at One World Trade Center-the skyscraper was rebuilt after the September 11 terrorist attacks-designed to give people A feeling of a declaration of victory after a long war.

“Remember June 15th, remember today! Because this is the day when New York rises again,” Cuomo said.

New York made the decision on the same day, and California, another Covid disaster center, also lifted most of the restrictions. Both states did so after the proportion of adults who had received at least one dose of the vaccine exceeded the 70% mark recommended by public health authorities.

Therefore, in the two most populous states in the United States, masks and social distancing restrictions that have affected daily life for more than a year will no longer be enforced in restaurants, movie theaters, stores, sports events, workplaces, and other places. Or, as Cuomo said: “We can now resume the life we ​​know.”

Public transportation still needs to wear masks because it is subject to federal regulations.

These moves coincide with other buds of recovery. A survey released by the Business Roundtable showed that the confidence of top management in the United States reached a near historical high between the first quarter and the second quarter of this year. Its members expect the U.S. economy to grow by 5% this year, higher than the previous forecast of 3.7%, and the consequent increase in recruitment and investment.

Since the outbreak, New York City has been moving towards normalcy The darkest day In the pandemic more than a year ago, when life was in a terrible state of stagnation, the alarm sounded—many people transported Covid patients to overwhelmed hospitals—filled with air.

Although New York and California reopened Slow down In the national vaccination campaign, the vaccination rate in some states lags behind that in others. In Wyoming, Louisiana and Alabama, less than half of adults have received a dose of the vaccine, and the case rate is higher than the national average.

U.S. deaths attributed to Covid-19 over 600,000 According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Tuesday.

As the number of new infections in New York City dwindled, restaurants that did not close down were full again. In the past two months, there has been a surge in apartment lease contracts, and despite the decline in rents, the city’s cultural life has begun to restart. Tickets for Broadway shows are already on sale, which is one of New York’s largest tourist attractions and will reopen in September.

But the pace of workers returning to New York office buildings has been slow, especially in Midtown Manhattan. According to data from office security company Kastle Systems, only 20.7% of employees did this. This raises questions about the feasibility of commercial districts in the new era of telecommuting.

Several banks have ordered employees to return to their desks in the coming weeks, and many executives believe that offices in the city’s economic center will Rebound sharply Until September.

Kathryn Wylde, president of the New York City Partnership for Employers, said Tuesday’s announcement was “employers have been waiting for the green light for employees to return to work”.