NYC Enters Phase 4 Of Coronavirus Recovery: What It Means

NEW YORK, NY — Phase 4 of New York City's economic recovery from the coronavirus is set to start Monday, July 20, five months after non-essential services were shut down in an effort to combat the pandemic.

The city has now managed to meet all state-imposed guidelines needed for the next stage of reopening.

Phase 4 has already started in the rest of the state. NYC, which saw the bulk of New York's confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths, will have more restrictions on this stage than places outside the city.

For example, phase 4 typically permits the opening of malls and other arts and entertainment venue, but Governor Andrew Cuomo has stopped "any additional indoor activity" in the city to limit transmission risk.

New York City has also been barred from opening up indoor dining, which has been allowed in the rest of the state.

New York City shut down all nonessential business in March when Cuomo enacted the "NY on PAUSE" executive order.

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New York City's "new normal" — as Cuomo likes to put it — still means a lot of residents are staying at home, but economic activities are gradually being reopened. Construction sites and retail stores returned to action throughout the city for phase one, bringing hundreds of thousands of workers out into the city. Restaurants were cleared for outdoor dining as part of phase two, bringing the city's streets back to life. Phase three signaled the return of many personal care business,

What will reopen in phase 4?

In the city's scaled-down Phase 4, botanical gardens and zoos can reopen at 33% capacity, production of movies and TV shows can proceed and professional sports such as baseball can be played without fans in the stands, de Blasio said.

Businesses that pose significant safety concerns such as movie theaters and gyms are not included in the state's four-phase reopening plan. The state will study these activities and determine when they can reopen safely.

How will the city make sure the virus doesn't surge?

New York City will employ a test and trace program with the goal of limiting the spread of coronavirus as people slowly return to life as normal and may be forced into situations where social distancing becomes difficult.

Find a testing site in the city here.

The city has a force of thousands of contact tracers to interview people who test positive for the coronavirus, determine who else needs to be tested based on those interviews and order people to be isolated as needed.

Statistics released Friday show New York with 776 newly confirmed cases, representing 1% of all tests. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday dropped to 765 and 10 people died, according to state figures. More than 25,000 people have died statewide since the outbreak.

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