Mayor Eric Adams once insisted that reviving the city’s economy depended on New Yorkers returning to their offices.
He said in late March, “I need the accountant in the office so they can go to the local restaurant so we can make sure everyone is busy.”
what you need to know
- Mayor says post-COVID economic recovery may not be centered in Midtown Manhattan
- Adams has urged New Yorkers to return to their offices in the past
- NYC is approaching medium-risk COVID status after seven weeks as a low-risk environment
But like others learning to live with COVID, he’s accepting a new normal, saying on Thursday: “Work will change. Pre-COVID and post-COVID will be different.”
He agreed when NY1 informed him that someone who works from home is likely to frequent the restaurants near where they live.
Adams acknowledged that the economic recovery may not be centered in once-busy Midtown Manhattan.
But he had a message for New Yorkers working remotely.
“If you stay at home, don’t go to the dry cleaners, don’t have your shoes shined, don’t go to the cafes and restaurants, it hurts us,” he said. “If you do that in your community, I’m fine with that.”
Adams and business leaders have said they prefer to see New Yorkers shuttle back and forth between neighborhoods and socioeconomic sectors to achieve what the mayor called “cross-pollination.”
The discussion about the role of working from home comes as New York City prepares for an impending shift from a green, low-COVID-risk environment to a yellow, medium-risk environment.
“Take precautions, choose to stay indoors, get tested often and if you test positive, use the accessible treatment options that we have,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan on Thursday.
Vasan also urged eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated and boosted if they haven’t already.
Mark Levine, President of the Borough of Manhattan, went one step further.
“The question now shouldn’t be, ‘Are you vaccinated or not?’ It’s, ‘Are you up to date on your vaccinations?’” Levine said. “And if you had your first vaccination course a year ago and it hasn’t been refreshed, you’re not up to date.”
Variants are driving the city’s COVID case counts higher, but hospitalizations have not been as severe as previous spikes.
With many mandates being lifted and office workers and tourists slowly returning, a balance has to be found.
Levine said, “To keep this comeback going, we need to prevent another wave of COVID.”
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