By: Ian Hill
A month ago in New York, no one would have dreamed that the coronavirus could go away. Now that it is dying down, when will it come back, and if it does, will we be able to handle it better than last time?
The levels of infection in New York are around 1%. These statistics are unbelievable. Places like California and Rhode Island, whose COVID-19 cases are soaring, and are struggling trying to control the spread of the virus. Now, New York is in fear of their cases rising once more.
Experts say that New York’s success in containing the virus is due to state officials shutting down schools and businesses, which, on the flip side, created a loss of jobs and a weakened economy. New York rose to the challenge; vulnerable people are staying in their homes, and everyone is wearing a mask in public places.
New York’s leading figures, Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, have opened New York little by little. Dr. Howard Markel, a physician and medical historian from the University of Michigan, says, “People in New York have taken matters much more seriously than in other places.”
Experts conclude that nobody should be ecstatic about this success, because another wave is likely to hit soon. Models are showing that New York is due for a surge in cases in early fall. Already New York City is seeing many large illicit dance parties and a spike in cases in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The biggest worry is the people continuing to come to New York from other states. Because of this, the governor made a law where anybody coming into New York had to do a mandatory quarantine. This law has affected 160,000 people since it was put in place. In fact, around a fifth of New York’s coronavirus cases have been from out-of-state travelers.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot, a New York pediatrician says that the most important factor for New York’s success has been the acceptance of masks and social distancing. She thinks that not planning for a second wave would be very foolish.
Most restaurants only allow outdoor seating. Noam Bramson, mayor of New Rochelle, says “When the weather turns colder, that will be the test of whether people are comfortable dining indoors.”