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As omicron spreads, New York City is once again a center of the pandemic
Washington PostCity officials, businesses and residents are trying to strike a delicate balance — preventing a full-blown public health crisis while trying to keep the city open and running. This month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) instituted a statewide requirement that masks be worn in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement.
Outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has flatly ruled out a lockdown as was imposed in the early days of the pandemic, and he announced this week that schools will reopen as planned on Jan. 3. But parts of New York are shutting down fully or partially of their own will. As the city logged record-high numbers of infections this week, officials struggled to provide basic services to New York’s 8.8 million residents.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority started suspending subway service on Wednesday because there weren’t enough healthy transit workers to operate the entire system. As of Thursday night, service on three subway lines had been stopped.
Meanwhile, the New York City Fire Department has pleaded with residents to call 911 only if they were experiencing a “real emergency.” With a third of the agency’s paramedics out sick, department officials said the system was being overwhelmed by calls from people with mild covid-19 symptoms who wanted ambulance rides to hospitals to be tested for coronavirus infection. The New York Police Department canceled days off for any officer healthy enough to work through the New Year’s holiday after hundreds of officers tested positive for the virus.
Outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has flatly ruled out a lockdown as was imposed in the early days of the pandemic, and he announced this week that schools will reopen as planned on Jan. 3. But parts of New York are shutting down fully or partially of their own will. As the city logged record-high numbers of infections this week, officials struggled to provide basic services to New York’s 8.8 million residents.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority started suspending subway service on Wednesday because there weren’t enough healthy transit workers to operate the entire system. As of Thursday night, service on three subway lines had been stopped.
Meanwhile, the New York City Fire Department has pleaded with residents to call 911 only if they were experiencing a “real emergency.” With a third of the agency’s paramedics out sick, department officials said the system was being overwhelmed by calls from people with mild covid-19 symptoms who wanted ambulance rides to hospitals to be tested for coronavirus infection. The New York Police Department canceled days off for any officer healthy enough to work through the New Year’s holiday after hundreds of officers tested positive for the virus.
Currently, seven subway lines are running with reduced service because crews aren't available.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
laser focused, that one! ----- 
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