COVID In NYC: Governor, Mayor Say New Yorkers Should Prepare For Second Possible Shutdown
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was a sobering warning Monday from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio about the second wave of infection bearing down on New York.
A total shutdown - another New York on pause - could be right around the corner.
As CBS2's political reporter Marcia Kramer reports, empty streets - emptier than they are now - and empty storefronts could soon be the norm again as officials warn that the only way to stop the second wave of COVID may be another total shut down. That would mean all but essential businesses would have to close for a period of time.
Watch: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Discusses Possibility Of Another Shutdown
"You should worry about shutdown, because if we don't change the trajectory we will be headed for a shutdown, then. Shutdown, there's something to worry about," Cuomo said.
The governor said a shutdown could be done regionally if the number of occupied hospital beds is projected to reach 90% within three weeks.
"The increase in hospitalizations will overwhelm some regions if nothing changes by January. That's the trajectory we're looking at," Cuomo said.
MORE: NYC Restaurant Owners Suffer Another Setback As Indoor Dining Shut Down Again: 'Very Sad Today'
Mayor de Blasio said he's been in constant conversation with the governor about the possibility of a shutdown.
"We have to be preparing ourselves mentally and practically for that possibility," the mayor said. "Folks who don't need to be going into workplaces at this point should be trying to as much as they can work remotely."
WATCH: Mayor De Blasio On Arrival Of 1st COVID Vaccine In NYC
"At the current rate we're going, you have to be ready now for a full shutdown -- a pause, like we had back at the end of the spring," de Blasio added. "That is, I think, increasingly necessary just to break the back of this second wave, to stop this second wave from growing, to stop it from taking lives, to stop it from threatening our hospitals."
How do New Yorkers feel about another shutdown?
"I think it's a good idea depends on how long," said Mount Vernon resident Rick Pacheco. "Go for a month or two. Anything after that I don't think will survive."
"I'm sure he won't do it unless he really, really has to do it. Because we're losing a lot, and it's better than losing more lives," said Ahmad Ashwah.
"I think we have so many restrictions right now, I can't imagine a few more would make a difference," said Upper West Side resident Elizabeth Vecchione.
"It's a good idea for the safety of New Yorkers," said Jing Valmorida.
"I almost died. I was in respiratory isolation, so for me it's a powerful question because I did everything right and I got it from a friend who was asymptomatic and I was in the hospital for three months. No kidding. And I am in favor of it, yeah," said Upper West Side resident Donny Lemos,
Officials say it's possible to change the trajectory, but that would include staying home, no big holiday celebrations, and no gatherings.
Meantime, the first COVID vaccine doses were finally administered Monday in New York City.
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