New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is warning that a "full shutdown" may be imminent amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.
The mayor on Monday said he agrees with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who recently told The New York Times that "you could be looking at the shutdown of New York City within a month" based on the state's COVID-19 numbers. De Blasio warned that New Yorkers should prepare for the possibility of returning to the kind of "pause" the city saw in the spring.
"The governor said in a New York Times interview over the weekend that we should prepare for the possibility of a full shutdown," de Blasio said. "I agree with that. We need to recognize that that may be coming, and we've got to get ready for that now because we cannot let this virus keep growing."
The mayor, who noted "the state will ultimately make the decision" to close the city, urged New Yorkers to work remotely if possible and begin preparing for new restrictions, which he said would "hopefully" only last a "matter of weeks."
"All forms of restrictions have to be on the table at this point," de Blasio said. "I think there's a likelihood of more restrictions quite soon, so folks should start making those adjustments now, and get ready to work remotely if they can."
The warning comes as New York City recently shut down indoor dining again and as the state reported more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the fifth consecutive day.
