In a surprise twist of events, Governor Cuomo announced that the beaches of New York will be open for Memorial Day Weekend, of course with some restrictions (see below). But de Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested that’s “not in the cards” for city beaches.
In his daily briefing from Albany, Cuomo said he has come up with a plan, in consultation with his counterparts in New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware, to let all state beaches reopen the Friday before Memorial Day with coronavirus restrictions in place, including keeping capacity at 50% and a strict prohibition on “group contact activities.” The governor reasoned it’d be counterproductive to keep New York’s beaches closed since the surrounding states are opening theirs and New Yorkers will probably just travel over to those states.
But earlier today de Blasio shut down the possibility of NYC beaches opening:
“A lot of things we loved about summer — we love barbecues, picnics, ballgames, going to the beach ... Those things are going to be different for the foreseeable future. We know that some of the things people traditionally do, the beaches and the public pools, that’s not in the cards right now ... Again, we’ll see what the future brings, but not right now.”
In case you're wondering, de Blasio has the authority to keep city beaches closed despite Cuomo’s order.
Photo: Getty