New York City, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., has entered its second phase of a four part reopening to tentatively restart the city’s economy.

Since late March, New York has been all but paralyzed under the novel coronavirus pandemic with more than 209,000 confirmed cases across the boroughs and over 22,000 lives lost to the virus.

Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive PAUSE order, nonessential businesses were shuttered and restaurants were open only for takeout and delivery—nearly 900,000 jobs vanished practically overnight. As of June 8, New York City began its gradual road to recovery with its first phase of reopening: As many as 400,000 workers returned to construction jobs, manufacturing sites, and retail stores as the city broadens its definition of essential worker.

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Now, two weeks later on June 22, the city is moving into its second phase of reopening with with up 300,000 employees expected to return to their jobs as outdoor dining, in-store shopping, and office work resume.

The city is not out of the woods yet, with 500 new cases each day—roughly half the number of new cases just a few weeks ago—but officials say those numbers are low enough for the city’s newly formed corps of contract tracers to work to hinder another major outbreak. City and state officials say they are optimistic about building on the city’s progress.

“This is clearly the hardest place in America to get to this moment because we were the epicenter,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said recently of the city’s reopening. “We’ve gotten all this way, let’s keeping holding on to it and building on to it.”

Other parts of the state began reopening in mid-May after meeting seven public-health benchmarks set by Governor Andrew Cuomo. In the first phase of reopening, retail stores can open for curbside or in-store pickup and nonessential construction and manufacturing may resume. The governor cautioned that reopening does not mean a return to business as usual.

“Remember, reopening does not mean we’re going back to the way things were,” Cuomo said while discussing reopening plans. “It is reopening to a new normal. It’s a safer normal.”

Here’s how things are going down in New York City, including closures/reopenings (we’ve focused our list on public spaces, such as parks and cultural institutions), mass transit provisions, and updates on assorted gatherings. For more information on the pandemic and the impact on the restaurant industry, check out the New York Times and Eater NY. If you’re wondering how to help people impacted by the outbreak, the Times also has you covered. Read More