New York City is set to enter phase two of its economic recovery from the new coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday — one day after some initial confusion and being beaten to the punch by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Phase two officially begins Monday, exactly two weeks after the city became New York’s final region to enter phase one.

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New York City’s “new normal” — as Cuomo likes to put it — still means a lot of residents are staying at home, but economic activities are gradually being reopened. Construction sites and retail stores returned to action throughout the city for phase one, bringing hundreds of thousands of workers out into the city. More industries, including offices, are poised to return for phase two.

“Everyone is ready for Monday,” de Blasio said Thursday. “Up until Monday, please respect the phase one rules that are in place.”

New York City shut down the majority of its economy in March when Cuomo enacted the “NY on PAUSE” executive order that shut down schools and all nonessential businesses. With more than 208,000 confirmed cases of the virus, 17,507 confirmed deaths and another 4,692 probable deaths, New York City suffered the worst outbreak in the state.

The article was published on patch.com