What you need to know for Monday.
Wearing Masks, Even After Getting Vaccinated |
Weather: Bright in the morning, partly sunny in the afternoon. High in the upper 70s. |
Alternate-side parking: Suspended today and tomorrow for Shavuot. |
 | | Benjamin Norman for The New York Times |
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When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that masks were no longer needed for fully vaccinated people in most indoor and outdoor situations, it was a welcome development for much of the pandemic-weary public. |
Some fully vaccinated people — driven by a combination of anxiety and murky information about new virus variants — plan on continuing to wear masks for at least several more months. And they say they are now facing backlash for choosing to do so. |
Masking has been a critical tool in slowing the spread of Covid-19, according to scientists. But it has also been the source of fierce cultural clashes. |
After the C.D.C.'s announcement last week, at least 20 states repealed mask mandates or issued orders that gave vaccinated people exemptions from wearing masks. Other states, including New York, said they were reviewing the guidance. |
George Jones, 82, a retired mail carrier who lives in Harlem, said he would keep wearing his blue surgical mask for at least another year. He said it is too risky to not wear a mask — at least until more New Yorkers are vaccinated. |
"I'm in no hurry; why should I be in a hurry?" said Mr. Jones, who became fully vaccinated on March 15. |
Joe Glickman, 43, a professional photographer and musician from Albany, said he plans to continue wearing a mask in public indefinitely. |
"I have no problem being one of the only people," he said. "But I don't think I'm going to be the only one." |
A 17-year-old boy was killed and four others wounded in a shooting behind a McDonald's restaurant in the Bronx. [Daily News] |
A state pilot program to vaccinate people at subway stations will continue through at least Saturday, despite administering less than 50 percent of possible doses in its first weekend. [N.Y. Post] |
Nine people in the New York Yankees organization have tested positive for Covid-19. [ABC 7] |
And finally: Predictions for post-pandemic New York |
The notion that New York City was "dead forever" trended when coronavirus cases were surging months ago. More than 30,000 New Yorkers have died from the virus. The city remains saddled with some 100 million square feet of vacant office space and said farewell to many beloved shops, bars and restaurants. |
All that empty space, however, is not necessarily a harbinger of New York's demise. It could be a blank slate for a more equitable and culturally diverse city. My colleague Alex Williams considered several scenarios for how New York might evolve. Here are a few: |
Party city: As New York reopens, many party veterans are predicting a return to the carnal days of Studio 54 and Plato's Retreat. "People will practically be mating in the streets," said Michael Musto, the longtime nightlife columnist for the Village Voice. |
Adding to the spirit, the city may also get its first casino, a long-discussed proposal that has become a topic in the mayoral race. Party seekers can also spark up a joint, with the recent legalization of weed allowing New Yorkers to possess up to three ounces of marijuana. And then there's all that vacant space. Imagine the opportunities. |
Futurama: Four Big Tech companies — Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google — swooped in and expanded their footprint during the pandemic. Silicon Alley is now more Silicon Valley of the East. And things soon may get much techier. |
The city is planning to expand affordable high-speed internet and 5G technology, and ramp up its solar capacity. Transportation is undergoing a tech makeover, with shared electric mopeds and scooters, and Tesla-only ride-hailing apps. What ghost town? Robot town is more like it. |
New York, New York: Here's a wild scenario: Maybe many things will remain the same. |
Residential real estate is starting to bounce back. Business districts outside Midtown Manhattan, like Fordham Road in the Bronx and Main Street in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, are stirring to life. Bars, restaurants and sports stadiums are already filling. |
And that mass exodus to the suburbs might have been overblown. So maybe it's time for New Yorkers to take heart and let all those who fled to Florida worry about rising sea levels. |
It's Monday — support your neighborhood. |
Metropolitan Diary: Out with the old |
It was about 20 years ago, and my in-laws were moving. They offered my wife and me a television that they weren't going to have room for in their new apartment. |
It was fairly new, had a much sharper picture and better sound than our circa-1983 model and was about half as big and heavy. |
Once we had taken possession of this svelte new beauty, I did what any self-respecting Brooklynite would do under such circumstances: I brought the old clunker out to the stoop so that someone could take it home and make use of it. |
Almost as soon as I closed the door after taking out the TV, the bell rang. I opened the door to find a middle-age man standing there. |
"What," he said incredulously, pointing at the television, "no remote?" |
New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. You can also find it at nytoday.com. |
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