Former virus hotspot New York reopens as cases spike elsewhere

New York businesses opened their doors to returning waves of workers on Monday as the city that was once the epicenter of the global pandemic marked an important milestone in its return to normalcy, even as other US states were seeing an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases.

Nationwide, cases have been on the rise for the past two weeks following a long plateau in the spring, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with California hitting levels of new infections not seen since March.

But for many in hard-hit New York, where more than 20,000 people succumbed to the disease, the return to normal meant resuming their small every day rituals.

For some, that meant getting a haircut.

“I’ve been cutting it myself and doing a very bad job, so I was very excited to see (the barber),” said Jeremiah Zinn, a man in his 50s who was the first client to walk through the door at Benny’s Barbershop in Brooklyn.

Yury Ykubov, the owner, told AFP he had opened the shop six months prior, and negotiated with the landlord to make rent during the lockdown.

Ybkov himself contracted Covid-19 but, like the city itself, has recovered and has antibodies for protection.

But all the barbers in his shop took online courses on how to be safe, which included using special gowns, wearing masks, and no blow-drying.

“I’m slightly nervous, like it’s the first day I come to work, the first day somebody hired me,” he laughed.

In Manhattan, Sam Karalis, owner of The Windsor Florist, said his business was one of the lucky ones to have survived with the help of the government and his landlord.

He was relieved to be able to open his doors to paying customers.

Allowing people inside the shop “makes a big difference because people like to look at the stuff,” he said.

“If you can’t look at the stuff, you can’t really buy it.”

Statewide, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 10 new deaths on Sunday while the rate of positive test results has fallen to one percent — which has paved the way for incremental lifting of restrictions.

New York City is now in the second of its four-phase reopening, which began two weeks ago when construction and industries were allowed to resume working.

But the picture is far less positive in other parts of the United States, with the virus spiking in several states despite predictions that summer heat, humidity and bright sunlight would limit its spread.

Cases were skyrocketing in California, Texas, Arizona and Florida and in the Midwestern state of Missouri.

In Florida, which reopened bars and restaurants earlier this month, emergency physician Rajiv Bahl said cases were rising across age groups.

“Personally, I am seeing more patients who are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s with upper respiratory symptoms than I did before,” he told AFP.

“While it is not exactly known why this is the case, it may be because of the opening of bars and restaurants,” he added, with those working in the service industry accounting for a high volume of the cases.

The Sunshine State saw more than 4,000 cases on Friday and Saturday, according to official data, and Bahl urged would-be tourists to think carefully about their plans.

“You may want to rethink mass gatherings and opt for more isolated adventures such as national parks, isolated beaches, or enjoying a pool with more strict distancing rules,” he said.

Top officials from the administration of President Donald Trump, meanwhile, continued to downplay the severity of the pandemic, a nearly constant theme since the virus was first reported in the United States in January.

“There is no second wave coming,” White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow told CNBC, adding that lawmakers will likely present another stimulus package by the end of next month.

Kudlow claimed in late February that the virus had been “contained” and an economic tragedy avoided.

At a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, President Trump said he wanted to slow down testing, on grounds it was making the United States look bad.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, however, told CBS News on Sunday: “We’re seeing the positivity rates go up.

“That’s a clear indication that there’s now community spread underway. And this isn’t just a function of testing more.”

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