Mayor Bill de Blasio at City Hall this morning (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
May 14, 2020 By Allie Griffin
New York City is on track toward lifting some restrictions next month as three key indicators continue to move in the right direction, the mayor said.
The number of people admitted to hospitals for COVID-19; the number of patients currently in ICUs for the virus; and the percentage of New Yorkers who have tested positive for the virus all declined on Tuesday — the latest date available.
“In terms of getting out of this crisis and moving forward, this is it right here,” de Blasio said of the three indicators. “This is what matters most and my friends, today is a very good day.”
The indicators must each hit a goal set by the health department and move down together for 10 to 14 days for the city to begin the reopening process.
Hospital admissions decreased from 78 Monday to 59 Tuesday.
The number of people currently in ICUs at the city’s public hospitals dipped from 561 Monday to 517 Tuesday.
“That’s a big movement there and that’s a big jump in the right direction — bigger than we’ve seen most days even when things go in the right direction,” de Blasio said.
The decline means fewer people are fighting for their lives, he said. However, the number needs to drop below 375 people to meet its goal.
Lastly, the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who had positive results dropped from 13 percent Monday to 11 percent Tuesday.
“Three for three — a perfect day,” de Blasio said.
The city must also meet the state’s set of criteria for reopening before restrictions can be lifted, but de Blasio said both the city and state standards could be met by early June.
“Both of them right now could be met in the first half of June and that would be the right time then to lift some restrictions — but carefully, slowly, smartly,” de Blasio said.
However, the mayor also shared sobering news at City Hall this morning.
As of today, 100 children in New York City have fallen ill with the mysterious and rare condition called “pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome” believed to be connected to COVID-19.
That’s up from 82 yesterday and 52 the day prior.
The inflammatory illness is similar to toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, health experts say. If left untreated the condition can permanently damage a child’s heart.
“This a deep concern and we’re going to throw everything we got at it,” de Blasio said.
