New York City, the epicenter of America’s coronavirus outbreak began partially reopening its shattered economy Monday after almost three months of lockdown, as the World Health Organization warned the health crisis was “worsening” worldwide.
Some 400,000 New Yorkers were allowed to return to work as retailers began offering limited in-store and curbside pickup, with construction and manufacturing also permitted to resume operations.
“It’s good to be back,” said Michael Ostergren, manager of the Shakespeare and Co bookshop on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where a trickle of customers arrived shortly after the doors reopened.
“Everybody wants to be out of the house. We’re just picking up where we left off in March,” he added.
As New York entered phase one of its reopening and some of Europe’s hardest-hit nations lurched back to a new kind of normal, the WHO reported a record number of new cases globally. ♦
