New York City, arguably the hardest-hit area in the world from the coronavirus pandemic, reopened for business on Monday with the first of its four planned phases.
Phase 1 includes construction and manufacturing, mostly, along with some retail clothing, electronics, jewelry and luggage stores, among others.
Each phase will take two weeks before moving into the next phase, unless confirmed cases of the virus continue to drop more dramatically and then New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo will consider speeding things up.
And he better. Fortune magazine estimated that New York City is losing $173 million a day. "The coronavirus crisis is shrinking New York City's economy on a scale far more vast than the squeeze on any other U.S. metropolis," Fortune wrote. "The Big Apple so exceeds the rest of urban America in damage suffered mostly because it's the epicenter of the outbreak and also because an extremely high proportion of its workforce is employed in restaurants, bars, hotels, theaters, and retail, all businesses hyper-vulnerable to the collapse in tourism that has pounded the world's most visited destination."
The short answer to the question of when one of the world's great destinations will reopen to tourism is not until the end of June, when Phase 3 kicks in. Phase 3 includes the bulk of the hospitality industry, with restaurants and other food-service businesses allowed to reopen for dine-in service, as well as hotels that are not already open servicing overnight guests.
Phase 4 includes arts, entertainment, museums, theaters and movie theaters.
But the longer, more complicated answer is that we really don't know yet when New York City will fully open to tourists.
Start with Broadway. New York City has more than 40 major theaters hosting first-run plays and musicals, not to mention Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions. Now the shows won't go on again until Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the earliest, and more likely not until after the first of the year. Many people don't realize how tightly packed a 1,000-seat theater can be, making social distancing difficult. And reduced capacity makes it financially cumbersome for Broadway shows to continue-Disney, in fact, has closed its $30 million production of 'Frozen The Musical.'
Many other theaters have already packed up stage equipment and put it into storage.
"While all Broadway shows would love to resume performances as soon as possible, we need to ensure the health and well-being of everyone who comes to the theater-behind the curtain and in front of it-before shows can return," Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement.
This means no lucrative summer season, when tourists come in and attend multiple shows during their stay-including many who travel to the city and see both a matinee and evening performance on Wednesdays and Saturdays and attend up to six or seven shows during their stay.
One of the few theaters that can handle reduced capacity and still put on a show could be Radio City Music Hall, meaning the ultra-popular Christmas Show featuring the Rockettes could still go on as planned starting in late fall.
New York City's many famous museums are cautiously optimistic, saying they indeed will reopen but obviously with changes such as wearing face coverings. The fabled Metropolitan Museum of Art said it is aiming for a mid-August, early-September reopening.
"The Met has endured much in its 150 years, and today continues as a beacon of hope for the future," President Daniel H. Weiss wrote. "This museum is also a profound reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of art to offer comfort, inspiration, and community. As we endure these challenging and uncertain times, we are encouraged by looking forward to the day when we can once again welcome all to enjoy The Met's collection and exhibitions."
But many of NYC's hands-on experiences, including the popular Children's Museum, have been forced to re-think how some of its exhibits that call for touching buttons and picking up toys will be utilized going forward.
If you're thinking about sports, think again-New York-area teams will likely not be around. Major League Baseball still has not formulated a plan to return, so the Yankees and Mets sit idle. The National Basketball Association will resume play on Friday, June 12, for its final regular-season games and the playoffs, but all games will be hosted at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The National Hockey League has yet to announce concrete plans for its return.
Many landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, have not reopened yet.
NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, announced the formation of The Coalition for NYC Hospitality & Tourism Recovery to help lay the groundwork for tourism's return. The Coalition will focus on messaging, marketing and promotion to restore New York City's brand locally and beyond, and to safely engage, mobilize and champion all sectors of NYC's tourism economy once the City begins to emerge from the pandemic.
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