Covid in New York

It wasn't what I expected

I spent the last few days in what many call the greatest city in the world: New York City. This was my first time in the Big Apple and I loved the different neighborhoods, the beautiful grounds in Central Park and of course, the food. I didn’t know what to expect concerning Covid protocols, especially since I was traveling from a state with basically no Covid restrictions. We all know New York is a very liberal state so I expected things to be super strict and for the people to be very stringent in following all the protocols. To my surprise, I was very wrong.

Upon landing in New York it became very apparent that while social distancing and mask policies are still posted everywhere throughout the city (subway stations, shops, restaurants, etc.) the majority of people are not following the policies. At least 90% of people are not wearing a mask. We saw the most masks on subway trains but even then, it’s only about 30% of people wearing them. Even in places where announcements are made that masks are required, no one is wearing them. Mask policies were strictly enforced in only three places we visited: getting on a ferry (but only while you are inside the ferry), a small bakery that had the best cronut on the planet Earth, and inside all Broadway theaters.

Unfortunately Covid policies are still negatively affecting businesses and popular tourist attractions. We were extremely disappointed to discover New York landmarks like the Natural History Museum and the 9/11 memorial are closed 2-3 days per week and have very limited hours. As with most Covid policies the protocols that are keeping these places closed are extremely outdated and it’s ridiculous to still have them in effect over 2 years later.

If you listen to the news and to government officials you’d think New York is back to lockdown and strict restriction mode. In reality the people are over it. It was very apparent the majority of people are done with the restrictions and they have moved on. If only the bureaucrats and government officials would do the same.