New York City Mayor warns of second lockdown as cases of COVID-19 surge

It has been a year since the coronavirus pandemic started off in China and then spread across the globe. The United States is one of the worst affected countries in the world with millions of deaths reported so far. After a slight drop in the number of deaths and new infections, the numbers are again rising to reach another landmark. Bill De Blasio, the Mayor at New York City has hinted that a fresh course of complete lockdown could be implemented.

De Blasio addressed the residents and businesses in New York City to remain careful or a second round of shutdown could be on the way due to the surge in the cases of coronavirus. The Mayor was talking at a press conference in Manhattan and said that all kinds of restrictions will have to be considered at this moment and looking at the current situation people need to embrace themselves and be prepared for a second lockdown that would be similar like what it was earlier in the pandemic.

Reports say that in the past seven days, about 20,000 people in New York tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 24,000 people have lost their lives in the city due to COVID related problems. De Blasio also said that another lockdown is increasingly essential to break the chain of the second wave and to stop it from claiming more lives and overwhelming the hospitals. The Mayor has urged residents and businesses to begin preparing to work remotely, if they are physically reporting at work places.

The second lockdown could last for a few weeks and De Blasio said that people need to mentally and physically prepare for such a possibility. The recent announcement has come as Pfizer started its first vaccinations in New York. Pfizer started vaccinating its first vaccines in the United Kingdom. 90 year old Margaret Keenan was the first person to receive the Pfizer vaccine in the world.

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