New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his roughly 11-mile trip to Brooklyn to take daily walks despite the state’s stay-at-home order for nonessential business as necessary for him “to be most effective.”
“.@NYCMayor tells @errollouis walking in Prospect Park – an 11-mile drive from his residence in Manhattan – each day during #Covid_19 is something he needs to do ‘to be most effective,’” Politico’s Sally Goldenberg posted on Twitter Monday.
.@NYCMayor tells @errollouis walking in Prospect Park – an 11-mile drive from his residence in Manhattan – each day during #Covid_19 is something he needs to do “to be most effective.”
— Sally Goldenberg (@SallyGold) April 6, 2020
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently extended the state’s stay-at-home order, which will remain in effect until at least April 29, while also doubling the fine incurred for disobeying social distancing guidelines to $1,000.
“Frankly, there has been a laxness on social distancing, especially over this past weekend,” Cuomo told reporters. “That is just wholly unacceptable.”
Cuomo’s PAUSE program calls on New Yorkers to limit outdoor recreational activity, practice social distancing 6 feet away from others when outside, and postpone “nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason.”
De Blasio has received criticism during the coronavirus pandemic for seemingly not heeding the advice of his own state government.
The New York mayor was seen traveling to the gym on the day Cuomo called for nonessential businesses to close. He also encouraged New Yorkers to “go on with your lives + get out on the town” and see movies on March 2, despite reports of Italian cities being locked down.
The mayor of New York was encouraging people to out and party 3 weeks ago—when ten Italian municipalities were already on lock-down from Coronavirus https://t.co/yTRkIhCYV9
— Avi Asher-Schapiro (@AASchapiro) March 25, 2020
