New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he wants to strike "some kind of balance" between the need to reduce large gatherings and closing down the city's public events over the growing coronavirus epidemic, as he believes "as much normalcy in society as possible" should be maintained.
"I don't want to see Broadway go dark, if we can avoid it," de Blasio told CNN's "New Day." "I'm a believer that we have to be careful not to destroy people's livelihoods, not to destroy the opportunity for our kids to be in a safe place learning every day in school."
He also said he agrees President Donald Trump's travel ban for Europe was a good idea, as drastic steps are needed to control the virus' spread.
There are 62 cases of coronavirus in the city at this point against the backdrop of 8.6 million people, said the mayor, but the virus is spreading steadily and "we have to make a lot of changes in our lives."
Meanwhile, the city is grappling about what to do about Broadway's theaters, and to determine if there is a way to reduce the number of people going to shows.
"What we're trying to figure out, is there a way to reduce the capacity," he said.
Society is changing quickly, he added, pointing to Italy.
"That does not mean we should anticipate a society with no social activity, no work, no school," said the mayor. "How are we going to strike that balance? We're going to try to figure that out quickly and start with new models that we've never used before."
He also said the city will not be shutting down its subway, as to do that would mean "shutting down the economy and work and livelihood."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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