During a typically busy week for Mayor Eric Adams, he met model Gigi Hadid at Netflix’s Brooklyn studio. He was visiting a university to promote a new degree in video game design. And he visited the Capitol in Albany to push for renewed mayor control over schools.
But as New York City entered high-risk levels for the coronavirus, Mr. Adams did not hold any public events to warn residents of the surge in cases.
Mr. Adams has insisted that he will not bring the mask and vaccine missions back, but will instead focus on antiviral treatments and home testing.
While many American cities have long abolished public health precautions, New York City and other Democratic-led cities such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia have taken a more conservative approach. take a more cautious approach to combat the virus wave. Now, even as cases and hospitalizations rise again, those cities can resemble the rest of the country by focusing on a return to normalcy and personal responsibility.
In New York, instead of voicing warnings about the city’s growing risk, Mr. Adams has repeatedly emphasized that his infection in April was mild, in part because he took antibiotics. Paxlovid virus.
Mr. Adams said at a recent press conference: “I think the reason we’re here and not seeing drastic action is because we’ve done an incredible job at telling people – vaccines.” please, rocket boosters,” Mr. Adams said at a recent press conference. “When I got hit with Covid, I just felt a sting in my throat. I can still exercise, no breathing problems, no pain. ”
Adams, a Democrat who took office in January, appears to be weighing a number of factors: He has not called for a proxy because hospitalizations and deaths have risen more slowly than in previous waves. . .
But some health experts have criticized the mayor’s approach and fear that allowing the virus to spread widely could hurt the city’s most vulnerable residents. They believe the city should reinstate mask and vaccine regulations, but acknowledge that it will be politically difficult to do so.
The city is currently logging more than 4,000 cases per day, a number that is likely to be much higher since most home tests are not counted in the official tally. As of Tuesday, more than 770 people in the city have been hospitalized with Covid and 84 in ICUs
Mr Adams said this week that he had no plans to bring back duty unless the hospital system was reaching a “state of emergency” or trending in that direction. The new warning system that Mr. Adams approved in March recommends establishing a mask duty for indoor public settings at current risk levels.
Medical experts have argued that waiting until hospitals and medical staff are overwhelmed will be too late. Some elected officials such as Mark Levine, the president of the borough of Manhattan, support bringing the mandate to wear masks to most indoor public facilities.
“I want this to be a city that can turn protections on and off when we have problems,” Mr. Levine said. “I’d like to see us do more and put in more effort right now.”
On Thursday’s call with Anne Williams-Isom, one of the deputy mayors, Mr. Adams’ community groups and disability advocates expressed strong support for the mandate to wear masks for the air. indoor time, according to a call participant. Ms. Williams-Isom said she would pass their message on to the mayor.
Mr. Adams’ approach mirrors the views of other leaders such as Governor Kathy Hochul and President Biden, who are eager to weather the pandemic and focus on economic recovery. Governor Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey has also resisted recalling mandates and eliminating face coverings on New Jersey Transit trains entering the city.
Ms. Hochul, who recently tested positive for the virus, has kept the mask regulation for public transport in place, but she has not put in place broader restrictions though. big surge in upstate New York. Ms. Hochul faces an additional political calculation – she is in the midst of campaigning for a gubernatorial term and needs support from the more conservative corners of the state.
Many business leaders support the mayor’s approach, including Kathryn Wylde, president of Partners of New York City, an influential business group.
“New Yorkers have demonstrated that they consciously follow safety procedures, including face masks, where appropriate,” she said. “To reverse the progress made on reopening the city would be a blow to the recovery but also seems unnecessary at this point.”
The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, issued the order on Monday Strong recommendation that all residents must wear surgical masks at offices, grocery stores, schools, and other indoor public facilities across the city. A day later, he announced that the city had reached a high alert level, caused by the high number of people being hospitalized.
Mr. Adams said the city is moving to a “new norm” as variations emerge.
“If all the variations emerge, we move into a closed-door mindset, into a panic state, we’re not going to function as a city,” Mr. Adams said on Wednesday.
But former Mayor Bill de Blasio and his health commissioner, Dr Dave Chokshi, who stayed on during the first months of the Adams administration and created the new warning system in March, have issued comments. The commentary encouraged Mr. Adams to prepare to return to duty.
“I want to say this as a friendly reminder to keep those powerful tools available,” Mr. de Blasio said in a statement. radio interview last week. “You may need them soon.”
Mr. de Blasio, who oversaw the city’s response during the worst waves of the virus, held virtual virus briefings almost daily, sometimes inviting outside health professionals like Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia Mailman School. of Public Health, and Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease expert at New York University. He has put in place some of the most aggressive health measures in the country, including mandated vaccinations for city workers and private employers that are still in effect.
Mr. Adams relied on several key advisors to shape his response to the virus: Dr. Vasan, an epidemiologist who previously led a mental health nonprofit; Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of the city’s hospital system; Ms. Williams-Isom, deputy mayor for health and human services; Dan Weisberg, first school vice principal; and Dr. Ted Long, the city’s chief executive officer of Trials and Traces. The team meets nearly every morning on a virtual call to discuss the latest data.
Mr. Adams said the message from hospital and school leaders was clear: “They are all saying the same things. They say, ‘Listen, we got this. We are not overwhelmed. ‘”
But Dr. Chokshi, former health commissioner, said in a recent interview that in each new wave of cases that occur in the city, elected officials and New Yorkers often have “collective memory loss” of how to respond.
“People will say, ‘Well, it’s just going to increase, let’s see what happens with the hospitalizations,’” he said. Studying this, and especially understanding epidemiology, it’s hard not to explode when you feel the public, and in many cases, political conversation, going in those circles. you’re like, “Well, when are we going to learn.”
Some medical experts agree that at this point, it will be difficult to restore widespread missions unless the health system becomes severely overwhelmed. At the same time, having an alert system but not following its recommendations can confuse the public and undermine trust, especially if the change is not carefully explained.
Dr Jay Varma, who was Mr. de Blasio’s senior health adviser, said: “It makes perfect sense to pick a set of metrics and use it to decide what steps you’ll take. “Giving a weather report is valuable, but you have to be clear about how you’re using it.”
Some experts say the Adams administration needs to do more to convince people of the importance of the moment, even among those who are vaccinated and unafraid of dying from the virus. For example, a renewed public health campaign might focus on the importance of wearing a mask to protect vulnerable people, prolonging the risk of Covid, or increasing the risk. heart-related diseaes after Covid-19.
Mr. Adams has focused on providing free home antivirals like Paxlovid and distributing millions of tests at home to public school students as well as at libraries and museums. His administration says it has distributes 35,000 antiretroviral treatmentsprevented nearly 2,000 hospitalizations.
The city that led the nation vaccination rate, but the rate of enhancement has stalled. An estimated 88 percent of adults in the city are fully immunized; only 46 percent received the booster dose.
New Yorkers with disabilities and weakened immune systems worry that the city’s new approach won’t keep them safe. Emily LadauA disability rights advocate who lives on Long Island and regularly visits the city, says few people wear masks because the mayor hasn’t clearly conveyed that they matter.
“There is a huge difference between a face covering and a lock,” she said. “I didn’t think wearing a mask and protecting those around you would be so difficult.”
Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Otterman and Dana Rubinstein contribution report.
