Hard-hit New York City begins phase one of reopening

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo greets a subway rider at the subway station in Manhattan on the first day of New York City's phase one reopening, June 8, 2020. /Reuters

New York City – the epicenter of America's coronavirus outbreak – began partially reopening its shattered economy Monday after almost three months of lockdown, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the health crisis was "worsening" worldwide.

Some 400,000 New Yorkers were allowed to return to work as retailers began offering limited in-store and curbside pickup, with construction and manufacturing also permitted to resume operations.

New York, by far the hardest-hit U.S. city, on Monday reported the rate of people testing positive for the coronavirus fell to a new low of three percent, well below its threshold for reopening of 15 percent.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted that the rest of the state had already entered the same reopening phase without a jump in infections, largely because of restrictions that limit restaurants to serving guests only outdoors and retailers to making only curbside sales.

"If we follow those guidelines in New York City, there should not be a spike, just like there hasn't been a spike across the rest of the state," Cuomo said.

Construction worker assemble a scaffold at a job site on the first day of New York City's phase one reopening, New York, U.S., June 8, 2020. /Reuters

As New York entered phase one of its reopening and some of Europe's hardest-hit nations lurched back to a new kind of normal, the WHO reported a record number of new cases globally.

Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 136,000 cases had been reported in the past 24 hours, "the most in a single day so far," with the majority of them in the Americas and South Asia.

"Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening," he told reporters.

Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed the first easing of restrictions but warned residents that they must continue to social distance and wash their hands regularly.

The mayor said he was cautiously monitoring the virus' spread after thousands of protesters – many without masks – swarmed New York streets for daily marches against racism following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, to be sure reopening can continue and eventually bring customers back to hair salons, restaurants and other businesses.

New York's bars will be allowed to open in phase three, but movie theaters and museums have to wait until phase four, likely in late July and with reduced capacity.

(With input from Reuters and AFP)