New Yorkers Must 'Be Smart' This Memorial Day: De Blasio

NEW YORK, NY — New York City residents must "be smart" and maintain social distancing regulations this Memorial Day weekends in order to preserve the city's progress in reducing the spread of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

The city will deploy extra police officers at city beaches this Memorial Day weekend to ensure that beachgoers adhere to a ban on swimming — walking and sitting on the beach is allowed — and to break up any large gatherings, de Blasio announced during a Friday press briefing. In addition to the increased police presence, the Parks Department will also send monitors to beach access points to make sure beaches don't get overcrowded.

About 2,300 "social distancing ambassadors" will be stationed at city parks this weekend to hand out free face coverings and educate visitors on social distancing rules, the mayor said. A fleet of 50 city vehicles will also be deployed throughout the city to play announcements reminding New Yorkers of social distancing rules.

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"Memorial Day is a time to redouble our efforts and not lose focus because we want to get to that better place. We have a lot of momentum now, and we have to hold on to it," de Blasio said. "If we get a little too loose we're going to start going backwards. The last thing we want is more restrictions on our lives."

De Blasio said that the city's efforts will allow people to celebrate Memorial Day outside safely. If the city sees widespread violations of social distancing regulations, police officers and city employees will have the discretion to take strict actions such as arrests and fencing off access to beaches, the mayor said Friday.

Memorial Day will also look different from years past for the many bars and restaurants of New York City. Teams from the city's Office of Nightlife will work with the NYPD to ensure that businesses do not flout regulations prohibiting dining in, open container laws and allowing customers to congregate in large groups on sidewalks. These efforts will be directed to areas where social distancing regulations were widely disregarded last weekend in favor of sidewalk parties, such as the Upper East Side, de Blasio said.

Beaches throughout New York outside of New York City will open Friday ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend. Restrictions put in place include capping capacity at 50 percent, closing concessions and banning group contact, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. New Yorkers looking to leave the city may not find a warm welcome, as officials in many parts of Long Island have moved to ban city residents from their beaches.

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