NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that he expects "a much clearer approach to enforcement" after another night of unrest—and reported violence—in Brooklyn over new coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
"I do expect a clearer response going forward. I think there were some issues yesterday, honestly. In terms of both the NYPD's approach and the approach of the city's legal team," the mayor said at his daily briefing.
"Understanding the state guidance and getting it right once and for all—that has to be corrected. We need a much clearer approach and I expect that to be corrected today before anything that happens this evening," he said.
Groups of protesters gather in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park to denounce lockdowns of their neighborhood due to a spike in COVID-19 cases on October 07, 2020 in New York City.Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A pause period for "red zone" areas seeing the most significant increase in coronavirus cases begins Thursday and will be in effect for a minimum of 14 days, while there are partial closures and restrictions in "orange zone" and "yellow zone" areas bordering the red zones.
After multiple nights of protest by members of Orthodox Jewish communities in Borough Park—including street fires and some reports of violence—de Blasio said he understood the frustration in the neighborhoods, calling the situation "a very difficult one."
"We're having to tell many communities of people that after the success we've had as a city, in some communities we're going to have to turn back to where we were in the spring," the mayor said. "No one wants to hear it. I understand. But we have to do. The city and state are united on this."
De Blasio condemned a reported attack on a journalist during protests on Wednesday night, calling it "absolutely unacceptable, disgusting really."
"Here's a journalist—a journalist who really cares about doing the work of informing people what's going on—and here's a mob of people attacking him. It's just unacceptable. There need to be consequences for that," the mayor said.
Asked by a reporter to respond to claims that the police response in Borough Park was different than it was to protests this summer over racism and policing—with no arrests reported Tuesday or Wednesday nights—de Blasio said the city must have a "consistency of response" but that the NYPD had upped its presence in Borough Park on Wednesday after Tuesday's unrest.
"I think we had a difference last night than the night before. The night before was something that was not expected in terms of a crowd, and there was very limited police presence. Last night, my understanding was there was much more police presence," he said.
"But as I said earlier, we need to get very clear. We're in a very different situation now. It's the first time we've had the reimposition of restrictions since this crisis began. That comes with additional legal tools for the NYPD. The lawyers all have to get on the same page. The NYPD has to get on the same page with the lawyers. And I expect from tonight on a much clearer approach to enforcement."
At his daily briefing, de Blasio also announced that the city has launched a new online map tool where New Yorkers can check their home, business and school addresses to see if they're in the impacted COVID zones. It is available at nyc.gov/COVIDZone.
The mayor said more than 1,200 personnel are on the ground in the COVID hotspots and that outreach and enforcement are ongoing.
De Blasio said there were 2,000 inspections in the red and orange zones on Wednesday and that 36 summonses were issued. He said there have been 7,000 inspections since last week and that they resulted in 104 violations.
He also announced that 169 school sites have now closed in the zones; 66 in the red zone, 87 in the orange zone and 16 in the yellow zone. Another 308 school sites in the yellow zone will have mandatory weekly testing starting Friday as part of the state's plan.
Of the 169 schools, 108 closed Tuesday and 61 more closed Thursday. The earliest schools that closed Tuesday could reopen would be Wednesday, Oct. 21, de Blasio said, unless conditions rapidly improve.
The mayor also announced "some good news" that the city had hit a new milestone in testing. He said more than 250,000 tests were conducted citywide from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6—the largest number in a week.
He said the city is now seeing the "shortest turnaround we've seen" for test results, with an average two-day turnaround at urgent cares and an average one-day turnaround at Health + Hospitals and Health Department sites. Visit nyc.gov/covidtest to learn more about getting tested.
