NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that indoor fitness classes could reopen statewide next week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city wasn't notified of the decision and wondered if the relaxing of restrictions was "being made by the governor because of his political needs."
On Wednesday, Cuomo announced that indoor fitness classes would be allowed to resume statewide next Monday.
At his briefing Thursday, de Blasio said that city health officials, who'd previously expressed concerns about indoor fitness classes, weren't given a heads up about the decision.
"The State of New York continues to make decisions without consulting the City of New York or our health experts," de Blasio said. "And this is why we need local control."
The mayor called it "troubling" that "our health care team has said very clearly this is not what they would have done, and the state just doesn't care."
De Blasio said the city would "do our best to implement this rule safely, because the state has the legal right to do it."
"But it's not what we would have done," he added. "And on top of it, I want to ask a question, 'Is this being done because of what the data and science is telling us, or is this being done for political reasons?' Because it sure as hell looks like a lot of these decisions are being made by the governor because of his political needs."
De Blasio's comments come as Cuomo faces calls for his resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
Reiterating that the city wasn't notified about the decision, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said city health officials have concerns about the risk of COVID-19 spread at the fitness classes, "particularly because it is an activity that combines being indoors, being in groups and not being able to easily and consistently wear masks that don't get wet."
Dr. Jay Varma, de Blasio's senior health adviser, said people need to be careful if they take part in indoor fitness classes because the evidence shows it's risky.
"We have seen data from outbreaks here in the United States as well as internationally, some of these large outbreaks, because a fitness class can of course involve a large number of people in the same place together," Varma said. "We'd really advise people if they are going to participate in this activity—since the state is now allowing it—to make sure they follow all the precautions we've talked about."
Varma said people who attend indoor fitness classes should be tested regularly and make sure they're social distancing and wearing masks. He also recommended that they keep a record of places they've been, so if they do test positive, they can provide the information to contact tracers.
