On Friday, May 1, Mayor de Blasio held a press conference to update the public on the coronavirus. Among the issues the mayor addressed was his approach to crowds that gathered to watch the Air Force fly over New York City versus those that gathered for a rabbi’s funeral in Williamsburg. Calling the two situations “very different,” de Blasio said that that the parallels were “unfair.” Presumably, the mayor was responding to criticism of how he handled the two situations. According to de Blasio, the fly over went by very quickly and that he saw pictures of people who were socially distancing even if not everybody was. A funeral, said de Blasio, is very different, because it is an organized gathering where people know they are going to be close together for a prolonged period of time.
The mayor expanded his condemnation of social distancing violations to rallies and parties, calling these gatherings “unacceptable.” Regarding the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks celebration, de Blasio said that the City has two months to decide how to go forward with the show in a safe manner, but that he guarantees that the show will go on in some form or fashion. Circling back to the funeral issue, the mayor called coronavirus a “clear and present danger,” and that any time we have a public gathering – especially a prolonged gathering – it is unacceptable and will be broken up by the NYPD.
The mayor was also asked how social distancing will be enforced while avoiding conflict with the Orthodox Jewish community who go outside on Shabbos without ID’s and how would the mayor respond to recent media reports that the Mayor’s crackdown constitutes “over-policing” and whether de Blasio engaged in outreach with Jewish leaders to clarify and apologize for what they call “scapegoating” of the Jewish community.
In response to the criticism of his handling of social distancing guidelines as applied to Jews, de Blasio said that he had a number of conversations with Jewish community leaders. While stating that he wanted to protect the privacy of those conversations, the mayor said a number of the leaders understood his frustration and that he wanted to protect lives. The mayor cited to his connection and closeness with the Jewish community. According to de Blasio, some Jewish leaders said that he should be careful with his words. The mayor agreed and said that he had spoken out of “passion.” “I regret that I used words the wrong way, in terms of giving people the wrong impression, but I don’t regret sounding the alarm,” and that New York City will not tolerate social distancing violations going forward. A “substantial” number of people de Blasio spoke to agreed with this.
Despite the criticism of his remarks following the rabbi’s funeral in Williamsburg, Mayor de Blasio stated that he spoke out of public concern and that “everyone” understands that he cares. Going forward, if people adhere to social distancing and shelter in place – that is, only going out for a limited amount of time, and keeping apart from others (notwithstanding families) – there won’t be any “problems.” This applies equally to all communities, according to the mayor.
The mayor responded to the question about Orthodox Jews not carrying identification on Shabbos as a “fair point” and said he would speak to Police Commissioner Dermot Shea about what the city can do in light of that. However, social distancing will be enforced, according to the mayor. “I do appreciate why people don’t carry an ID on Shabbos…but that will not be a reason why we won’t enforce.” This is why the mayor is spreading the message very aggressively and says a number of Jewish leaders are doing the same: “Don’t even think about gathering during Shabbos, because it just can’t be tolerated.” De Blasio added, “ID’s or no ID’s, we will enforce.”