The first day New York City reopens, healthcare workers will be honored with a ticker-tape parade down Lower Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.
De Blasio had announced Monday that the city would deny permits to large public gatherings for the month of June, including the Puerto Rican Day Parade and the Pride March, two to the most popular public events of the summer.
That announcement came just days after the mayor banned all large gatherings for the month of May, ordered that all public pools remain closed until Labor Day, and hinted that public beaches would most likely remain closed.
During his daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, de Blasio could not give a date when social distancing rules would be lifted in the city. However, when that day finally comes, he’ll permit a parade saluting the city’s healthcare workers — promising that the celebration would be worth the wait.
“This will be the greatest of all the parades because this one will speak to the rebirth of New York City,” said de Blasio. “This one will speak to the kind of heroism that is intrinsic to who we are as New Yorkers… This parade will mark the beginning of our renaissance. But it will also be, most importantly, a chance to say thank you.”
