New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio visited his local YMCA one last time Monday before Gov. Andrew Cuomo moves to shut down all gyms in the state as he deals with coronavirus fallout.
De Blasio’s office said he wants to get one last look at his stomping grounds before Cuomo makes the move Monday night. The YMCA gym means a lot to him, according to the mayor’s representative.
“The YMCA has been a huge part of his and his family’s life, like it has been for a lot of New Yorkers,” de Blasio’s office said in a statement about his decision. “It’s clear that’s about to change and before that, the mayor wanted to visit a place that keeps him grounded one last time.”
Cuomo is closing all casinos, gyms and movie theaters before 8 p.m. Monday. (RELATED: De Blasio Lays Out His Case For Nationalizing ‘Crucial Factories And Industries’ Amid Virus Pandemic)
As Governor is announcing gyms, restaurants etc will close as of 8pm, tonight guess who is at the Park Slope Y? Statement here from @NYCMayor spokeswoman: pic.twitter.com/Cxly6g6mxF
— Melissa Russo (@MelissaRusso4NY) March 16, 2020
De Blasio suggested Saturday morning that the coronavirus pandemic might be justification enough to begin nationalizing giant chunks of U.S. industry.
“Here’s reality: This is a war-like situation,” de Blasio said.
He added: “We’re in a wartime scenario with a Mar-a-Lago attitude being used by the federal government … This is a case for a nationalization of crucial factories and industries that could produce the medical supplies to prepare this country for what we need.”
New York has 142 cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, which is the most of any state in the United States. The total number of confirmed cases in the United States surpassed 500 on March 9 as the death toll in the Empire State now stands at 7 people.
De Blasio’s office has not responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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