For as long as the coronavirus pandemic has stalked New York City, Tatsiana Vazgryna has been looking for work near her home in southern Brooklyn.
After a halting search, the last week brought some hope. With her 9-year-old daughter returning to in-person public school, Ms. Vazgryna thought she would have time to prioritize her job search over child care.
Then, on Sunday, Ms. Vazgryna learned that Mayor Bill de Blasio, worried about an uptick of cases in parts of Brooklyn and Queens, planned to close schools in nine ZIP codes. Her daughter’s elementary school in Bensonhurst would be among those shut, giving Ms. Vazgryna less time to visit stores and restaurants for work.
“You can’t do that with school,” she said.
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As positive test rates rose in a number of city neighborhoods, residents of the affected areas faced growing fear over another wave of the virus and uncertainty over officials’ plans to address it.
On Sunday, Mr. de Blasio announced a plan to close all schools and nonessential businesses in nine ZIP codes in Brooklyn and Queens where there had been an uptick, essentially rolling back the city’s cautious reopening.
Then on Monday afternoon, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo effectively pre-empted the mayor’s plan, saying he would keep businesses open in those areas but allow schools to be closed. An hour later, Mr. de Blasio said the matter was unsettled and city officials were still planning to close businesses “until we hear otherwise.”
The back and forth between the governor and the mayor, only the latest instance of a rocky relationship that has marked their tenures, left residents of the neighborhoods in limbo over how exactly their lives may be altered in the coming days.
Source: What It’s Like Living in 9 Parts of N.Y.C. Facing a New Lockdown
