De Blasio appeared on NBC's "Today" show to discuss the city's famous New Year's Eve celebration, which is scheduled to have an in-person component this year. Asked why he did not cancel the event entirely, de Blasio said that he did not believe in shutdowns and rather wished to "show the world that New York City is fighting our way through this." "Look, I don't believe in shutdowns. We have to fight our way through COVID," de Blasio replied.
"Shutdowns are not the answer," he reiterated. "The answer is get people vaccinated. This event is vaccination-only. It's gonna be outdoors, vaccination-only, masks required, socially distanced."
These comments are harsh backtracking from the Mayor's history of COVID-19 response tactics. De Blasio has been a repeated sponsor of locking down the city, usually ahead of or in response to spikes in statewide infections.
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New York City began shutting down non essential activity in March 2020, similar to major cities worldwide. The lockdown persisted for several months and the city finally began Phase 1 of its reopening in June 2020.
In December 2020, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who later resigned from office after a series of sexual misconduct claims, announced a statewide shutdown on indoor dining. De Blasio was an outspoken supporter.
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"We have to fight it back to save lives and we have to fight it back to start our recovery," de Blasio said at the time. "If the governor announces restrictions, I support him a hundred percent because we have to protect against the worst."
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"The worst is the virus just grows and grows, that more and more people get infected, our hospitals start to get stressed and then get to the point where they can't provide the service that people need and that puts lives in danger," he continued. "I guarantee you, if that keeps happening then it's going to be a lot longer before we're able to recover economically. That puts those restaurants in much greater danger for the long term."
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Just a few days after those comments, on December 14, de Blasio doubled down on the proposed restrictions. The Mayor went even farther, announcing that New York City should be prepared for a "full shutdown" after Cuomo floated a similar idea in an interview.
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"The governor said in a New York Times interview over the weekend that we should prepare for the possibility of a full shutdown," de Blasio said. "I agree with that, we need to recognize that that may be coming and we've got to get ready for that now because we cannot let this virus keep growing especially at a moment when we are finally getting the vaccine and can turn the corner."
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