page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
section_title: July
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in New York City / Timeline / July
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking west at masked statue on a sunny late morning
context_page_description: The first case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed in New York City in March 2020 by a woman who had recently traveled to New York City from Iran, a country already seriously affected by the pandemic at the time. Nearly a month later, the metropolitan area was the worst-affected area in the country, with its medical infrastructure overtaxed. By April, the city had more confirmed coronavirus cases than China, the U.K., or Iran, and by May, had more cases than any country other than the United States.
  On March 20, the governor's office issued an executive order closing down non-essential businesses. The city's public transportation system remained open but experienced crowding due to reduced transit service and an increase of homeless persons seeking shelter on the subway.
  By April, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers were out of work with lost tax revenues estimated to run into the billions. Low income jobs in the retail, transportation and restaurant sectors are especially affected. The drop in income, sales tax and tourism revenues including hotel tax revenue may cost the city up to $10 billion.
context_section_description: Patience and Fortitude, the lion statues outside the New York Public Library Main Branch, were masked as a symbol of the city's resilience. Health experts have noted that the effectiveness of contact tracing in preventing resurgence would depend on careful monitoring of hospitalizations and targeted testing of high-risk populations to screen for asymptomatic carriers.
  Plans to open indoor dining during the Phase 3 reopening were postponed due to the heightened risks posed by customers refusing to wear face masks and the uncertain role of air conditioning on spread in indoor spaces. Indoor dining in other states has resulted in superspreading at certain venues. To compensate in part, outdoor space was expanded by shutting down certain areas to create more space for outdoor eating. Malls will be allowed to reopen only after installation of antiviral air filtration systems. Plans to reopen museums in Phase 4 were also postponed.
  COVID hospitalizations fell below 700, the lowest levels since mid-March, but more cases were reported in the age group between 21 and 30. In late July over 130 bars were cited for violations of COVID related regulations. The governor warned bars would be shut down again if compliance did not improve. At least 40 businesses have lost their liquor licenses since March. Some restaurants have reported difficulty controlling the crowds gathered outside, despite hiring security.
caption: Masked for protection
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