Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.

Before March 2020 The first, confirmed, case of COVID-19 was in New York State on March 1, 2020, in a 39-year-old health care worker who had returned home to Manhattan from Iran on February 25. Genomic analyses suggest the disease had been introduced to New York as early as January, and that most cases were linked to Europe, rather than Asia.

While the first official case wasn't confirmed until March 1, researchers later estimated that approximately 10,700 New Yorkers had already contracted the virus by that time.

2020 March 2020

On March 3, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the first recorded case of person-to-person spread in New York State had been confirmed via a New Rochelle man who was working at a law firm within One Grand Central Place in Midtown Manhattan. Six days later, on March 9, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that there were 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York City. Cuomo announced a New Rochelle "containment area" on March 10, and the World Health Organization declared a global COVID-19 pandemic on March 11. New York City public schools closed as of March 16, and remote learning began on March 23.

The virus then grew exponentially; by March 25, over 17,800 cases had been confirmed in New York City, with 199 deaths. At the time, the city's infection rate was five times higher than the rest of the country, and its cases were one-third of total confirmed US cases. The reasons for the high infection rate continue to be discussed. On March 27, infection in New York City surpassed 23,000, with 365 deaths. Queens was the worst-affected borough by number of deaths, with over a third of total deaths; the majority of the deceased had underlying health issues. Between March 28 and 29, the number of deaths in New York City tripled from the previous 24-hour period; 222 people died of the virus, bringing the city's fatalities to 672, with 30,765 confirmed cases.

The hospital ship arrived in New York Harbor on March 30.Coronavirus live updates: USNS Comfort arrives in NYC; Anthony Fauci defends extension of social distancing rules; US deaths top 2,500 by John Bacon, USA TODAY, March 30, 2020 Field hospitals were also set up in several places citywide. Refrigerator trucks were set up on city streets outside hospitals to accommodate the overflow of bodies of the deceased. On March 31, the first death of a child from COVID-19 in New York City was recorded.

April 2020

On April 4, Governor Cuomo announced that the Chinese government had arranged for a donation of 1,000 ventilators to be sent to New York through foundations run by billionaires Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai. The state of Oregon was reported to be sending 140 ventilators. Trump announced that 1,000 additional federal medical soldiers would be deployed to New York City. It was reported that "Urban Area Medical Task Forces" made up of army reservists would be working in the New York City field hospitals and other parts of the country. , there were 1,200 medical military personnel serving on the USNS Comfort. 2,700 New York State National Guard forces had also been deployed.

On April 5, it was reported that a Malayan tiger at the already-closed Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19. This was the first known case of an animal in the US (or a tiger anywhere) being infected with the disease. The tiger had started showing symptoms on March 27, including a dry cough, wheezing, and weakened appetite. The source of the infection was believed to be an infected zookeeper who was not yet showing symptoms. On April 22, it was reported that four additional tigers and three lions had tested positive.

By April 6, New York City had accumulated 72,181 confirmed COVID-19 cases in humans, with at least 2,475 deaths, nearly 25% of the US total. The next day Gothamist reported that the official death toll in New York City was undercounted.Staggering Surge Of NYers Dying In Their Homes Suggests City Is Undercounting Coronavirus Fatalities published on April 7, 2020 in The Gothamist It was estimated that 1,125 people had died at home or on the street in NYC in the first five days of April, an eight-fold increase compared with FDNY figures for 2019. Due to the large increase, many of the deaths were presumed to be caused by COVID-19, but only residents with confirmed infections had been recorded in the official count. Due to the crisis circumstances of the pandemic, the real death toll was unknown. Bodies of those who had died at home, around 280 per day, were being picked up by the US Army, National Guard, and Air National Guard.

Some of the communities most affected by the pandemic included densely populated neighborhoods in north-central Queens with high immigrant populations, including Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. , these communities, with a cumulative 600,000 residents, had recorded 7,260 COVID-19 cases. On April 23, state officials said that based on preliminary results of an antibody testing survey, they estimated around 21% of city residents had contracted COVID-19, far more than the number of cases confirmed directly by virus testing.

May 2020 On May 10, de Blasio said 38 children citywide were known to be affected by an inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to an immune response to COVID-19. Known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), this life-threatening condition resembles Kawasaki disease and other pediatric inflammatory conditions, such as toxic shock syndrome. Symptoms include high fevers that can last for days, rash, racing heart beat, changes in skin color, redness of the tongue, and severe abdominal pain. At least one child had died due to MIS-C in New York City, and two additional deaths to MIS-C were reported statewide. The link with COVID-19 has not yet been proven. On May 19, Cuomo confirmed 137 cases of the illness statewide, stating it was "the tip of the iceberg" with 90% of the cases testing positive for the virus or antibodies. By May 26, three deaths and 89 cases of MIS-C had been confirmed in the city, mostly affecting children and teenagers. Doctors reported that the risk of death or serious illness for MIS-C was mitigated by early detection. Hospitals were instructed to prioritize kids for testing.

A survey conducted May 5–12 and reported in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that 42% of 286 respondents residing in the New York City metropolitan area knew someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, and 23% knew someone who had died.

During May, active COVID-19 cases started to decline. After the George Floyd protests in New York City started in late May, public officials expressed concern about the spread of COVID-19 via the crowded events.

June 2020

On June 8, the city commenced the first phase of its reopening plan after meeting seven conditions of the stay-at-home order, which had been put in place three months earlier. Business safety protocols were put in place to limit occupancy of confined spaces, like elevators, to one person at a time, and occupancy ceilings were reduced to under 50% of their usual capacity. On June 24, New York state, along with New Jersey and Connecticut, began requiring travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days if traveling from an area with high infection rates. On June 29, Patience and Fortitude, the lion statues outside the New York Public Library Main Branch, were masked as a symbol of the city's resilience.

July 2020

Health experts 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. The city's COVID hospitalizations fell below 700, the lowest levels since mid-March, but more cases were reported in the age group between 21 and 30.

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 for COVID spread. Indoor dining in other states had 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 dining. Plans to reopen museums in Phase 4 were also postponed.

The governor's office announced that malls would be allowed to reopen only after installation of antiviral air filtration systems, which was opposed by mall owners and their tenants.

In late July, over 130 bars were cited for violations of COVID-related regulations. The governor warned that bars would be shut down again if compliance did not improve. At least 40 businesses lost their liquor licenses between March and August. Some restaurants reported difficulty controlling the crowds gathered outside, despite hiring security.

On July 11, a seven-year-old German Shepherd named Buddy died of COVID-19. He tested positive back in mid-April when his owners noticed he was having trouble breathing. He was the first dog in the United States to test positive for COVID-19.

August 2020 By August 1, the total number of establishments who had their liquor licenses suspended for not following social distancing guidelines had risen to 52. In mid-August, Cuomo announced that bowling alleys would be able to reopen on August 17, and museums and other cultural institutions on August 24, at reduced capacity.

September 2020 On the nineteenth anniversary ceremony of the September 11 attacks at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the reading of names of victims, usually by family members, was instead recorded in advance. Mask protocols and social distance measures were also in place. The Tunnels to Towers foundation held a simultaneous memorial nearby at Zuccotti Park where around 125 family members took part in reading names.

In late September, parents of yeshiva students in Brooklyn were texted "DO NOT test your child for Covid," advised not to report symptoms consistent with COVID-19, and told that it was "up to parents" to prevent the school from being closed.

On September 25, 37 people tested positive for COVID-19 after a sweet sixteen party at the Miller Place Inn. The inn was fined $10,000 for violating COVID restrictions.

By the end of September, de Blasio had ordered the police department to enforce public health guidelines in several Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods and conduct emergency inspections at private religious schools. President Trump's views on masks were shared by most residents of these neighborhoods, who frequently refused to wear masks or follow the social distancing restrictions. The rate of infection in some predominantly Orthodox neighborhoods rose to six times higher than the rest of the city. City health officials said another lockdown might be needed, similar to the one imposed in Israel, which at the time had the highest per-capita rate of new cases of any country.

October 2020