A southern Brooklyn lawmaker is demanding that the state issue reopening guidelines for the Coney Island amusement parks, whose year-long closure has dealt a tough blow to the local economy. “It is imperative that the State issue guidance and protocols immediately on how to safely reopen outdoor amusements for the 2021 season, which would begin on Palm Sunday, March 28, less than three months from today,” wrote Councilman Mark Treyger in a Jan. 13 letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Outdoor amusement parks across the state have remained closed since the start of the pandemic — even as some indoor amusements, such as bowling alleys and some movie theaters, were allowed to reopen last summer. The closures devastated Coney Island’s already precarious economy, causing an estimated $100 …
Opinion: It’s time to open the Big Apple
It’s time to open the Big Apple — and the country — again. Of course, many of my Democratic friends will demonize this as prioritizing the economy over public health. However, these two are related, and there is a middle ground. The current U.S. unemployment is 14.7 percent, a number not seen since the Great Depression. Economic experts say this can surge to over 20 percent over the next several weeks if we keep the country closed for business. These are not just statistics, these are people’s lives. For every business that is closed, there are countless New Yorkers and Americans that are not getting …