Now he understands her line in the sand.
Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke Wednesday to a Nassau County official who wants to ban New York City residents from visiting beaches in her county — a policy he has criticized — and said he now respects the move.
A day after demanding that New Yorkers be allowed to use Long Island beaches, Hizzoner said he understands why Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has to put her constituents first during the coronavirus crisis.
“I had a couple of good conversations with [Curran] who I think very highly of,” de Blasio said. “On the question of the beaches, every place has to figure out what’s right for themselves.”
He added, “In New York City, it’s not safe to open our beaches yet; I hope to later in the season but not now. In other places they’re in a better situation [and] that’s great.”
De Blasio still wants New Yorkers to be allowed to use Long Island beaches — but he “understands [Curran] has to prioritize her constituents,” his spokeswoman clarified later.
His comments came after Curran ripped de Blasio as “irresponsible” for closing city beaches from Memorial Day weekend until at least mid-June, saying it would prompt sun-starved New Yorkers to flock to Long Island. The Nassau legislature then began preparing a measure to ban non-county residents from its beaches.
Blasio fired back Tuesday, saying, “This should not be about any ill feeling toward people depending on where they come from.”
On Wednesday, de Blasio also explained in detail why New Yorkers will have to wait longer for beach access than surrounding areas.
“We are unlike anyplace else. We are the epicenter of this crisis nationally, we are the most populous city in the United States of America, one of the most densely populated places in the country. To get to our beaches, the vast majority of people are going to take subways and buses, that creates crowding there and then crowding on beaches,” he said. “There’s such an obvious set of reasons why we couldn’t open our beaches.”
He added, “But if you’re in surrounding counties where people are mainly going by car, where they just don’t get crowded in the way ours do, if that’s what works for them, I respect that.”