Kudos to Gov. Kathy Hochul for urging employers to bring their workers back to the city: They really have nothing left to fear but fear itself.
The Partnership for New York City survey of major employers finds that just 28 percent of their Manhattan workers are back in the office at all, and only 8 percent back full time. COVID fears are the main reason for delay.
But the city’s COVID positivity rate is the lowest in the state. More, even the Delta wave was tiny in New York, peaking far below the previous spikes in April 2020 and last winter.
With widespread vaccination, plus booster shots and the increasing number of treatments, any future wave is all but guaranteed to be minimal.
Yes, some workers prefer the convenience of working from home, and many companies plan a smaller, cheaper footprint in the city now that they know remote work is practical. And many will begin with a hybrid plan to ease the transition.
But getting back to normal, even a new normal, has to start sometime, and waiting won’t change anything.
“It is very safe here, and we want people to come back,” Hochul urged. “They’re missing the vitality, the energy and the innovation that is spurred by the connections of human beings.”
Right on! Bring Gotham fully back to life.