People hold successful a agelong enactment to get tested for COVID-19 successful Times Square, New York, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. Just a mates of weeks ago, New York City seemed similar a comparative agleam spot successful the U.S. coronavirus struggle. Now it's a blistery spot, confronting a dizzying spike successful cases, a scramble for testing, a quandary implicit a large lawsuit and an exhausting consciousness of dj vu. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's committed to keeping the metropolis unfastened arsenic it grapples with yet different spike successful coronavirus cases.

The Democratic politician said Tuesday that New York can't spot schools and businesses closed again similar the metropolis did successful 2020 erstwhile COVID-19 archetypal dispersed widely.

De Blasio has faced questions implicit the past week astir whether helium would telephone for closures arsenic a question of caller cases fueled by the omicron variant has breached implicit the city.

“Adamantly I consciousness this: No much shutdowns. We’ve been done them," de Blasio said astatine a virtual quality league Tuesday. "They were devastating. We can’t spell done it again.”

De Blasio, successful the waning days of his word arsenic mayor, will determine by Christmas whether the yearly New Year’s Eve solemnisation successful Times Square volition proceed arsenic planned. The lawsuit was tiny and socially distanced past twelvemonth but de Blasio had hoped to clasp it this twelvemonth astatine “full strength.” That was earlier reports of COVID-19 cases ramped up again.

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While the destiny of the outdoor New Year's Eve lawsuit remained up successful the air, De Blasio's successor Eric Adams postponed his inauguration ceremony, scheduled for Jan. 1 indoors astatine Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre.

The mayor-elect issued a connection Tuesday saying that the ceremonial would beryllium rescheduled for a aboriginal day “to prioritize” the wellness of attendees, unit and reporters.

“It is wide that our metropolis is facing a formidable hostile successful the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and that the spike successful cases presents a superior hazard to nationalist health,” Adams said.

Two different Democratic officials, the city’s Comptroller-elect Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, were besides to enactment successful the ceremonial and co-signed Adams’ connection announcing its postponement. Williams has been quarantining astatine location aft precocious investigating affirmative for COVID-19.

Adams volition inactive instrumentality implicit arsenic politician connected Jan. 1.

In the meantime, de Blasio said the metropolis is ramping up investigating but the biggest instrumentality to combat the pandemic remains getting radical vaccinated. De Blasio announced the metropolis would statesman offering a $100 currency inducement to New Yorkers who get a booster changeable of the COVID-19 vaccine starting Tuesday and going done the extremity of the year.

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The metropolis had antecedently offered akin incentives for radical to get their archetypal vaccine doses.

De Blasio said the national authorities is expected to assistance acceptable up much investigating sites successful New York City and the metropolis volition summation its metropolis tally sites, including brick-and-mortar locations and mobile investigating vans.

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Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.