VOA慢速英语2020 纽约第二阶段复工正式启动（在线收听）

New York Starts Second Step of Reopening

For the first time in three months, New Yorkers will be able to eat at restaurants again—but only at tables outside.

New York City entered the second of four planned phases of reopening on Monday. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he considers the step the biggest in terms of economic importance.

In addition, people in New York City will be able to go to stores. They also will be able to get their hair cut and children can go to playgrounds. People also may begin to return to work.

Eighty-nine-year-old Larry Silverstein is pleased.

The developer of the World Trade Center leads Silverstein Properties. He returned to work on Monday along with about one-third of the company's workers. Fewer people in the office means they will be able to keep their distance. And everyone must wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the virus.

Silverstein was pleased to return to work because, he said, teamwork brings "a joy, a fulfillment, such a sense of being able to function."

Some say the coronavirus makes office work more difficult or impossible, but Silverstein disagrees.

"I went through 9/11. I remember people telling me we were never going to be able to get people to come back to lower Manhattan," he said.

He added that he believed New York would come back "bigger and better than before."

But others are not so sure.

Alex Michaels may return to a retail job soon. He worries about coming in contact with the virus when working with the public.

Michaels, who is 30 years old, said he agrees returning to normal is important for the economy. But he worries there could be "a high price to pay."

Eve Gonzalez works in the food industry. The 27-year-old has not returned to work. She believes it is too soon to relax restrictions.

"I'm dying to go out, but people's health is more important," she said.

The new coronavirus is blamed for more than 22,000 deaths in New York City. Officials there say between 200 and 400 new infections are still reported every day.

A city opens up carefully

New Yorkers are now able to dine in outdoor eating areas. That is important for Melba Wilson. She has a restaurant in the Harlem neighborhood. She is also president of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, an industry group. She said, "We talk about being physically distant, which is important, but being socially active is important, as well."

Retailers like Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue also are reopening with virus-safety measures. For now, face products will not be offered for trial in stores. And clothing that has been tried on will be held for 24 hours before it is returned for possible sale. Face coverings are required.

Kathy Hilt is an area vice president for Macy's. She said the goal is to make people feel at ease and safe.

Many of the city's biggest corporations are still operating remotely. Only about five percent of Citi's 13,300 bank employees in New York City are expected to come back to their offices on July 1, the Associated Press reports.

For many employees, work-from-home agreements remain in place. Companies are expected to carefully move forward with a return to work.

However, the city estimates that 150,000 to 300,000 people will have returned to their workplace on Monday.

William Rogers works in retail, like many others returning to their jobs this week. The 29-year-old said the last three months have not been easy.

"A lot of us have gotten time to reflect on our own lives," Rogers said. "That's one blessing."

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

纽约第二阶段复工正式启动

这将是纽约人三个月来第一次能够外出就餐，但是只能在户外的餐桌上进餐。

纽约市周一进入了重新开放的四个计划阶段中的第二阶段。纽约市市长比尔·德布拉西奥表示，从经济重要性角度来说，这是最重大的一步。

此外，纽约人将能够逛商店。他们还可以剪发，孩子们可以去游乐场。人们也可能开始复工。

89岁的拉里·希尔弗斯坦非常高兴。

这位世贸中心的开发商领导着希尔弗斯坦地产公司。他周一跟该公司约1/3的员工一起复工。办公室人员减少意味着他们将能够保持距离。而且每个人都必须戴上口罩以防止病毒传播。

希尔弗斯坦很高兴复工，因为他说，团队工作带来“乐趣和满足感，这是一种身体健康的感觉。”

有人表示，新冠病毒使办公室工作变得更加困难或是不可能完成，但是希尔弗斯坦不同意。

他说：“我经历了911。我记得有人告诉我，我们永远无法再让人们重新回到曼哈顿的下城。”

他还说，他相信纽约复工之后会比以前更加强大和美好。

但是别的人不太认可。

亚历克斯·迈克尔斯可能很快会回到零售岗位。他担心为公众服务时可能会接触到这种病毒。

30岁的迈克尔斯表示，他认同恢复正常对经济来说至关重要。但是他担心可能会“付出惨重代价。”

伊芙·冈萨雷斯在食品商业工作。这位27岁的年轻人尚未复工。她认为现在放松限制尚为时过早。

她说：“我很想出门，但是人们的健康更重要。”

新冠病毒在纽约市造成了超过2.2万人死亡。当地官员表示，每天仍报告200到400例新增感染。

城市谨慎开放

纽约人现在可以在室外用餐。这对梅尔巴·威尔逊来说很重要。她在哈莱姆区开了一家餐馆。她还是纽约市酒店联盟这家行业组织的总裁。她说：“我们说的是保持距离，这一点很重要，但是社交活动也很重要。”

梅西百货和萨克斯第五大道等零售商也正通过病毒安全措施重新开放。目前，面部产品不提供店内试用。经过试穿的服装将会保留24小时，然后再重新拿出来售卖。人们需要戴口罩。

凯西·希特是梅西百货的区域副总裁。她说，目标是让人们感觉放松和安全。

该市很多大公司仍在远程运营。据美联社报道，预计花旗银行在纽约市的13300名雇员中，只有大约5%将于7月1日回到办公室。

对于许多员工而言，居家工作协议仍然有效。各公司希望谨慎推动复工。

然而，预计该市周一会有15到30万人复工。

威廉·罗杰斯从事零售业，他跟很多人一样本周重返了工作岗位。29岁的罗杰斯表示，过去的三个月并不轻松。

罗杰斯表示：“我们很多人都有时间反思我们自己的生活。这是好事。”

小马里奥·里特为您播报。