Mayor Bill de Blasio breaks social distancing to snap selfies with revelers celebrating Joe Biden's victory as thousands gathered across New York to dance and embrace in the streets
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio broke social distancing protocol to pose for photos with revellers in the Big Apple Saturday as thousands took to the streets to celebrate Joe Biden's election victory.
The staunch Trump critic was pictured huddling in close with a number of New Yorkers to snap selfies near Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan yesterday.
While de Blasio did wear a mask, he didn't appear to abide by social distancing guidelines and was seen in at least two images with his arms around supporters and large crowds gathered behind him.
The images were shared to Twitter by the NYC Mayor's Office's official page, which included a quote from de Blasio congratulating Biden on his election win.
'Congratulations, President-elect @JoeBiden and Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris! New York City stands ready to work with you to heal our country and set us on a better path.'
The staunch Trump critic was pictured huddling in close with a number of New Yorkers to snap selfies in Manhattan yesterday
The images were shared to Twitter by the NYC Mayor's Office's official page, which included a quote from de Blasio congratulating Biden on his election win.
Once the US epicenter of the coronavirus, de Blasio has long insisted of the importance of social distancing to stem the spread of COVID-19 in New York.
Earlier in the pandemic, the Democrat introduced what was later dubbed a 'snitch hotline', encouraging residents to contact authorities if they saw anyone breaching social distancing protocol or the city's lockdown orders. Violators were issued fines of $500.
However, the response didn't quite go to plan as aggrieved members of the public vehemently criticized the 'tyrannical overreach' the hotline posed and within hours it was flooded messages of contempt for de Blasio instead.
He also announced in April that the NYPD was breaking up the funeral of a prominent Brooklyn Rabbi that saw hundreds of mourners gather on the streets.
'Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,' he tweeted at the time. 'When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed.'
However fears of coronavirus, a deadly disease that has killed more than 24,000 in the city and infected over 275,000 others, appeared to be a distant memory in NYC yesterday as swaths of people gathered, danced and embraced in the streets.
De Blasio was also seen posing with a young boy who was dressed up as a Firefighter
Once the US epicenter of the coronavirus, de Blasio (shown with his wife, Chirlane McCray) has long insisted of the importance of social distancing to stem the spread of COVID-19 in New York
Fears of coronavirus, a deadly disease that has killed more than 24,000 in the city and infected over 275,000 others, appeared to be a distant memory in NYC yesterday
Thousands of New Yorkers gathered in Times Square all day and into the evening
Cheers of celebration, clapping and the blaring of car horns filled the air seconds after Biden's victory was called just after 11:30am.
By the afternoon, thousands had gathered at the likes of Times Square and Washington Square Park where they marched, toasted one another in celebration, played music and broke into dance.
In several crowds, including one gathered near Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park, champagne bottles were popped to commemorate the highly-anticipated election result. Filmmaker Spike Lee was pictured among the Fort Greene crowd, surprising fans and popping a bottle of bubbly himself.
Crowds also gave cheers to US Postal Service workers across the city, with numerous instances reported of crowds erupting into applause each time a USPS vehicle drove by as thanks for their efforts in delivering mail-in ballots throughout the election process.
Similar fervent celebrations took place in numerous cities across the nation, including Washington DC, to Atlanta, to Philadelphia and LA.
While de Blasio appeared to indulge in the jubilation in New York, several other big-city mayors reminded residents of the risks of coronavirus, after the country recorded 126,742 new cases Saturday - the highest single-day tally yet.
Atlanta’s Keisha Lance Bottoms, Portland’s Ted Wheeler and Los Angeles’ Eric Garcetti on Twitter all urged residents to put their masks on and practice other health precautions in crowds.
Demonstrators march through the streets after former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was announced as the winner over Pres. Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States
By the afternoon, thousands had gathered at the likes of Times Square and Washington Square Park where they marched, toasted one another in celebration, played music and broke into dance
New Yorkers celebrate as President-elect Joe Biden is declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election at Washington Square Park
Cheers of celebration, clapping and car horns filled the air seconds after Biden's victory was called just after 11:30am
The office of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan also issued a similar public reminder in a statement congratulating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, while condemning Trump.
Durkan took aim at the president for holding indoor campaign events amid the pandemic.
A spokesperson told Fox the mayor 'understands Seattleites’ joy at the end of a presidential administration that has pedaled fear, conspiracies, and has caused the death of over 230,000 Americans...'
'Seattle has a comparatively low level of cases compared to other major cities because of our compliance with basic public health recommendations. In fact, public officials have confirmed that protests over the summer did not lead to increases in COVID-19 cases because of Seattle’s compliance with public health recommendations.'
Coronavirus appears to be on the rise across the country as the winter flu season approaches.
The US beat its own record of new daily cases for four days straight Saturday, topping 100,000 a day since Wednesday.
Officials are also reporting sharp increases in hospitalizions and daily deaths counts. The US reported more than 1,013 coronavirus deaths Saturday, the fifth straight day that count has surpassed 1,000.
Since the pandemic began in March, more than 9.96 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 and over 238,000 have died.