Is NYC ready to move on from COVID? Depends on who you ask

From the frightening, grief-filled early days of the pandemic until perhaps even now, a return to normalcy seemed so out of reach in New York City, where people kept breathing through masks and avoiding indoor gatherings even as other places abandoned COVID-19 safety protocols.

But with the city preparing to lift more mask and vaccination mandates, the question is: Are New Yorkers mentally prepared to turn the page on the virus and give up precautions that got the city through its darkest days?

Mayor Eric Adams has said he plans to lift mask requirements in schools and vaccination mandates in restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and other cultural and entertainment venues as soon as Monday, with a decision likely to come before the weekend on the timing of the rollback.