THE "USA TODAYS" SUSAN PAGE,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON
THIS MORNING.
LETS GET NOW TO MAYOR BILL DE
BLASIO, WHO IS JOINING US NOW.
HE HAS A BILL ANNOUNCEMENT TO
MAKE EXCLUSIVELY WITH US ABOUT
NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU.
WHATS THE NEWS.
>> MIKA, ITS GOOD NEWS.
NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 1
MILLION KIDS WILL BE BACK IN
THEIR CLASSROOM IN SEPTEMBER,
ALL IN PERSON, NO REMOTE.
>> WOW.
>> THATS THE NEWS.
PARENTS, KIDS, EVERYONES BEEN
WAITING FOR TO KNOW, WERE GOING
TO BE BACK STRONG, READY, SAFE,
COVID IS PLUMMETING IN THIS
CITY.
IM HAPPY TO SAY.
WERE ALMOST TO 8 MILLION
VACCINATION DOSES SINCE DAY ONE
AND ITS JUST AMAZING TO SEE THE
FORWARD MOTION RIGHT NOW, THE
RORY
RECOVERY THATS HAPPENING IN NEW
YORK CITY, BUT YOU CAN HAVENT A
FULL RECOVERY WITHOUT
FULL-STRENGTH SCHOOLS, EVERYONE
BACK SITTING IN THOSE
CLASSROOMS, KIDS LEARNING AGAIN.
THATS WHAT WERE GOING TO HAVE
IN SEPTEMBER.
>> THATS GOING TO MAKE A BIG
DIFFERENCE FOR A LOT OF
STRUGGLING PARENTS, TOO.
WHATS THE MODEL FOR OTHER
CITIES TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
WHAT HAS IT TAKEN TO MAKE IT
POSSIBLE TO GET KIDS BACK IN THE
CLASSROOMS?
>> MIKA, WE SET A GOLD STANDARD,
REALLY, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
GETTING HEALTH AND SAFETY
MEASURES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
THAT WE SAW WORKED IN SCHOOLS.
KIDS HAD MASKS ON IN ALL OF OUR
SCHOOLS FOR THE WHOLE TIME.
LOTS OF CLEANING, LOTS OF
VENTILATION.
WE LAYERED ALL OF THESE
APPROACHES AND IT WORKED REALLY
POWERFULLY.
WEVE HAD MUCH, MUCH LOWER
LEVELS OF COVID IN OUR SCHOOLS
FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS.
MUCH SAFER THAN ANY OTHER PLACE
IN THE CITY.
AND THE CITY HAS BEEN GETTING
BETTER NOW FOR QUITE A WHILE.
WE HAVE HAD THE LOWEST COVID
POSITIVITY FOR SEVEN MONTHS NOW
IN NEW YORK CITY.
WELL BE DOING A VERSION OF
THAT, BUT WELL DO THAT AGAIN IN
SEPTEMBER AND LOOK, WE KNOW,
ESPECIALLY NOW, MORE AND MORE
KIDS AND STAFF WILL GET
VACCINATED.
WEVE MADE VACCINATION AVAILABLE
EVERYWHERE.
ITS TIME.
ITS REALLY TIME TO GO FULL
STRENGTH NOW.
>> SO THIS IS GREAT NEWS FOR SO
MANY NEW YORK CITY PARENTS.
NONE MORE THAN JONATHAN LEMIRE,
WHO CAN GO BACK TO WATCHING SOAP
OPERAS IN THE AFTERNOON AND
START HIS ONLINE BETTING HABITS.
>> ITS WHO HE IS.
ITS WHO HE IS.
HE NEEDS IT FOR HIS REPORTING.
ITS LIKE HIS HEMINGWAY MOMENT
IS THE SOAP OPRAH SNPERAOPERAS.
YOU GET TO WATCH YOUR STORIES
AGAIN.
>> "DAYS OF OUR LIVES "HAS BEEN
A STAPLE FOR ME FOR A LONG TIME
AND IM GLAD ILL BE ABLE TO
REENGAGE WITH THIS AFTER THIS
NEWS.
CURRENTLY, NOW IN SEPTEMBER,
THERE WILL BE NO REMOTE OPTION.
RIGHT NOW, FULLY 60% OF CITIES
STUDENTS ARE DOING IT REMOTE.
HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THE
HESITANCY OF THEIR PARENTS TO
CONVINCE THEM TO GO -- TO SEND
THEIR CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL?
AND HOW DO YOU PHYSICALLY DO IT
IF THERE ARE STILL SOCIAL
DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS THAT
COULD LEAD TO CROWDED
CLASSROOMS.
HESITANCY AND SOCIAL DISTANCING?
>> A LOT OF COMMUNICATION IS THE
ANSWER TO THE FIRST.
WELL WELCOME PARENTS TO COME
INTO SCHOOLS, STARTING IN JUNE,
SEE HOW MUCH HAS BEEN DONE TO
KEEP THEM SAFE.
GET REACCLIMATED.
WELL DO THAT THROUGHOUT THE
SUMMER, COMING INTO SEPTEMBER.
ANYONE WHO HAS A QUESTION OR
CONCERN, COME INTO YOUR CHILDS
SCHOOL.
SEE WHATS GOING ON AND GET THE
ANSWERS.
IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL
APPROACH, LOOK, WE HAVE PROVEN
THAT WE CAN BEAT BACK COVID ALL
OVER THIS COUNTRY.
AND SCHOOL OPPOSE FOUR MONTHS
FROM NOW.
SO I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE COVID
WILL CONTINUE TO GO DOWN,
VACCINATIONS WILL GO UP,
RECOVERY WILL BE STRONG.
I THINK THE CDC WILL BE CHANGING
THOSE RULES QUITE A BIT BETWEEN
NOW AND SEPTEMBER.
BUT RIGHT NOW, NEW YORK CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE COULD HAVE
EVERY CHILD 3 FEET APART, IF WE
HAVE TO.
BUT I FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE BY
AUGUST, THE CDC WILL RELAX THOSE
RULES FURTHER TO RECOGNIZE THE
PROGRESS WEVE MADE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
>> FANTASTIC.
TELL ME, MR. MAYOR, THERES A
RACE GOING ON MANY NEW YORK
CITY.
JUST CURIOUS WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS
ARE ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS.
IS THERE ANYBODY THAT YOU
SUPPORT OR ANYBODY WHO CONCERNS
YOU?
>> JOE, IM ONLY GOING TO SAY
THIS.
WE HAVE A RECOVERY GOING ON
RIGHT NOW IN NEW YORK CITY AND
IT HAS TO BE A RECOVERY FOR ALL
OF US.
IT REALLY HAS TO BE INCLUSIVE,
IT HAS TO BE A RECOVERY THAT
DOES NOT JUST REPLACE THE
PREVIOUS STATUS QUO BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC, BUT TAKES US SOMEWHERE
BETTER.
ON DECEMBER 31st, IM HANDING
THE BATON TO SOMEONE.
IM NOT GOING TO COMMENT YET ON
THIS RACE, BUT ILL SAY THIS
MUCH.
ITS VERY CLOSE.
VOTERS HAVE NOT YET PAID A LOT
OF ATTENTION.
I THINK YOULL SEE IN THE LAST
WEEK OR TWO BEFORE JUNE 22nd,
THEYLL FINALLY CONSOLIDATE.
WE ALSO HAVE RANK CHOICE VOTING
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEW YORK
CITY.
I THINK IT WILL BE A MUCH
TIGHTER ELECTION THAN MOST THAT
WERE USED TO.
>> ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE
CANDIDACY OF ANDREW YANG?
>> IM NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT
ANY INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATE.
I ONLY KNOW ANDREW YANG A LITTLE
BIT.
I FIND HIM A VERY LIKABLE
PERSON.
BUT HERES WHAT I WOULD SAY
ABOUT ALL THE CANDIDATES.
THAT IS A REALLY TOUGH MOMENT.
NEW YORK CITY IS COMING OUT OF
ARGUABLY THE BIGGEST CRISIS IN
OUR HISTORY.
AND WEVE GOT A LOT OF THINGS
THAT WE HAVE TO GET RIGHT AT
THIS POINT.
SO THE NEXT MAYOR BETTER BE
READY TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.
I THINK THATS SOMETHING THE
VOTERS ARE GOING TO WEIGH
HEAVILY.
UNLIKE A NON-CRISIS ENVIRONMENT,
I THINK THIS TIME, VOTERS WILL
WEIGH EXPERIENCE, UNDERSTANDING
OF THE CITY, A SENSE OF HOW TO
ACTUALLY GET THINGS DONE AND I
THINK THAT WILL WEIGH HEAVILY IN
THEIR MINDS.
>> NEW YORK CITY MAYOR BILL DE
BLASIO.
BY THE WAY, "MORNING JOES" DR.
DAVE CAMPBELL ENJOYED SPENDING
TIME WITH YOU AND YOUR WIFE LAST
WEEK WHEN HE WAS UP INTERVIEWING
YOU.
>> WE LOVE DR. DAVE!
AND HE SAID JOE CAN HAVE AS MANY
HAMBURGERS IN THE MORNING AS HE