New York City Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, his 100th day in office, according to a spokesperson.
The first-term Democrat woke up with a raspy voice Sunday and took a PCR test that came back positive, spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a statement. Earlier Sunday, Levy had tweeted that Adams had taken a rapid test that came back negative but took the additional test out of an abundance of caution.
Adams has no other symptoms but has canceled all public events for the week and will be taking antiviral medications and working remotely, Levy said.
.@NYCMayor is in good spirits and has been working remotely from Gracie Mansion since he began his isolation this afternoon.
He’ll continue to isolate this week and work virtually. https://t.co/UwRiOTbcDo
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 10, 2022
.@NYCMayor is also going to immediately begin taking the anti-viral meds offered for free to NYC residents and encourages all New Yorkers eligible for these meds to take them as well.
While he is isolating, he will continue to serve New Yorkers by working remotely.
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 10, 2022
New York City has been experiencing a steady resurgence in virus cases over the past month. It’s now averaging around 1,800 new cases per day — not counting the many home tests that go unreported to health officials. That’s triple the number in early March, when the city began relaxing masking and vaccination rules.
The corona resurgence may damage Adams’ plans for the city. Previously, both Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul had achieved national attention for urging offices to reopen. After all, large numbers of white-collar professionals are still working remotely.
“New York City can’t run from home. We’re all connected,” Adams said at a press conference in February. “It’s time to get back to work.”
The Atlantic columnist Derek Thompson attributed Adams’ actions to his concern for downtown economies. “If office occupancy never recovers, downtown areas will experience an extended ice age. Emptier offices will mean fewer lunches at downtown restaurants, fewer happy hours, fewer window shoppers, fewer subway and bus trips, and less work for cleaning, security, and maintenance services. This means weaker downtown economies and less taxable income for cities,” Thompson wrote.
Adams has become a big name in the Democratic Party, although individual Democrats colleagues have expressed varied opinions on him. On ABC News earlier this year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Adams, a former police officer, for embodying the party’s platform on crime and policing. However, Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow New Yorker, has attacked Adams for appointing some controversial cronies to positions of executive power.
The mayor’s past week was busy. Last Saturday, the mayor was hobnobbing at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, D.C., and dozens of the elite attendees tested positive later.
The mayor also delivered remarks at the National Action Network convention on Wednesday and attended that night’s gala, appeared in-studio on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday before joining Robert De Niro at the ReelAbilities Film Festival, went to the New York Yankees’ opening day Friday and was in Albany on Saturday.
She’s got hardest job in television – making me look good! Tune in to @FaceTheNation this morning! #GSD pic.twitter.com/E46cP720tT
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 3, 2022
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.