NYC lifts curfew one day ahead of schedule

Mayor of the New York City, Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday an early end to the metropolis’s 8 p.m. curfew after peaceful protests on Saturday.

“We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” the mayor wrote in his post on Twitter.

“Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other,” he added.

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New York’s first in decades citywide curfew had been scheduled to remain in effect through at least Sunday, with the city planning to lift it at the same time it enters the first phase of reopening after more than two months of lockdown due to COVID-19.

Groups of several hundred protesters proceeded to march in Manhattan and Brooklyn more than two hours after the curfew had passed Saturday night, while police monitored them but took a laidback approach.

In New York, local politicians and civil liberties advocates have called for an end to the 8 p.m. curfew, complaining that it roots needless friction when officers try to enforce it. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted that it will remain in place throughout the weekend.