New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani has banned most travel across the nation’s largest city from 9pm Sunday to noon Monday, an unusual move reflecting the challenges posed by the region’s historic snowstorm.
Mamdani City also canceled classes at public schools in the city on Monday and did not hold remote classes.
The incoming weather is Mamdani’s second major snowstorm since taking office as mayor on New Year’s Day. Once again, the 34-year-old former state lawmaker’s decision and how it affects 8.5 million New Yorkers will be closely watched by supporters and critics alike.
He raised some questions about conducting remote learning during a January snowstorm, given the challenges virtual classes pose for many families. Because of the storm, he posted a screen recording of a FaceTime call with Victoria, a student in New York City, announcing it was a snow day. In the video, he cheerfully greeted her with “Hello, Victoria” and shared the news.
“No online school, no distance learning, just a totally classic snow day,” he told her as she cheered. “All I ask of you is to stay safe and stay inside during the height of the storm. Once the storm is over, feel free to go outside and go sledding.”
Other non-essential city halls and services, including libraries, will also be closed.
Transportation will also be affected. Staten Island ferry service will be suspended starting at 5 p.m. Sunday and is expected to resume late Monday morning.
At least 18 people died in January’s snowstorm and subsequent cold snap.
“We are going to do everything in our power across city authorities to respond to the storm as quickly as possible,” Mamdani said at a news conference Sunday.
The city has declared a state of emergency and stepped up sanitary measures, with more than 2,000 snowplows hitting city streets as soon as two inches of snow fell and more than 2,600 sanitation workers working 12-hour shifts.
But Mamdani said the main focus of preparations includes strengthening the response to homeless New Yorkers, who accounted for many of the deaths in the last winter weather event. The city is stepping up its Code Blue operations, including increasing warming centers and opening overdose prevention centers at night.
About 84 people were moved to evacuation centers on Saturday. Additional calls made to the 311 hotline for vulnerable people outdoors will be forwarded to 911.
The administration announced earlier this week that it would resume cleaning homeless camps, but the mayor said at a press conference Saturday that no cleaning would occur during the winter weather. “So our focus over the course of this storm will not be on the physical infrastructure, but on people getting homeless New Yorkers indoors,” he added.
The mayor continues to have an active presence on television and social media to spread the word. On Sunday, Mamdani posted a video to X wearing a custom Carhartt jacket and participating in a salting operation for Department of Transportation workers in the Bronx, appearing on the Weather Channel.
