New York, NY – City Council Speaker Corey Johnson issued the following statement regarding his State of the City speech scheduled for March, 12 2020 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are postponing my State of the City speech. We felt this was the right decision to ensure that Council employees and the hundreds of guests we invited remain safe and healthy.

To be clear, the city’s Health Department is not calling for a prohibition on public events for all New Yorkers at this time. At the moment, officials are urging the elderly, those who are sick and those with chronic lung disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or a weakened immune system to avoid unnecessary events and gatherings. The NYC Health Department is monitoring the situation, and will adjust as needed.

I was looking forward to the speech, but at a time when we are urging New Yorkers to consider measures like telecommuting and staggered work hours, it seemed an unnecessary risk. The good news is we will still announce the policies and proposals we had planned for State of the City on Thursday, and are looking forward to getting feedback from New Yorkers on those plans.

I want to thank the Borough of Manhattan Community College and the Council staff who worked hard on this event to the very end.”

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