De Blasio: Not A 'Great Idea' To Bring Young Kids To Times Square NYE Given Extreme Cold
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that while people of all ages will be permitted to come to the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, he would urge people not to bring their young children given the extreme cold.
Responding to a caller on the "Ask the Mayor" segment on WNYC's "Brian Lehrer Show" Friday, de Blasio also urged everyone to plan ahead.
"If I'm a parent, particularly of younger kids, I would urge people not to bring young kids out into those conditions. Now, it's a free country. People make their own choices," de Blasio said. "If anyone's going out there – young or old – dress up with everything you've got. It's going to be incredibly cold on New Year's Eve. Wear every conceivable layer you've got."
De Blasio continued: "I don't think it's a great idea to bring kids out there. But again, it's a free society. We're not going to ban it. But I am going to remind people – if you get into those pens, you have to stay there for a substantial amount of time, or else you're lose your place. So only go there if you mean to stay there for a long period of time and if you're dressed to handle the weather conditions."
It's expected to be in the teens when the ball drops at midnight.
The city says it will have emergency personnel on hand.
"As the ball drops, it's going to be somewhere in the vicinity of 12 and 15 degrees. That's something people will have to prepare for, especially if they're going to be standing out there for 12 to 16 hours," said Police Commissioner James O'Neill.
The city doesn't believe the cold weather will deter crowds. Security is also expected to be tight for the big event.
