Many New Yorkers acted like Thursday was a normal late-spring day, but officials caution the smoke likely will return
NEW YORK -- If you stepped outside Thursday, you noticed a big difference from Wednesday.
You could actually see the George Washington Bridge and across the Hudson River.
But don't be fooled, officials say. Just because visibility is better, it doesn't mean the air quality is.
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An Air Quality Alert remains in place due to the smoke from the raging wildfires in Canada, but in Times Square you wouldn't have known it.
According to the Times Square Alliance, foot traffic Thursday was at typical levels, few wore masks, and all the usual characters were in place.
"It was too much, all that smoke, so we went back to the hotel," said Manny Cordova, who was visiting from Puerto Rico.
He described Wednesday's failed trip to try and snap a photo of the Statue of Liberty.
"We took the Staten Island Ferry back and forth to try and get a nice picture. It couldn't be possible," Cordova said.
On Thursday, though, he said he felt more comfortable being outside.
Near Columbus Circle, more people were masked up ... until they weren't.
"I don't bloody need this anymore. It's a clear day, OK?" said Larry Gould of Manhattan.
Watch Alice Gainer's report
But officials say keep the mask on because we're not done with the smoke.
"There still remains poor air quality across the state of New York," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
East Elmhurst resident Shirley Watkins said even with a mask, she's been feeling the effects of the smoky air.
"Headache, and I had, like, the real sinus issues," she said.
She lives just a stone's throw from LaGuardia Airport and worries pollution from the airport now compounded by the smoke from Canada is impacting her health.
"We are kinda in that little hub right in the middle there, and I think we're surrounded by so many other factors," she said.
"Black and Brown communities across Queens are the ones who really do bear the impact of climate change more than others," Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said.
He applauds the city and state for distributing masks throughout the five boroughs Thursday but feels communication was rocky at the start.
"The response certainly felt flat-footed on all levels. I don't think residents knew exactly what was coming, and I think a lot of information was disseminated much later than I would've wanted to see it happen," Richards said.
City Hall says its agencies began coordinating on Tuesday.
"We immediately kicked in gear with the plan," Mayor Eric Adams said.
The city's guidance has not changed since Wednesday; all outdoor city-sponsored events were canceled Thursday, along with alternate side parking, as both the city and state distributed masks throughout the five boroughs.
With two big events coming up this weekend, the Puerto Rican Day Parade and the Governor's Ball music festival, Adams says it's too soon to say if they will still go on.
"We don't know what's going to happen over the weekend. I'm looking forward, if the weather permits, to marching to the parade. But this stuff is a game time decision based on what both the doctor and the commissioner is going to continue to advise people on," Adams said.
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CBS2 noticed some eating outdoors Thursday, like one family from Sacramento, California, who spent Wednesday indoors.
"We modified our plans, so we went over to the museum so we could stay inside for the most part," George Harman said.
But other restaurants reported no outdoor diners.
Matt Supedan is the manager of Jin Ramen on the Upper West Side. He said they did a lot of deliveries on Wednesday, but ultimately lost revenue.
"Even though delivery is a lot, it doesn't cover the dine-in part. So, pretty bad for the restaurant. Fingers crossed," he said, referring to Thursday's business.
New York City Hospitality Alliance Executive Director Andrew Rigie said, "Restaurants are still recovering from the pandemic. It's a small-profit-margin business, so any loss of revenue is a hit. Hopefully, this is not going to be more than another day or two."
Public school students are shifting to remote learning Friday. The decision mainly applies to high school students; elementary and middle school students were already scheduled to be off Friday for a clerical work day.
