‘We know we’re screwed when the Empire State gets mad’: New Yorkers are spooked by iconic building’s light display to honour emergency workers as it is a reminder of crisis the city is in
- The display on the skyscraper began at 9pm last night and will continue for crisis
- The lights have divided opinion, as many say it has made them feel more anxious
- New York saw 138 deaths from coronavirus on Monday and 4,319 new cases
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
New Yorkers have been left spooked by the Empire State Building’s new siren lights to honor emergency workers, as many say it looks like the city is panicking.
The display on the iconic skyscraper in Midtown began at 9pm last night and will continue on through the course of the ongoing pandemic.
The top of the building is now lit up in red, with a white light mimicking an emergency siren revolving from the mast.
New York City has been the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the US, with 138 deaths from the virus on Monday, an increase of 17% on Sunday. There were 4,319 new cases yesterday.
The display on the iconic skyscraper in Midtown began at 9pm last night and will continue on through the course of the ongoing pandemic
A tweet from the building’s official account read: ‘Starting tonight through the COVID-19 battle, our signature white lights will be replaced by the heartbeat of America with a white and red siren in the mast for heroic emergency workers on the front line of the fight.’
However the new display has divided opinion, with some saying it is a powerful show of solidarity, while others say it has left them feeling even more anxious than before.
One concerned twitter user said: ‘I mean, if the hospital in Central Park wasn’t stressing you out enough….the Empire State Building is now red like blood, you know.’
The top of the building is now lit up in red, with a white light mimicking an emergency siren revolving from the mast
Another New Yorker wrote: ‘Turning the Empire State Building into a massive flashing siren was either a stroke of artistic genius or a seriously intense way of panicking people.’
A different user suggested the building should maintain its signature white lights amid the crisis.
‘Just make it a normal Empire State Building. Nice, soothing white. A symbol of New York. Our buildings do not need to look like they are also panicking.’
Added another user: ‘We know we’ve really screwed things up when the empire state building gets mad.’
However the new display has divided opinion, with some saying it is a powerful show of solidarity, while others say it has left them feeling even more anxious than before
New York could reach its peak of new coronavirus cases within the next seven to 10 days, experts say, as the number of hospital ER visits starts to decrease and official data raises hopes that the city could soon start ‘turning the corner’.
New York City saw 138 deaths from the virus on Monday, an increase of 17% on Sunday but well down from Saturday’s spike of 222 deaths.
There were 4,319 new cases, which is again lower than Saturday’s 5,367 new cases.
However over the past three days the number of daily deaths has remained almost flat, with an increase of only six deaths per day from Saturday to Monday.
Experts say the figures offer a glimmer of hope that hardest-hit New York could soon be ‘turning the corner’ and headed towards a downward trajectory in terms of coronavirus cases.
The US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic climbed past 3,000 on Monday, making the outbreak more deadly than the September 11 terrorist attacks that killed 2,977, but the number of daily fatalities are expected to soar over the next two weeks.
Reported cases climbed to more than 163,000 on Monday as the number of new infections jumped at least 20,000 in one day.
The United States has the most confirmed cases in the world, a number that is likely to soar when tests for the virus become more widespread.
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