NYC is hoping to be back to normal in time for the summer.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest around the world in March 2020, New York City was one of the United States’ first major epicenters, with numerous business closures and hundreds of thousands of confirmed infections. Since March 2020, New York City has recorded 923,953 cases of COVID-19 and at least 32,461 deaths confirmed to be virus-related. However, the city is on the upturn as the vaccines continue their rollout, and things are starting to look bright enough that Mayor Bill de Blasio has decided to make a commitment toward reopening.

During an interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mayor de Blasio announced that the NYC city government will be shooting for a complete reopening of the city starting on July 1, 2021. “We are ready for stores to open, for businesses to open, offices, theaters, full strength,” de Blasio said.

de Blasio’s decision is bolstered by the city’s vaccination efforts, which have yielded some good results. So far, over 6 million doses of one of the COVID-19 vaccines have been safely administered in New York City, with over half of the city’s adult population having received at least one shot and around 36% having been fully vaccinated.

“What we’re seeing is that people have gotten vaccinated at extraordinary numbers,” de Blasio said. “This is going to be the summer of New York City. I think people are going to flock to New York City because they want to live again.”

This full reopening will follow the beginnings of state reopening mandates set by New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo announced on Wednesday that dining curfews and bar seating restrictions will all be lifted by the end of May. Once NYC fully reopens, restaurants, stores, offices, and more will be permitted to reopen fully. Some parts of the city, such as Broadway’s theaters, will require more time to reopen, and likely won’t return until around September.