Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on MSNBC Thursday that New York City plans to "fully reopen" on July 1, with no restrictions on restaurants, retail, or any other business.

Why it matters: It will be a major milestone for America's most populous city, which was once the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

What they're saying: While cautioning that he wants people to remain "smart" about public health, De Blasio said that that "we now have the confidence that we can pull all of these pieces together and get life back, really, in many ways, to where it was."

• "We said a month or so ago, it was the variants versus the vaccination, what was going to win, which one was going to win the race. Vaccination is winning this race ... 6.3 million vaccinations, COVID is plummeting," he continued.
• "This is going to be the summer of New York City. You're going to see amazing activities, cultural activities coming back. I think people are going to flock to New York City, because they want to live again."