De Blasio Caves, Will Open Parks and Bring in Phase 2 on Monday

New York - Frustrated citizens have already snipped the chains of a half dozen playgrounds and Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to delay entering the next phase of reopening was undercut by the governor.

The mayor, bereft of allies, caved on Thursday and announced that parks and playgrounds would open on Monday and New York City will enter Phase 2 on that day.

It comes days after Heshy Tischler, a community fixture, went around cutting chains that locked parks around Brooklyn. Surrounded by dozens of cheering children, he cut through the 18th Avenue Park on Tuesday, then did the same at Lynch Park in Williamsburg and another in Crown Heights.

De Blasio has openly feuded with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on when the city may enter the next phase. De Blasio did earlier this week that the scheduled date of next Monday will be delayed by "at least" a week. The next day he was undercut by Cuomo, who said the Big Apple was ready for the next bite on time. The two have been fighting for years on issues big and small.

Phase 2 allows the opening of offices, in-store retail; outdoor dining, barbershops; real estate, vehicle sales leases and rentals, commercial building management, and retail rental, repair and cleaning

Photo by: Benjamin Kanter