File photo taken on Dec. 14, 2020 shows that the first COVID-19 vaccinations arrive in New York City, the United States. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Jan. 2, 2021 tweeted to promote 42 pictures posted by the Mayor's Office under the title of "2020-NYC The Year In Photos," at least 12 of which are about fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office/Handout via Xinhua)
NEW YORK, Jan. 2 -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Saturday tweeted to promote 42 pictures posted by the Mayor's Office under the title of "2020-NYC The Year In Photos," 12 of which are about fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In 2020, our city faced some of the hardest, darkest, and most challenging moments in our history. But we also saw incredible moments of bravery, compassion, and hope. These are the Photos of the Year," wrote the mayor.
The 12 photos about the pandemic fight include one in which reporters sat socially distanced as the mayor held a press conference on COVID-19 on March 17, one in which New Yorkers gathered outside Lenox Health Greenwich Village to thank healthcare workers on April 5, and another that showed the first COVID-19 vaccinations arrived in New York City on Dec. 14.
"In 2020, New York City faced some of the most difficult moments in our history. We lost our loved ones, our livelihoods, and our way of life. But during the darkest of times, we also saw tremendous bravery, incredible compassion, and hope. These are the photos of the year," the office said in the preface of the exhibition.
The other photos are about racial equality, charity, festive celebration, religious ceremony, nature conservation, public benefit and celebrities.
As an encouraging signal, the photo show starts with a picture of de Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray ringing in the New Year with a kiss in Times Square on Jan. 1, 2020.
As of Friday afternoon, coronavirus deaths added up to 25,186 and confirmed cases to 431,353 in NYC, according to The City, a project that tracks the spread of confirmed COVID-19 infections and fatalities in New York City, based on information provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the governor's office, The COVID Tracking Project and the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
