New York rebounding from COVID-19 slowly but surely

As New York City reopens for business, experts say its rebound will be a slow, but successful due to its deep foundation and arts.

This week marked a major milestone for New York City during its 14-month struggle with COVID-19. Subway service returned to 24 hours, capacity limits on indoor restaurants, workplaces and recreational spaces were lifted -- albeit with distancing requirements -- and the more than 3.2 million fully vaccinated residents were allowed to go maskless. While local leaders and businesses cheered the moves as a signal that the Big Apple will soon be back to its pre-pandemic heyday, urban planning experts tell ABC News there is still a long way to go. The pandemic forced the city's workforce to conduct all of their business from home instead of offices, leaving whole real estate spaces in the city's skyscrapers vacant, and a recent survey of employers found that a little more than half of their employees are expected to return.