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When the coronavirus first spread through the five boroughs in early March, many New Yorkers believed that practicing social distancing and keeping six feet from others would be enough to protect them when out of doors.
But in early April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local officials changed tack, recommending cloth coverings for the nose and mouth while reserving surgical and N95 masks for front-line workers.
Top fashion designers started selling patterned versions as people carefully folded bandanas and scarves into makeshift masks per DIY videos shared across the internet. Out in the field, photographer Stephen Yang witnessed the shift from infrequent to ubiquitous. “In late March, it was pretty hard to find people wearing masks,” he says. “Now, most everyone has a mask on. People wear gloves when they jog, and smell flowers wearing masks. It’s become normal.”
The types of masks donned are as different as the city’s communities themselves. “In the poorer neighborhoods, the masks were more offbeat, personalized but non-medical,” he adds. “In richer neighborhoods, I saw a lot of N95 masks, and a few people with stylish ones, like a guy on Park Avenue with a silk kerchief.”
Post photographer Stephen Yang observed New Yorkers living in lockdown for The Post’s photo special, “Apart, Together.”
A man donning a silk scarf as a mask on Park Avenue.Stephen Yang
A woman walks her dog near Union Square.Stephen Yang
A tire shop employee taking a break in Flushing, Queens.Stephen Yang
A woman in her mask buying flowers at the Union Square Greenmarket.Stephen Yang
A man in a mask enjoying the warm weather in Prospect Park.Stephen Yang
Two people with their dogs chatting while social distancing in Madison Square Park.Stephen Yang
An elderly couple sit in the sun.Stephen Yang
Amanda M. Rodriguez wears a protective mask in the Meatpacking DistrictStephen Yang
A woman sits with her dog on an empty Central Park West bench.Stephen Yang
Two people play chess in the Flatiron District.Stephen Yang
A woman wears a medical mask as she bikes alongside Riverside Park.Stephen Yang
Two pedestrians wearing masks in Central Park.Stephen Yang
A pedestrian in a medical mask in Midtown.Stephen Yang
A hospital staffer wearing protective clothing and a mask outside Wyckoff Medical Center in Bushwick.Stephen Yang
A man in a medical mask stops to smell the flowers in Madison Square Park.Stephen Yang