WATCH: Bill de Blasio Dances in Times Square While Keeping New Yorkers Out

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio danced with his wife in Times Square before midnight on New Year’s Eve while keeping the rest of New York out of the famed plaza for the first time history as he enforced coronavirus restrictions.

De Blasio had closed off Times Square to the hundreds of thousands who typically gather in Times Square, Reuters reported:

Mayor Bill de Blasio and police officials have told New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike to stay away and watch pared-down festivities on television. A large contingent of police officers will barricade the area to prevent unauthorized people from gathering, aiming to prevent an event that could accelerate the spread of the virus in a city already struggling to contain it.

…

“It’s going to be actually, arguably, the most special, the most poignant, the most moving New Year’s Eve,” de Blasio, who will push the button to start the crystal’s ball descent, told reporters. “In 2021, we’re going to show people what it looks like to recover, to come back.”

So the sight of the mayor and his wife, Chirlane McCray, dancing to celebrate the New Year while barring others from the Square enraged viewers — particularly after the mayor’s office added insult to injury by tweeting a video of the event.

Happy #NewYear from the greatest city in the world. pic.twitter.com/47CmOAanxD

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 1, 2021

Ladies and gentlemen: Everybody should stay home this year. You cannot come to Times Square.

Also, Ladies and gentlemen: Bill de Blasio will be dancing in Times Square.

If you don't see communism in New York City, You should reevaluate yourself immediately. https://t.co/CHP3fbGCRO

— Joel Fischer (@JFNYC1) January 1, 2021

I’m glad I took my kids to see New York before it was destroyed by Cuomo and de Blasio. https://t.co/ooHYcuiPCw

— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) January 1, 2021

"Stay at home, save lives" oh and you're not allowed to go to church. Unless you're De Blasio, then you can do anything you want. pic.twitter.com/6UDXSAxEqW

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 1, 2021

At one point during CNN’s broadcast of the event, guest host Andy Cohen joined in the general condemnation of De Blasio:

LOL Andy Cohen was channeling the frustrations of every single New Yorker this year. GET IT TOGETHER MAYOR DEBLASIO! pic.twitter.com/g3ZUjW4MJo

— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) January 1, 2021

De Blasio retweeted the video of himself dancing in an empty Times Square, apparently oblivious to the mounting criticism.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.