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New Yorkers won’t be seeing much of Eric Adams this week.
Late Sunday night, City Hall announced that the mayor hasn’t been feeling well and he is now scheduled to have “a number of doctors’ appointments and undergo routine medical tests” over the next few days. “While Mayor Adams will continue to communicate constantly with staff and ensure city business continues undeterred, during this time, the mayor will have a limited public schedule,” Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy said in a statement issued just before 11 p.m.
The sudden announcement was light on details as to Adams’s specific health concerns and a timeline for when the mayor will return to a typical schedule. But Levy said residents can be sure that city business will continue as normal. “Like every other New Yorker, Mayor Adams has a right to privacy when it comes to personal matters, but we will continue to communicate in the unlikely event he is unable to fully discharge his duties on any particular day,” he said.
In recent days, Adams appeared to keep up his regular schedule. Last week, the mayor traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The following day, he held his weekly press conference at City Hall. Throughout the week, he conducted several interviews with local media and took part in an announcement about illegal weapons seizures with NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch. On Sunday, Adams was slated to give remarks at the opening of the Altneu Synagogue that evening, but his appearance was ultimately canceled in a later update. As of Monday morning, Adams only had one event listed on his schedule for the day: an 8 a.m. meeting with senior administration officials.
In the event of any temporary medical absence, First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer would likely briefly take the reins in Adams’s stead. Under the city charter, in the event that the mayor is unable to “discharge the powers and duties of the office of mayor,” the official line of succession proceeds to public advocate Jumaane Williams and then comptroller Brad Lander.
