New York City will host a ticker parade through Lower Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes on July 7 to honor the heroes who have provided care and comfort throughout the pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

“We promised the heroes who led the fight against # COVID19 a celebration like our city has never seen before,” de Blasio tweeted as he unveiled the plan for a “Hometown Heroes Parade” at a press conference at the town hall.

De Blasio cited indicators such as the city’s coronavirus positivity rate which has fallen to 0.59%, a sign the city is on the verge of a rapid comeback. “This is what we expected,” he said.

He alluded to a promise he made in April 2020, as the city was in its darkest days with the deadly disease, to honor responders with a parade of “when the time is right” tickers. That time is near, he said.

“The first real big parade in New York will be the one to celebrate the heroes of the fight against COVID – our healthcare heroes, who were extraordinary and to be remembered for ages, our first responders, our essential workers – the the people who kept us alive, the people who kept the city alive no matter what, ”said de Blasio.

The parade will feature floats to greet “healthcare workers, first responders, educators, municipal workers, transport workers, grocery and bodega workers, delivery men, you name it – all. essential workers who made this possible, everyone who kept it together in New York for all of us and brought us back, ”he said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.