Corona Virus Hits New York City

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• As of Thursday, March 26th at 5:00 PM, there are 23,112 confirmed cases in New York City and 6,095 confirmed cases in Brooklyn. There have been 365 deaths citywide, 81 of them in Brooklyn. 20 percent of all cases citywide have ever been hospitalized.
• Mental health professionals have signed up to volunteer their services for a FREE hotline.  Call (844) 863-9314 for a free appointment.
• Worried about having to self-isolate in a dangerous home situation? Co-quarantined with an abuser? Please reach out and contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.  Call 1 (800) 799-7233,  TTY 1 (800) 787-3224, or chat online at thehotline.org
• Starting on Friday, March 27th through Monday, March 30th, four streets across New York City will be closed to vehicular traffic to promote social distancing and give people more space to walk. This includes Bushwick Avenue between Flushing and Johnson avenues.

• By Monday, March 30th, there will be 23 fewer Regional Enrichment Centers (REC) sites to maintain sufficient staff, supervision and attendance. If you are a New York City Department of Education staff member interested in volunteering at a REC site to care for the children of New York City’s first responders, health care workers, transit workers, and other key personnel, fill out the application here. Beginning Friday, March 27th, the Regional Enrichment Centers will include children of grocery, pharmacy workers, the Staten Island Ferry, NYC Water Ferry, water/sewer personnel, and other essential staff. To enroll a child in a REC site, fill out the application here.

• CUNY is enacting a Recalibration Period for Educational Equality, beginning Friday, March 27th to Wednesday, April 1st.  Distance learning will resume, Thursday, April 2nd.
• New York City needs your medical ventilators, old or new, not in use. Please let us know here.
• Produce or donate supplies to fight coronavirus. If you have face shields, gloves, gowns, anything that might help, go to nyc.gov.
• Citi Bike is offering a free 30-day membership to allow for a social distancing safe option to travel when necessary.
• There is an open call to Brooklyn businesses. We are partnering with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to get businesses the relief they deserve amid the pandemic. Join the Small Business Hotline via the Brooklyn App.

• In line with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommendations, NYC Health + Hospitals is no longer testing patients for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization. If you are sick with fever, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat, you must stay inside and isolate yourself from others. Isolate yourself for at least seven days from when your symptoms started. You must also be without fever during the last three days of your isolation. Please only go to the emergency room if you are severely ill.

• Governor Cuomo announced “Matilda’s Law” to protect New York’s most vulnerable populations, including individuals age 70 and older, those with compromised immune systems, and those with underlying illnesses through specified requirements: Stay home and limit home visitation to immediate family members or close friends in need of emergency assistance. If visitors are necessary, they should be prescreened for high temperatures and flu-like symptoms.

• Per Governor Cuomo, 100 percent of a non-exempt essential service business’s workforce should stay home. Guidelines on what essential services must still be in person can be found here.

• Banks will waive mortgage payments for 90 days and suspend foreclosures. Eligibility is based on financial hardship. Late payment fees and ATM overdraft fees are also suspended. All student loan interest has been suspended.

• The US Census Bureau has suspended all 2020 Census field operations until April 1st; please fill out the Census online and #MakeBrooklynCount.

• The Employee Retention Grant for small businesses with four or fewer employees is now available and includes space for you to add March’s revenue.  Information and eligibility can be found here. Visit the New York City Department of Small Business Services for additional information on relief available for businesses with fewer than 100 employees.

• New York City public schools are remote learning. The NYC Department of Education will provide computers and internet access to every student who needs it. Call (718) 935-5100 (press 5).

• School sites are open for grab-and-go meals this week, from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM, outside of main entrances of every school building. Go to schools.nyc.gov, or text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877 for lists of where meals are being served.

• Parents and guardians of students with disabilities should send any questions to specialeducation@schools.nyc.gov.

• For veterans and their families, the NYC Veterans Alliance has a list of resources on their website.

• NYC Parks has closed its recreation and nature centers to the public until further notice. Comfort stations in parks will remain open and regularly cleaned throughout New York City. Due to noncompliance, NYC Parks will be removing basketball hoops in 80 locations.

• MTA buses and subways remain open, and the NYC Ferry system and Staten Island Ferry will continue to operate. MTA buses is rear-door boarding-only, with exceptions for disabled riders. On local buses, that means no more fare collection. Regular fare policy remains in effect wherever on-board payment boxes or SBS off-board ticket machines continue to be accessible.

• Alternate Side Parking (ASP) is suspended through Tuesday, March 31st. Parking meters are still in effect.

• The New York City Department of Sanitation‘s trash collection continues as normal but all Special Waste Drop-Off sites are closed until further notice.

• Rideshares and carpools have been banned by executive order.  With the exception of families, there can only be one passenger per vehicle.

• Tax Day has been pushed back from April 15th to July 15th. This is an extension for federal tax returns; we have also called for an extension of state tax returns.

• A halt on all non-essential public gatherings is in effect.

• All Brooklyn Public Library branches are closed until Tuesday, March 31st, visit their website for virtual storytimes and cultural programming.

• All senior centers are closed except for grab-and-go meal pickup.

• A statewide eviction moratorium is currently in effect, including residential and commercial properties as well as foreclosures, according to the Office of Court Administration.

• All in-person visits to City jails have been suspended.

• Utilities have been ordered to not shut off service for gas, water, or electricity.

• If you see price gouging, report it to 1 (800) 697-1220, fill out the complaint form on the New York State Attorney General’s website, or email askeric@brooklynbp.nyc.gov.

• All Brooklyn community boards and police precincts have postponed/cancelled their meetings.

• If you are feeling sick, please wait three to four days before contacting a doctor. Use telemedicine services BEFORE going to the doctor’s office, urgent care, or the ER. Thanks to our advocacy and Governor Cuomo’s leadership, co-pays for telemedicine consultations have been eliminated due to COVID-19. Call (800) 633-4227 or your doctor for more information if you are on Medicaid.  Whether you utilize Medicaid, private insurance, or are a self-payer, options are offered across many specialty areas.  Urgent care telemedicine is available with New York-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, or NYU Langone. Mental health telemedicine is available with Columbia Doctors. Diabetes telemedicine help is available with NYC Health + Hospitals. If you know other services, email askeric@brooklynbp.nyc.gov.