News is happening so fast these days, as we are trying to manage the spread of COVID-19 in America’s most populated city.
Here is what is happening, in brief, as of Tuesday morning:
On Schools
“Grab-and-go breakfast and lunch is now available at the entrance of every building from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM. ANY student can pick up breakfast and lunch at ANY school building.”
Visit http://schools.nyc.gov for more.
Teachers are expected to show up from Tuesday, March 17th to Thursday March 19th.
The Mayor and School Chancellor Richard A. Carranza answered several questions around why they would have teachers appear, in person, for training in remote learning.
Their reasoning is that many teachers are unfamiliar with the new technology and in order to expedite the process of getting them all up to speed within the week, they need in-person training.
The Chancellor assures us that the building has undergone a “deep cleaning,” over the weekend. The Mayor’s office announced that schools would close late Sunday night.
The city is working with Apple, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Spectrum to get 300,000 iPads into the hands of children who have limited to know access to technological hardware or internet access. The Chancellor said on Monday that homeless children were at the top of the list of children who will receive the iPads.
On Bars / & Restaurants
Andrew Cuomo is working in tandem with NJ Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont so that all the states in the region have the same game plan.
Casinos, gyms, bars, restaurants, clubs, and theaters are closed. However, take-out and delivery are still available, so some staff in many places will be kept to handle that side of things. Also, to-go cocktails are now an option. Read more on take-out liquor at Gothamist.
“The federal government actually needs to put money back in the hands of people,” The Mayor said this morning on CNN.
In order to support the restaurant industry utilizing any and all delivery methods, the Mayor has suspended all violations for e-bikes in the city, and told FAQ.NYC that information would be disseminated quickly through the NYPD.
Lockdown
On Monday, San Francisco ordered Shelter-in-Place. The Mayor told CNN this morning that “We’re absolutely considering that.” Read the NY Post on it here
On Evictions
Read “New York halts evictions indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic.”
On Prisons
Right now, jails and prisons in NY, and most national prisons, are suspending visitation opportunities for their inmates. Currently, inmates in New York City do not have access to video conferencing. They have one free phone call per week and two emails (which usually cost money) for free per week. They will also receive 5 postage stamps. The Legal Aid Society called to halt all NYPD arrests. Some lawmakers are calling for early release for non-violent offenders.
Senator Zellnor Myrie, in a statement, called for the Governor to
- Suspend detainment for all technical parole violations
- Release the elderly, sick, and those facing imminent release
- Suspend arrests for “low-level” offenses
- Suspend visitation but also all fees/limits for communication between the incarcerated and their loved ones
- Provide an abundance of soap and sanitizer to every correctional facility
In Ohio as well as Los Angeles, California, inmates are being released early.
Tuesday morning Eric Gonzalez Brooklyn DA put out a statement declaring that the office would “… immediately decline to prosecute low-level offenses that don’t jeopardize public safety.”
