Dispatches from City Hall, NYC: Thursday, March 19th Evening

Today was the first Mayoral press conference held entirely online since the start of the COVID-19 Crisis. The press conference was several hours late: it seemed as though the city’s reporters expected more of the same, as Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would give a conservative estimate of the start time each day, but could not start “until we [have] everything assembled and proper.” Reporters were told to “take it, or leave it.” 

COVID-19 Today: 

• The Mayor told reporters that New York City has enough medical supplies to last us two weeks, “maybe three”. He wants the federal government to send more supplies. 
• The Mayor sent a letter to Secretary Azar of Health and Human Services for a second time, asking for:
  • 3 million N95-rated masks. 
  • 50 million surgical masks. 
  • 15,000 ventilators 
  • 25 million surgical gowns, coveralls, and gloves. 
• Mayor de Blasio says that he must get these supplies by early April, ‘to ensure that our healthcare system, public and private, can bear the brunt of the coronavirus crisis, and serve our people.’
• The numbers of positive tests spiked today, as was to be expected, due to the large increase in number of tests processed per day.

COVID-19 Testing in NYC

• 10 new sites at hospitals, which will each have the ability to serve approximately 150 people per day. 
  • 8 sites that are open are Bellevue, Elmhurst, Harlem, Jacoby, Kings, Lincoln, Woodhall, and Queens hospitals. 
  • The 2 sites open next week are Coney Island and Jacoby. 
• 7 new sites at Gotham clinics which will all open this week can serve and test between 50 and 70 people per day. 
  • Belvis, Cumberland, East New York, Gouverneur, Morrisania, Sydenham, and Vanderbilt.  
• The Mayor was careful to point out that these are hospitals and clinics, NOT DRIVE THROUGH TESTING STATIONS.  
• The ONLY drive-through testing center is in Staten Island and run by NYS.
• ALL TESTING CENTERS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, prioritizing of the sickest and most vulnerable.
• The instructions for people who get sick are as followsStay at home and wait 3 or 4 days
• If your symptoms get worse call your doctor and have them advise 
• There is very little guidance for people who do not have a primary care physician beyond “Call 311.” 

Shelter-in-Place:

• California Governor Gavin Newsom just announced that “open ended,” Shelter-in-Place rules, similar to those in place in San Francisco, would extend to the entire state. 
• Mayor de Blasio clarified his statements from yesterday regarding a willingness to adopt a similar shelter-in-place policy in New York.
  • Only New York State can issue a city-wide quarantine.
    • (“Shelter in Place” is not the same as a ‘quarantine’.)
  • There is no ‘border closing’ being proposed at the moment. 

On Work & Financial Relief:

• New York State will direct mortgage payments be WAIVED for 90 days based on financial hardship (w/ no late fees & no negative impact on credit).
• Governor Andrew Cuomo is now saying that it is mandatory for 75% of employees to work from home. This mandate applies only to non-essential workers. 

On Criminal Justice: 

• The Mayor has identified 40 people for possible release from the NYC jail system. The Mayor has said he hopes they can start releasing these 40 people as early as today (Thursday) but needed to wait for approval of the state, “ in some cases,” and sign off from the relevant DA in each case. 
• The Mayor is continuing to review the cases of prisoners with the NYPD to see who can be released; however, advocates worry that it won’t move fast enough to save lives, now that there were two confirmed positive cases on Rikers Island –  1 Corrections officer, and one inmate who has been moved into “isolation.” 
• Read more on how the whole thing works from City & State

Religion

• The Brooklyn Diocese has officially cancelled public masses ahead of Holy Week. Get the details from The Queens Daily Eagle. 

Numbers as of Thursday, March 19th 10am EST:

• Confirmed Cases: 3,615
  •  Queens 980 
  • Manhattan 976 
  • Brooklyn 1,030 
  • the Bronx 463 cases
  • Staten Island 165 
• Deaths: 22 

Stay in-the-know with the flow of info 

• A highschooler in Washington State made a website which tracks the most important data points on the Virus’s spread. Data comes from the CDC, WHO, and BNO News  https://ncov2019.live/