Gov. Andrew Cuomo began the day announcing the state will mandate that 75% of the non-essential workforce must work from home.
New York State tested approximately 7,500 people on March 18, and 1,769 of those tests came back positive. Now the coronavirus cases state-wide are up to 4,152 with 3,615 cases in New York City. Brooklyn has the highest number of patients with 1,030 followed by 980 in Queens, 976 in Manhattan, 436 in the Bronx and 165 in Staten Island.
Mayor de Blasio and NYC Health + Hospitals today announced expanded, appointment-only COVID-19 testing capacity across 10 acute-care hospitals, seven community-based health centers and four drive-thru test sites.
The state also announced it is waiving mortgage payments for 90 days based on financial hardship with no late fees and negative impact on credit to assist New Yorkers in the midst of crisis.
Nonprofits like the Met Council on Housing are advocating for New York State to cancel rent during the time of crisis and provide immediate housing to the people who are homeless.
As a part of a De Blasio initiative, businesses with fewer than 100 employees who have seen sales decreases of 25% or more due to coronavirus will be eligible for zero-interest loans of up to $75,000 to help mitigate losses in profit. Small businesses with fewer than 5 employees may qualify for a grant to cover 40% of payroll costs for two months to help retain employees, according to NYC Small Business Services.
During this time, businesses and public spaces found different ways to cope during the time of social distancing.
Brooklyn Public Library launched a virtual library, including e-books, stories for children, academic resources and cultural activities. Some of the links are:
Read stories and sing songs with the Library’s Virtual Story Times, the Business and Career Center, learn Spanish, French, Russian or any one of 72 languages when you check out language lessons on Mango or visit CultureGrams, the virtual newsstand explores Brooklyn’s past with over two million digitized pages from local Brooklyn newspapers from as far back as 1835, explore different careers with Career Cruising, practice for the SAT, AP, ACT, TASC (high school equivalency exam) or simply improve your reading or math skills when you visit the Learning Express Library.
Additionally, take a break from binge-watching, with an e-book, newspaper or popula
Kids, grades 6-12, can show off their talent by crafting an entry for the 2020 Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Contest. Submissions are due March 31 and are judged on style, voice and creativity. Poems and prose welcome. Not sure what to write? Get some early practice with Write Stuff Wednesdays where we will have some prompts for short—very short—stories on Instagram.
Get ahead with a self-paced high-quality online class in business, software, technology, and creative skills like video and audio editing with Lynda.com.
Hear a lecture, concert, author talk and more from our archives of cultural programs. For hands-on arts and science activities for kids, check out our librarian-led online videos. Ready to get started? You can get a library card here.
After Cuomo’s announcement to ban gatherings of more than 500 people on March 5, Brooklyn Museum closed, just like many other museums all around the city including the Met.
Until further notice. Bushwick’s popular nightspots House of Yes and Elsewhere canceled or postponed all shows. On March 16, the governor banned gatherings more than 50, and the federal government now discourages gatherings with more than 10 people.
Nowadays, a popular nightclub in Bushwick is Virtually Nowadays, which the owners describe as a way to stay connected when their doors are closed. Through Virtually Nowadays, they stream their music online, trying to keep the business alive with Venmo tips and campaigns.
“We’ve received a good amount of support thus far, but because of the major expenses of rent, insurance and such, we’re a long way off from being sustainable,” stated the email that Nowadays sent out to its regulars.
Similarly, Modo Yoga which has studios in West Village and Williamsburg started scheduling yoga lessons via Instagram. The instructors accept donations and tips from the viewers by PayPal and Venmo.
Small businesses affected by COVID-19 can visit nyc.gov/covid19biz or call 311 for information on grants and updates.
