Rose on Hospital Ship Arriving in NY- “Beautiful”
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (South Brooklyn, Staten Island) issued the following statement on the USNS Comfort arriving in New York Harbor today:
“It’s a beautiful sight for us all to see the USNS Comfort arriving in New York City today giving the clear message to all New Yorkers that reinforcements are arriving. I thank the President and Governor for hearing my call and parting the seas to get this ship, and its thousand beds, deployed up here ahead of schedule. We need all the help we can get,” said Rose
Earlier this month, Rose led a letter with fellow New York Congress Members in calling for President Trump to deploy a Naval hospital ship to New York City. Days later, it was announced that the USNS Comfort would be deployed to New York City.
Velázquez on Presumed Coronavirus Infection
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Dumbo, East New York, East Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Williamsburg, Queens, Lower Manhattan) released the following statement on her presumingly contracting the coronavirus:
“In the wee hours of Sunday morning, I began to feel under the weather. I developed the abrupt onset of muscle aches, fevers, nasal congestion and stomach upset. I noticed that I could no longer smell my perfume or taste my food. After speaking with The Attending Physician by phone, I was diagnosed with presumed coronavirus infection.
“My symptoms are mild at the present time and I am taking Tylenol for fever, and isolating myself at my home. At the advice of The Attending Physician, neither COVID 19 laboratory testing nor a doctor’s office visit was recommended. I am carefully monitoring my symptoms, working remotely and in constant contact with my staff. I’ll continue my work on behalf of New Yorkers as together we overcome this virus. In that regard, I encourage everyone to stay at home and continue practicing social distancing,” she said.
Stringer: Protect Existing Bail Reform Laws
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer published an op-ed on the need to protect existing bail reform laws and combat the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing the population in our jails.
“New Yorkers are facing the dual threat of unprecedented public health and economic crises. It will likely take us months to fully stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus and far longer to address the devastating economic fallout.
“With businesses across the city and state shuttered, hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of losing their livelihoods and will need help from the local, state and federal government to make ends meet. Yet with an incomplete response from Washington and a new massive budget gap in Albany, it’s unclear where the resources will come from to support all New Yorkers in need.
“We must look for savings everywhere we can. Fortunately, there is one source of budget relief staring us in the face: the bail reform law enacted last spring in Albany. A recent report from the Vera Institute of Justice shows that there are millions in savings to be had from reducing the population in our jails.
“That’s one of the many compelling reasons why it’s critical we resist any rollbacks to bail reform. Even before the added dangers of COVID-19, locking someone up simply because they were too poor to make bail was inequitable and inhumane. Now, putting more people in jail at a time when the communicable disease unit on Rikers Island is at capacity is dangerous — both to the health and safety of those in custody and the correction officers and Correctional Health Services staff still working in our City jails. And it is also a waste of resources when we are going to need to put every dollar toward helping New Yorkers survive what may be the worst economic downturn we have ever witnessed,” Stringer wrote.
To read the entire op-ed, click here.
Adams Launches Heat Cool Smart Brooklyn
Borough President Eric Adams’s Office in conjunction with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced yesterday the formal launch of Heat Cool Smart Brooklyn (HCSB), a clean heating and cooling community campaign (CHCC) serving Community Boards 2 and 6.
“At a time when climate change is intensifying, we need to empower communities to tackle a major source of carbon emissions: heating and cooling. The Clean Heating and Cooling Community campaigns give residents and businesses the tools to wean themselves off fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy, while training local residents for the jobs of the future. Our office is proud to be administering this campaign in Community Boards 2 and 6 in partnership with NYSERDA,” said Adams.
In September, Centsible House launched its CHC campaign in Community Boards 3 and 17, also funded under this grant from NYSERDA. “I urge all eligible owners to contact the HCSB at HeyBrooklyn.org to learn how you may benefit from this effort,” said Adams.
Rikers Island Cases Rise, Adams Calls for Testing Facility
Borough President Eric Adams will join New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA) President Elias Husamudeen in front of the entrance to Rikers Island to demand the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) take swift action to protect the health and safety of Correction officers, medical staff, civilians, and inmates.
In recent days, the number of confirmed cases among those on Rikers Island has risen dramatically, and several reports indicate that conditions throughout the facilities are leaving many more susceptible to the spread of the virus. Adams will amplify calls by COBA to create a testing site on the island and to create a task force to implement proper safety protocols, including social distancing, in the facilities.
The event is slated for 12 noon, today March 31, at the Intersection of Hazen Street and 19th Avenue in Queens.
Bichotte Updates on Coronavirus
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) released the following updates regarding the coronavirus.
The Federal Drug Administration has:
- Issued an emergency authorization to allow the use of anti-malaria drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, for coronavirus treatment. The FDA has already allowed New York state to administer the medication to “seriously ill patients.”
- The FDA authorized the use of a new test named the Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test. This test will allow individuals to receive COVID-19 results between 5 to 15 minutes. The test will be a “lab in a box and will be the size of a small kitchen appliance.” The test will begin production next week.
The numbers:
- NYS Confirmed: 66,497
- NYS deaths: 1,218
- NYC confirmed: 37,453
- Brooklyn confirmed: 10,171
Voting:
- The New York State Assembly and Senate passed E.854, adopting a special procedure during a state or national emergency to allow expedited voting and remote voting. This special remote voting is for legislators to ensure that members can safely and efficiently legislate in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
