Governor and mayor talk reopening as new coronavirus cases and deaths drop
New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio both talked plans for reopening during their daily COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, press briefings as virus-related deaths dropped to 367 — the lowest the state has seen since it’s peak at 799 in a single day.
As the numbers in the city and state are showing improvement, people have become antsier to get businesses and schools reopened so the economy can begin being rebuilt.
“There is no doubt that, at this point, we’ve gone through the worst,” the governor told reporters. “And as long as we act prudently going forward, the worst should be over.”
At yesterday’s press conference, Cuomo announced a phase-in plan for reopening the state, with New York City beginning to open after upstate does.
He explained that this would begin with construction and manufacturing. These jobs would resume first, followed by businesses in order of essentialness.
Each wave of openings would have a two-week period in between them during which the state would reassess based on numbers of new confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
If things worsen after one phase of reopening, the state will have to decide if it wants to continue forward with the process or not.
De Blasio also discussed reopening during his press briefing yesterday, saying that he’s putting together a task force to work on the process of reopening New York city specifically. Members of the force hail from the city’s cultural, nonprofit, labor and financial sectors.
Before the city could reopen, though, de Blasio said that number will have to continue to fall for at least two more weeks.
Either way, Cuomo extended the stay at home orders until May 15, so until then New Yorkers will have to hope that the stats keep improving.
Read more about this in this article: Bloomberg
Queens volunteer ambulance corps is looking for more volunteers
A Queens volunteer ambulance corps is looking for volunteers to help them as their calls increase during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps is accepting volunteers to be EMTs, ambulance attendants and youth volunteers.
No experience is needed, just interest in the medical field and helping others, according to the group, and free training is provided for all volunteers. People must be at least 15 years old to volunteer.
The corps has one crew to help the New York Fire Department with 911 emergency calls and another crew to respond to calls throughout the community.
“I think it’s a great thing to volunteer out of my own time,” Paul Mai, a supervisor for the group, said. “Even though, aside from full-time work, going back with family, just coming out here to volunteer really sets a deeper compassion for me.”
Read more about this in this article: New York 1
Flushing martial arts center offering free online Taekwondo classes for kids
A Queens Taekwondo center is offering free martial arts classes for children ages three through 12 via Zoom classes during the coronavirus pandemic.
Champion Martial Arts Taekwondo in Flushing closed its physical doors on March 14, but master and head instructor Michael Ro began holding his classes online starting March 16.
The classes are free for the students and are not limited to kids who were in his in-person classes. They are offered Monday through Saturday.
“It’s an amazing experience. The children are able to take 20 minutes out of their day to get their daily exercise, learn some fun martial arts, interact with other students and instructors, relieve some stress while practicing social distancing from the convenience of their homes,” Ro said. “Parents have been so happy with our program — they send us messages and emails thanking us for doing this for the community.”
Ro also double sanitized the facility — which is just one of 60 Champion Martial Arts locations — before he closed it down temporarily. He said that the kids also used hand sanitizer before and after starting classes in the weeks leading up to the pandemic’s explosion in early to mid-March.
“Staying active and healthy is very important during these times. I say ‘health is wealth,’ keeping them active and healthy will keep them mentally stable and strong,” Ro said. “The children need structure and need the sense of normality in their daily lives. I believe that if your mind is healthy, your body will be healthy as well.”
Parents interested can contact any Champions Martial Arts location to learn more about their free online classes or contact Ro directly by calling 1-718-886-5425 or sending an email to FlushingCTKD@gmail.com.
Read more about this in this article: AM New York
Brooklyn Borough President calls for free MTA fares for essential workers
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill) held a press conference this morning to call for free MTA service for essential workers.
Adams and Rodriguez, who is the chair of the council’s Committee on Transportation, stood outside of the Jay Street-MetroTech subway station in Downtown Brooklyn to discuss their idea to give all essential workers the ability to take public buses and trains for free.
This should last the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the pair.
“We clap for them at night at seven o’clock,” Adams said at the press briefing. “We tell them how much we appreciate them. We honor them with commercials. We tell them we fight for them. We talk about, ‘They should get a bonus from the federal government.’ Today, the chair of transportation and I are saying we cannot control what Washington D.C. does, but we can control what we do in New York City and in New York State.”
The duo — both persons of color themselves — also pointed out that around 70% of essential workers are people of color and many rely on public transportation to get to work and keep the city running.
Read more about this in this article: Eyewitness News
