NYC on the Road to Recovery, Finally
As restrictions start easing up, people in the tri-state area are beginning to get back into the normal groove. In New York, religious groups of up to 10 people are permitted as of today, and for memorial day, ceremonies are permitted with a small number of people.
New York City has met four of the seven metrics, not yet filling the hospital and ICU beds requirement and contact tracing requirement.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the city is on track to overcome its remaining roadblocks to reopening by early-to-mid June; Cuomo’s office agrees. Parts of the city are already starting to spring back to life, perhaps too quickly for some.
The seven regions have already begun the phases of reopening but one mishap in the 7 benchmarks can cause a setback, so Governor Cuomo urged those regions to proceed cautiously.
“Increased activity only leads to increased cases if precautions aren’t taken. Everyone has a role to play,” Cuomo said Thursday, as he noted new daily hospitalizations had hit a months-long low. “If people get arrogant and casual about this pandemic, you will see the infection rate go up.”
To read more, go to NBCNEWYORK.com
Memorial Day: Take your Kids and Go Outside
With Memorial Day just around the corner, beaches and parks are preparing for reopening, and some cities around the country are letting restaurants seat people outside
There seems to be a new consensus allowing activities to take place in the outdoors as long as it’s balanced with the guidelines provided by health professionals and the CDC- mainly social distancing.
“Based on the data that is emerging, the risk of transmission outside — especially while practicing social distancing — is almost negligible,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. “It seems to be a low-risk setting, but that doesn’t mean there is no risk.”
While Seattle officials closed 20 miles of street to give people more room to exercise, some cities are taking note and preparing for more people to spend time outside some New York City streets are being converted into bicycle and pedestrian roads to give people more space to remain physically distant.
The threat remains however, especially within enclosed spaces.
“In settings where people are clustered together in an enclosed space — that’s a really good setup for spreading this infection,” Bogoch said.
Experts generally agree that it’s safe to spend time outdoors, provided that people follow social distancing guidelines and practice good hygiene.There are ways people can keep themselves and their families safe while venturing outside, Bogoch said.
Chief among his guidelines is to always practice proper social distancing, which means staying at least 6 feet apart from others. Frequent hand-washing is also essential, he said. And he recommended wearing a mask or some other type of face-covering when social distancing is challenging or impossible.
But for most people walking around or running outdoors, there’s no need to be too anxious.
“If you’re on a jog in a park without too many other people around or if you’re walking down the street and can maintain some distance — even if someone just passes you on the street — the risk of getting something in that setting is very low,” Bogoch said.
Most scientists agree that the transmission of coronavirus resulted from close contact with infected people, particularly in enclosed spaces, such as restaurants or bars.
To read more go to NBCNEWS.com
New CDC Guidelines: Can’t Pass On Surfaces
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lowered its risk assessment for contracting the coronavirus, saying that the virus “does not spread easily” off surfaces as it was first believed.
“COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning about how it spreads,” the guidelines say. “It may be possible for COVID-19 to spread in other ways, but these are not thought to be the main ways the virus spreads.”
According to the CDC, the most likely way to catch the virus is by direct interference with someone who has COVID-19, either by being in their vicinity when they cough/sneeze/talk causing droplets to land in another person’s facial orifices.
The updated guidelines include a section on how “the virus does not spread easily in other ways.”
“COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning about how it spread,” the website noted.
“It may be possible for COVID-19 to spread in other ways,” the website reads, “but these are not thought to be the main ways the virus spreads.”
According to the CDC, this includes:
From touching surfaces or objects. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.
From animals to people. At this time, the risk of COVID-19 spreading from animals to people is considered to be low. Learn about COVID-19 and pets and other animals.
From people to animals. It appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to animals in some situations. The CDC is aware of a small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, reported being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19. Learn what you should do if you have pets.
According to Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer for the health care website WebMD, these new guidlines could help ease fears.
“Many people were concerned that by simply touching an object they may get coronavirus, and that’s simply not the case. Even when a virus may stay on a surface, it doesn’t mean that it’s actually infectious,” Whyte told Fox News.
In March, the CDC had warned that it “may be possible” to pass on the virus from one person to another through a contaminated surface.
To read more, go to KIRO7.com
NYC Man Tries to Scam Government $20 Million
According to prosecutors, a man named Muge Ma tried to scam $20 million from a federal relief program for small businesses, claiming he had hundreds of employees when he had none.
Muge Ma filed paperwork with the Small Business Administration stating he paid millions in salaries to employees of New York International Capital LLC and Hurley Human Resources. The websites of the shady companies feature confusing boasts of global reach.
“NYIC is a patriotic American Management Consulting firm headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Since NYIC is COMPLETELY OPERATING IN THE CLOUD, NYIC has the unique ability to deploy HUNDREDS of brilliant, hard-working & passionate young people of NYIC ALL dedicated to YOUR project connecting you with 10,000+ CHIEF EXECUTIVES of the world’s 10,000+ BLUE-CHIPs as your strategic partners in the speed of light,” the New York International Capital site reads.
“HURLEY HR is a global human resources consulting firm with its global headquarters in Manhattan, New York City,” the Hurley site reads. “Getting American White-Collar Workers CLOUD-BASED Jobs Domestic and Overseas.”
Using the name “Hummer Ma” in loan applications to the government, Ma also used the sixth floor of his condo building as his company’s address, according to prosecutors.
The case is the latest alleged example of fraud related to the $2 trillion CARES Act meant to mitigate the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 chaos has provided opportunities for grifters. Earlier this month the feds charged a Queens man claiming he was a White House official with running a scam involving stolen coronavirus test kits.
To read more, go to NYDailyNews.com
