March 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio demanded the federal government to step up its efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and send millions of medical supplies to New York City — the country’s hardest hit area — or lives will be unnecessarily lost. The number of COVID-19 cases drastically jumped to… Read more »
March 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will release 40 inmates on Rikers Island who are vulnerable of complications associated with the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. The individuals have been chosen based on specific health vulnerabilities and their low-risk status, as non-threatening and unlikely to reoffend. The NYPD and… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The city has opened coronavirus tent testing sites outside two hospitals in Queens – NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (better known as Elmhurst Hospital) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens (often called Queens General Hospital)- in response to a surge in people contracting the virus. Coronavirus cases in Queens have soared… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo has introduced a number of new measures to help New Yorkers struggling to pay their credit card bills and make mortgage payments — and has taken action to increase the state’s hospital capacity as the coronavirus takes hold. Cuomo is offering relief to New Yorkers facing… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A number of local leaders have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump and some media pundits–such as Tucker Carlson– for labeling the coronavirus the “China virus.” They argue that the use of the term is racist and inflaming discriminatory attacks against New York’s Asian population. Trump has repeatedly used the… Read more »
March 18, 2020, By Michel Dorgan Several local community groups are joining together to organize emergency food deliveries for homebound residents during the coronavirus pandemic. Volunteers from La Jornada, the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, Flushing Interfaith Council, and other community organizations are mobilizing volunteers to deliver food to the needy over the coming days… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray The Queens District Attorney’s office plans to facilitate the arraignment of defendants via video conferencing in an attempt to keep employees and alleged criminals safe from COVID-19. Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, announced yesterday that her office has taken a number of steps to protect defendants, victims, witnesses and… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Prompted by the number of coronavirus cases across New York state surpassing 2,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all businesses to keep half their workforce home or working remotely. The executive order — which goes into effect Friday — is meant to reduce density of people and reduce the spread… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray Forget about the inexpensive Uber ride-share option. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday that he has signed an executive order than bans shared rides in an effort to promote social distancing. “We want to protect drivers and we want to protect riders alike,” the Mayor said during a press… Read more »
March 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin The mayor announced this afternoon that he is suspending alternate side parking and street cleaning for one week–after facing heavy criticism for not doing so earlier. Alternate side parking will be suspended across the five boroughs starting tomorrow, March 18 through Tuesday, March 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio said…. Read more »