Coronavirus in N.Y.C.: Latest Updates

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Coronavirus in N.Y.C.: Latest Updates

New York Today

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It’s Friday. We’re off on Monday for Memorial Day, but we’ll be back on Tuesday.

Weather: Some sun early, but showers arrive in the evening; high in the low 70s. The holiday weekend starts wet but gets nicer, with highs in the upper 60s.

Alternate-side parking: In effect on Friday and Saturday, and then suspended through June 7. The city may extend the suspension past June 7 based on street cleanliness and the availability of the work force.

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Credit…Benjamin Norman for The New York Times

Two months into the coronavirus pandemic, with hundreds of thousands of people out of work, nearly one in four New Yorkers needs food, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday.

To address the problem, the city plans by next week to increase to 1.5 million the number of meals it distributes each day, officials said, with a million to be delivered and 500,000 available for pickup at schools.

Before the virus hit, Mr. de Blasio said, officials believed that “somewhere over a million” city residents “were food-insecure, needed food more, at some point in the year.”

As a result of the pandemic, he said, “we think that number is two million or more. So almost a doubling. That’s why we have made food such a central part of what we do in response to this crisis.”

The city has been expanding its food-distribution efforts for weeks and has given out 32 million meals during the crisis, the mayor said.

The mayor’s announcement came after a series of complaints about the quality and nutritional value of food delivered to some residents.

“The more we look, the more we find it,” Mr. Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. On May 12, the state was investigating 102 cases.

The condition, which the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, often appears weeks after infection in children who did not experience first-phase virus symptoms.

Instead of targeting the lungs as the primary virus infection does, it causes inflammation throughout the body and can severely damage the heart.

Most the children found to have the illness in New York so far have tested positive for the virus or antibodies to it, Mr. Cuomo said.

Researchers are examining whether the infected children were genetically predisposed to the syndrome, the governor added.

[What’s reopening in New York and the region.]

Pandemic or no, and a spotty weather forecast notwithstanding, summer beach season begins on Friday with Memorial Day weekend. But many beaches in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are closed. At the ones that are open, a day at the shore will be very different.

Those seeking sun, sand and sea face a patchwork of restrictions. Here is a guide:

  • New York City: Mr. de Blasio has said that the city’s beaches, including those at Coney Island and on the Rockaway peninsula, are open only to nearby residents who want to take a walk on the sand. Swimming is prohibited, as are gatherings or parties of any kind, and the mayor has repeatedly urged people not to travel to get to the beaches.

    Riis Park and Fort Tilden in the Rockaways, which are part of the Gateway National Recreation Area and are run by the National Park Service, will be open only for “passive recreation” like walking and running. Parking lot capacity will be capped at 50 percent.

  • Long Island: Concerned that city residents closed off from their own beaches might head east, officials on Long Island have moved to restrict access to their shores to residents only. As a result, access to Suffolk and Nassau County beaches will require proof of residency.

    Beaches across New York State are required to cap capacity at 50 percent. Long Beach, which has often drawn beachgoers from New York City, will sell beach passes only to residents. The boardwalk will be open with social-distancing rules.

    State-run beaches, including Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, miles-long expanses that draw many city residents, will be open, with limited parking.

A new state bill would allow to-go cocktails, even when the coronavirus lockdown is over. [Gothamist]

One artist in Brooklyn is painting encouraging messages on storefront windows. [Brooklyn Paper]

What we’re watching: Kevin Delaney, a senior editor for New York Times Opinion, discusses Times Opinion’s “America We Need” project on “The New York Times Close Up With Sam Roberts.” The show airs Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. [CUNY TV]

  • Updated May 20, 2020

    • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

      Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

    • How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

      Over 38 million people have filed for unemployment since March. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.

    • How can I protect myself while flying?

      If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

    • Is ‘Covid toe’ a symptom of the disease?

      There is an uptick in people reporting symptoms of chilblains, which are painful red or purple lesions that typically appear in the winter on fingers or toes. The lesions are emerging as yet another symptom of infection with the new coronavirus. Chilblains are caused by inflammation in small blood vessels in reaction to cold or damp conditions, but they are usually common in the coldest winter months. Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called Covid toe should be sufficient grounds for testing.

    • Should I wear a mask?

      The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

    • What should I do if I feel sick?

      If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

    • How can I help?

      Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.

The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes:

Although most performance spaces, museums and community centers are closed, people are finding creative ways to connect through virtual events and programs. Here are two suggestions for maintaining a New York social life this weekend while keeping a safe distance from other people.

At 12:30 p.m. on Friday, join Nalleli Guillen, a Brooklyn Historical Society historian, and Mary Mann, a project archivist and reference associate, as they explore the history of an American Indian statue that once stood outside a cigar shop in Brooklyn Heights. The event is part of the Bite-Size History series, which highlights intriguing objects in the society’s collection.

R.S.V.P. for the livestream on the event page.

From 6 p.m. on Friday to noon on Sunday, watch more than 150 artists, filmmakers, poets, puppeteers and more perform at this festival, which started in 1996 as a three-day, indoor and outdoor event but this year has gone virtual.

Visit Theater for the New City’s website for more details.

It’s Friday — get creative.

Dear Diary:

I needed to get out and burn off some energy, so I decided to take a long and fast walk.

At a nearly empty intersection, I heard rockabilly music coming from a car that was waiting for the light to change.

“I love rockabilly music,” I yelled to the driver as I was crossing the street.

When I got close to the other side, I turned and saw that the driver had opened his door a bit so that I could keep enjoying the music while he waited for the light to turn green.

I was itching to dance, and it was as if he had read my mind.

Stepping onto the curb, I put my bag down and began to boogie. As the light changed, I stopped dancing and did a quick high kick.

“Thank you,” I yelled as the car drove away. “I really needed that.”

— Vivian Awner

New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.

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