I just learned late this evening that 2 employees in my company in Manhattan tested positive for the virus. They worked in 2 other buildings not mine, but one of those building is the main hub that a lot of people in my office go work there all the time, including a colleague who sits right next to my desk, who has been coughing for the past weeks. She works there 2-3 days a week. The company evacuated people in those 2 buildings and will have them work from home for the next 2 days, to clean and disinfected those buildings. There'll be no special cleaning in my building, regardless of hundreds of workers who may have contracted the virus from other buildings that were shut down. I love my job, but I think it's time for me to start working from home and protect myself, since the virus may have already found its way too close now.
9
Instead of blaming CDD not providing enough test kits, why don't the leaders make a decision to be proactively stop the spread of the virus? Test kits is rarely relavent in this case. Incubation period is 14 days, most people don't show symptoms in the beginning but are transmitting the virus to the public already. Isn't this so hard to understand?
7
I will do what the scientists say, especially CDC scientists.
But I'm still not clear why I should buy a month's worth of toilet paper, a barrel of cat food and several dozen face masks.
Panic just seems to be the message on our 24-hour media. "Oh, oh, Costco is ALL SOLD OUT! Rush out right this minute and buy everything everywhere!"
Even if the talking heads aren't telling us directly to panic, the sheer repetition of stories --not to mention the sudden proliferation of "pandemic" movies on the vid-streams -- creates an inescapable atmosphere of fear.
I believe the virus will spread because that's what all flu viruses do. And I believe this one is deadlier than most so we should be extra careful.
But how many have recovered?
Has anyone under age 50 died? Do we shut down every institution because employees can't tell if they're sick enough to stay home?
And of course workers who just lose pay if they stay home are going to report for work no matter how sick they are.
Millions of people simply can not afford to skip several days income. Risk infecting others or lose your car or your house.
Lenders don't care if you're short because you stayed home with Coronavirus. Not in the least.
The last person I believe about anything is Trump. But even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Maybe a little less panic is in order, at least in the main media.
4
@Bill Banks Don't worry, if you think this is panic you've seen nothing yet. Americans have been so spoiled they love to look down on fear.
3
I really think everyone should should repent and return to the straight path. Don’t transgress and God will forgive you, otherwise this plague is just the start. All the wildfires and natural disasters are a sign that God is not happy.
1
@Bilal - When is God ever happy?
20
I live in Alabama, one of the several states where there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Do you think there are none here? I surely don’t. If we do not test we do not identify, right? I am SO OVER the incompetent bumbling of our nation’s response to this virus. Where are the drive-through testing stations? Where is anything amounting to a reasonable plan to managing this? Is the Trump administration really that incompetent? Oh, wait, that last one really was a rhetorical question. Sadly, I know its answer.
15
It is unfortunate that many of our leaders have wasted critical time to prepare for the outbreak here. It is too late to assign blame now but it is time to catch up and weather the storm together. United States has a first rated medical community and will be able to mobilize and eventually stem the contagion. Advanced countries in wester Europe and Asia will also be cope. However, while I do not want to sound like an alarmist, what worries me are resource poor countries showing nearly zero cases. Do we really believe that there are no cases in these countries or they don't even have the resources for sufficient testing? With enough people infected in these countries, they will eventually bring virus back to developed countries like us. China has just reported a few people are getting sick from transmission BACK into china from external origins. Many virus can mutate. Mutation can make them milder but may also become more severe. With a sufficient size population pool, we are giving virus a fertile ground for mutation. Public health is a global problem and needs a global response. Our president is a fool to think that American First policies will keep us safe. Virus is very democratic.
3
More action. More testing. Immediately please. We don't want a repeat of Italy here.
5
One issue that hasn't been covered yet is the heat/ventilation system in buildings in NYC.
Logic says if hospitals are using isolation rooms with special ventilation systems, having a single infected person in an apartment building can infect everyone else through the building's ventilation system.
NYT please address this topic.
3
@CacaMera You will not catch the virus through a ventilation system. Sadly there is no much misinformation being spread around. Stay 6 ft from people who are sick. Don't touch your face, wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not feasible.
3
Thank God the Dallas Mayor relented and cancelled the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Parade. I can't believe the vitriol I received pointing out the dangers of such a mass gathering, from locals who likened the Corona virus to the common flu. With opinions such as the ones I have read I wonder how this country will manage the virus. There is a conservative woman who says it's ok for the old people to die of virus. After all, they die anyway. Her name doesn't matter. She seems a miserable and vindictive person. She wrote a book recently. You can probably figure out who she is. No, it is not ok to kill off the seniors. In what kind of country do we live ?
5
It is unfathomable to me that the St. Patrick's Day Parade is not being cancelled along with other events like the Billy Eilish concert at MSG on Sunday.
Experts tell us it's a pandemic and predictions are a million people could die, but apparently that is not enough to protect the elderly and our most vulnerable citizens.
Who told them to be old or sick, I suppose.
1
New York should be thankful that we have Andrew Cuomo as our governor. He is proactive about the Covid19 and he is pragmatically addressing the situation as it developes.
9
With our loose hygiene habits such as grabbing our shoes when we cross our legs when sitting I expect that the the spread of Corona virus will be like a wild fire in this country.
Our President should recommened cancelation of all sports and enterteinment events until farther notice. Using public transit system should be strictly restricted. April will bring wormer weather and decline in spreading of virus.
1
@Samir Dervisevic - I'm not sure where you are coming up with the warmer weather will decline the spread of the virus. We had a whopping 2" of snow this year. I haven't worn my winter coat since that 48 hour dusting back in December. I wore tennis shoes all winter. And if you check the weather of Wuhan you won't find New York winters.
Cherry trees are in full bloom, daffodils have been up for a few weeks and the crocuses are about done. And the virus is really starting to spread.
5
What is the plan when prison inmates start contracting the virus?
1
The World Health Organization made coronavirus tests available to countries in Jan/Feb and gave them to 60 countries. Trump never requested any. We have an absolute test shortage and an issue with lab material shortages too that will further delay test results once taken or totally impede testing. Trump dismantled offices and weakened agencies that would have been key to preventing and/or preparing for this pandemic.
This is Trump's pure ignorance and mismanagement. He does not want Americans to know how many have the virus because he narcissistically thinks it will "hurt his numbers."
Trump is deranged and incompetent, and has put all Americans in danger.
Well, America can perhaps now see that having a competent president does matter after all.
11
Amid this public health emergency, suggest The Times drop its paywall so that everyone can have credible infomation to survive this pandemic. Doing so will be a public service of the highest order, because we all are likely to endure sacrifice of some magnitude.
4
Thank you NY Times for your excellent up to the minute coverage on all things corona virus. Where would we be without you? Offering to waive the subscription fees for non subscribers is a great public service.
8
I spoke to a few people today who stated, “What’s the big deal? It’s the flu.” Honestly Trump, the Republican party and Fox News own this debacle. It’s now a pandemic and they think I’m overreacting. Disturbing to say the least.
5
https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/coronavirus
Beyond outstanding, NYT - kudos...
A heartfelt thanks for this immense public service...
6
Get them from other countries...lives will be saved.
What's DeBlasio waiting for before he cancels ALL parades? Lawsuits?
1
Thank You Gov. Mario Cuomo for taking decisive action in NY State to control the Covid-19 outbreak.
Instead of tweeting out moronic nit-tweets and watching television all day, blaming everyone else, only addressing Democrats in the state, you have taken this by the horns to protect ALL NY residents, regardless of party.
I have family in lower Hudson Valley, and a 63 year old sister who is a RN at Albany Medical Center. She has asthma. She cannot retire yet due to the ridiculous health care costs in the USA. She will be exposed and I am worried sick over this......
I appreciate your actions from here in PA where I live, the state where 400,000 people may lose their jobs because of the oil crash...Looks like Trump's "friends" MBS and Putin are going to destroy the US Shale business....
Keep up the great work, and I hope the residents of NY State appreciate your swift actions to work with the people and not waste time looking for someone to blame, and thank GOD you can speak in whole sentences so the people can understand your directions.
Thank you.
8
NYT needs to try to follow people and follow the 23000 test kits.
1
@EM - Well, for starters we could ask where Rep. Matt Gaetz go his test. He showed no symptoms other than being Republican at a convention and yet he somehow got tested.
6
Walking around midtown Manhattan around the evening rush hour today (4-6pm) it was remarkable how thinly populated the sidewalks were, the traffic was much lower density than normal and there was plenty of room on the bus I took. So the social distancing looks like it is already well underway. Just a few rays of sunshine in these ominous times -- and yes, the federal government, under Trump, really messed up and left us completely unprepared.
8
At my friend's school a parent has tested positive for coronavirus. Her child is NOT being tested. How is this possible? The school will be closed - but what about all the people exposed to the child who was not tested? Will they be quarantined on a hunch? It makes no sense.
10
Common sense would be a good thing right now.
People over 50 should be allowed to stay home from work till this passes. That is the age most likely to end up in the hospital.
When food, or anything else is delivered to your apartment or house , there should be no person to person contact. Do everything by credit card including the tip, keep door closed and the delivery man leaves it in front of your door, or a container you leave in front of door
Close the schools
No attendance at sporting event should now be the rule.
Cancel the Saint Patrick’s day parade
Only certain hospitals should be for possible Corona, others are for heart attacks etc, we don’t need every hospital involved in this.
Close off states from air travel from cities with Corona outbreak, we don’t need to all get sick at once.
Put factories on a war footing that produce hand sanitizer, masks, Clorox wipes, etc, so tired of hearing we are running out of N95 mask, how hard is it to make masks,
And the country that sent a man to the moon can’t produce a mask that filters out Corona . Why?
Stop all cruises
Put the worlds best scientists on a quest to find antivirals that kill Corona in the body, rush through a vaccine, try everything.
Turn the media from a depressing drum beat of bad new on top of bad news into something that actually seeks to help with shared ideas and tips to stay safe.
13
I don't understand why the NY authorities keep saying "they don't have enough tests" when this paper a couple of days ago a CDC spokesperson said NY had been issued 23,000 test kits.
So NY wants to blame the Feds instead. They don't seem to know what they are doing. No one seems to know what the testing criteria is, or who should be tested.
The NY authorities seem to be in a state of denial. Covid-19 has been raging in China for two months. Did they never think it would show up here?
6
The testing situation is a complete joke.
Multiple people at Biogen who called asking to be tested due a confirmed set of cases at the company said they weren’t eligible . Then more folks came positive over a few days . And others had symptoms and clear exposure. Not enough tests they said- just stay home and quarantine. Ok, that’s fine, but wouldn’t you want to track the spread here and monitor it to learn. Nope, not enough tests. They are undercounting. Promise.
25
@Person In science
Yeah, but what was Biogen thinking holding a conference at the end of February with 175 people in a room? Now that single conference has caused over 70 infections, and counting, in numerous states.
A biotech firm should've known better. But yes, tests should be made available to all that need it.
2
Being in my 70s, and knowing that coronavirus is especially dangerous for those in their 60s, 70s, 80s and up, I have conscientiously been taking steps for weeks to follow all the official guidelines for avoiding coronavirus.
However, it just dawned on me that coronavirus may be used as an excuse to cancel boomers, you know, those old people who consume an inordinate amount of funds for Medicare, Social Security and a wide range of social services.
Lest you think I am an alarmist, I will point out that top doctors in Italy, which has the highest coronavirus case-load outside of China, have suggested that rather than admit patients on a first-come-first-served basis, hospitals should give ICU and bed priority to those with the highest likelihood of survival—that is, people under age 60.
Indeed, this guideline should apply to all patients needing intensive care treatment and not just those suffering from coronavrius, according to the Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SAARI).
Yes, this policy is being raised in the context of Italy now, but in a couple of weeks, when US hospitals and ICUs start to overflow, the policy will be considered in the US.
Remember, you read it here first.
12
@Mon Ray sorry, what you report is just internet disinformation. We had doctor going on video again and again to explain that there is no protocol wherever to behave as you say. Proof is that our ICU situation is right above the red line. True, we do have the majority of deaths in the +70 age range, but that is because most of those patients already had other pathologies that this opportunistic virus aggravated and because the immune system of the elderly is usually less efficient.
We have the highest numbers mostly because we used to test even the asymptomatic people (we don't pay for the test), so we probably are among the few who gives the real numbers.
18
@Giovanni
And after studying your numbers on Worldometers. info, I am terrified of that reality.
@Giovanni
I’m sorry to say, this is, in fact true.
This article from The Atlantic contains a link to published medical guidelines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/who-gets-hospital-bed/607807/
Horrifying.
1
As a physician in primary care (internist), I am upset. The government and CDC's approach to not test left us out to dry. So, we knew early on that healthcare providers in China were high risk to contract. We needed testing fast and early, then we could have protected ourselves more effectively because we would have known Covid was already around. The suspicion was that this was widespread early, like January, at least. But when you called the health department about concerns, the response was treat like the flu. Honest, what could they do, there was no tests available. The handling of this has caused us front line doctors not to trust any of this bungled approach to something dangerous. Whose supposed to treat this, when we were left high and dry?
26
@Nanahuatzin
All doctors should assume the virus is around them at all times and be in full protective gear at all times, until everything is under control which means months.
Only in the USA would the subject of tax cuts be the main response to a major health crisis! Of course, maybe we can eliminate the payroll tax given that we are willing to let all are senior citizens die of the virus.
24
It is good that the State is taking action in the face of some federal paralysis. In light of what other countries are going through, Italy, S. Korea, this is a time for action to contain the spread of the virus. Some reasonable action is better than sitting tight and hoping the problem will go away. Given the outbreaks of the virus from coast to coast, this is the time for swift action to contain the spread. Right on Gov. Cuomo, full speed ahead!
11
The response to this crisis so far has been absolutely pathetic! America, you had weeks if not months to prepare after COVID-19 broke out in China.
58
@Therese B. Ineptitute, worries about giving up profits, are just two of the reasons we will have a heck of a time dealing with the Corona Virus.
3
Every state health department, and there are 51 including Washington DC, has the responsibility and the means to protect their citizens by being proactive in regards to developing their own tests for the CoVid19 virus.
States need to stop twiddling their thumbs and get on the case; you can not say states rights are paramount while hiding from your responsibility to protect your people.
Como was and is engaging in double speak; he needs to get moving as the governor of the largest city in the country; I would hate to have to walk down 34 Street with people bumping shoulders at every turn; act more deliberately to contain this abomination.
5
Trump showed us what he can do , he can do with maximum reckless way during Ukraine scandal and we learned their arrogance and greed.
Now We are slowly learning some very disturbing news, Trump administration may deliberately delayed testing while china's situation getting out of hand during January and February.
If anything remotely true about this possible , any type of political pressure delayed the response , Trump deserves second impeachment.
We fed up from Trump.
18
Socially and economically the Coronavirus was just a (big), straw that broke the camels back.
The idiom "the straw that broke the camel's back", alludes to
a proverb; "it is the last straw that breaks the camel's back",
describing that a seemingly routine action can cause a large
and sudden reaction, but really because of the cumulative
effect of small actions.
I feared this downturn was coming last fall or even 2 years sooner. The giddy tax cut that depleted reserves and canceled safety measures and health access to excite the big donors,
Citizens United, the 1%, Fox News, Limbaugh, and the Breitbart elite...
... was never anything but the same or worse failed trickle-down nonsense deficit anti-social governing we suffered over the last 40 years.
Elizabeth Warren@ewarren
"Our economy was already showing cracks before the coronavirus. But an incompetent administration leading the response, engaged in magical thinking, is only making this crisis worse".
19
This is ridiculous. Not to underplay the dangers of the virus especially to the elderly, from what I understand it will be around for the next couple of years. Is the world supposed to shut down just because 0.00007 percent of the world population has died over the past 3 months? The solution is learning how to keep the economy humming and the world turning while using best practices.
Stopping all activity is not the solution it will plunge the world into a recession where poverty can kill far more people.
2
@GF
That's right it's the economy that matters, not our health..
20
@GF You just don't get it do you. The virus will have a radical exponential growth if you don't take drastic measures to slow the spreading. It is absolutely crucial to flatten the curve otherwise the pressure on the health care system will be too much which will have grave consequences. Further, better that people become sicker later because then we will have more antivirals and in about a year or 18 months probably also a vaccine.
Look what is happening in Italy, total lockdown to slow the spreading.
36
@lady is a bird
I am not talking about Wall Street. I’m talking about the countless people living on the edge of poverty on a normal day. A friend working with factories in China said that the vast majority of these workers have not been paid in a month. Small business if they close will be unable to afford salaries. Poverty kills and a complete economic meltdown would plunge huge numbers of people into the position of not being able to feed their families. I think YOU don’t understand that this is not about the rich, this is about preventing a massive number starvation deaths. Keeping everything closed for two years will surely cause economic devastation worldwide and will hit the most vulnerable the hardest.
2
Oh how I wish Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York were the President of the United States. His wise, measured, calculated response to the coronavirus pandemic in New York City and the State of New York is inspiring. He hasn't minced words, obfuscated, lied or mislead residents, unlike Trump and his disastrous administration. Nationally it's a debacle; under Gov. Cuomo I feel that we in New York at least are getting the information we need to move forward — and through — this crisis. Kudos to him and to his staff for doing a stellar job.
33
Shameful that the city universities have closed but not the K-12 schools! Kids can transmit the infection even if they themselves don't get sick. They and everyone else can bring it home with them.
22
Is the current news up to date? The verified CUNY twitter account says that all in-person classes will be cancelled starting tomorrow with the online classes beginning on May 19th.
CUNY as of almost 4:30 pm on Wednesday has not yet sent out a mass email to the students , nor is their official website reporting on the closet.
1
If we had a parliamentary system, Trump's malicious incompetence would have already earned a "vote of no confidence," and he'd be out.
26
I have been saying all along panic is unjustified and will be unproductive. Preparedness and precautions and a calm multiipronged approach side by side with optimism that nature will ensure the survival of the human race. Doctors and experts are not Gods and neither are politicians and presidents. So trust nature and assist nature to help the Doctors to help ourselves. There is a lot of nonsense and fear mongering going on but let that not terrorize you.
Some facts about the Coronavirus (CoV) COVID-19 have not changed and will not change.
1) CoV exposure does not mean CoV infection, there are multiple barriers to prevent infection, hygienic practices like hand washing, hand sanitizing , cleaning surfaces that one touches, avoiding closed crowded places etc.
2) Air is the best barrier to exposure. The larger the air spces between people the less will be the persons to person transmission. So open spaces like parks, camping grounds, beaches, mountains would dilute the virus.
3) Minute quantities of exposure to the virus will actually enable the immune system to get acquainted with the viral proteins and mount a robust immune response when larger quantities are encountered.
4) The CoV infection is mild and CURABLE in persons with a normal immune system. Now those with a lowered ability to mount an optimal and timely immune response should be extra careful to not be exposed to any CoV. The percent of such persons is 1 in 50 who could potentially pass away.
5)
3
The only responsible (and shockingly obvious) thing to do for the sake of our citizens is to cancel the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC as well as the ones being held in other cities like Chicago.
18
anyone remember the Philadelphia War Bond parade in 1918? couple thousand deaths....
Our government stopped foreign students from coming into the country. Might have updated that to having to go into quarantine for 14 days. Our government first did this when this virus was first named.
6
Wed., 3/11/20, 5 pm: Case reported in 1 World Trade Center.
1
There have been at least two cases in the towers adjacent to WTC - 200 and 250 Vesey.
I work in Manhattan. We are packed like sardines in our offices, each of us 2 of 3 feet apart from the next person. Management refuses to even entertain partial work from home, although the nature of the business allows it. What options do we have? One of us getting tested and have the health authorities quarantine the whole staff, therefore shutting down the business altogether? What about NY health department creating a hotline to report this type of situation?
87
It is strange that we decry denying science when it relates to climate change, but not when denying epidemiology. Read Defoe's "Journal of the Plague Year" published in 1772. It could have been written this week.
23
When all else fails, do something dramatic without considering the chaos that will ensue, and also whether that chaos will truly prevent what it claims to prevent.
It is almost 5PM and my CUNY campus has made no public mention of the planned shutdown. At the community colleges, a sudden shift to online courses is not as simple as it may seem. Many students need the ongoing face-to-face support that comes with traditional in-person classes, and CUNY's response puts them at significant academic risk. (As faculty, I personally know of several students who will struggle to keep up if classes are cancelled.)
Right now, why do I think this is more about Cuomo's plans for 2024 than it is about public health?
9
@Lowell I’m a CUNY professor, too, and like you have been frustrated with the lack of communication and leadership from both the University and my campus. But I know that the right decision was made, without question, though it was made late and without enough forethought and planning. We are dealing with a very serious public health situation and we need to adapt as best we can. There are many ways to support students with online instruction. We will get through that part.
34
@Lowell All college and university campuses in Michigan are shutting down at 5PM today and will be online through the rest of the semester. This disease is not political, no matter how some people may want to have it be so.
12
@Francie I'm curious whether they will also let administrative staff and non-faculty work from home? Does CUNY/SUNY remote working and learning apply to all on campus? Or just faculty and students?
I agree that we are dealing with a serious public health situation and I agree with the decision. I hope it will apply to folks working in other ways at these universities. Note, I am not on staff but work in IT, in the libraries, etc...at a CUNY or SUNY university but I have friends who are!
7
NYS Gov. Cuomo is terribly behind on this. Trump signed emergency authorizations back on 2/2/20 to cut through the red tape at CDC and FDA. Cuomo is just now recognizing that his health department has too much bureaucratic red tape to accelerate testing?
Where has he been??
9
@AACNY
Tests are unavailable. That has nothing to do with Cuomo and everything to do with trump and pence; two of the most incompetents morons possible .
2
As far as I'm concerned New York's response has been far from acceptable. For one thing, tests remain unavailable. My work colleague's family members both had a high fever and viral pneumonia in January and February and still have not been tested. This is not even to mention my colleague or all of us who work with her. Second, many of us are still being ordered to go into work and even to do such things as work directly with the public. Thirdly, the Westchester 'containment' zone is ineffectual: beyond confusion within that community about containment, I actually know someone directly who just visited his mother-- who lives in New Rochelle and had a fever last week-- earlier in the week. He is now back in NYC and will spread whatever she had around. I have never been so scared of what the future holds. And I am a healthy 25 year old. The virus does not discriminate and doesn't follow vague press releases-- New York needs to go to extreme measures now.
32
@Emily From all that I have read, I think it's safe to put the onus for the testing failures on the federal government. They have mishandled that from the start, and continue to do so. This administration refused test kits from WHO, from Germany, and refuse to use tests that South Korea is using. The excuses that I heard during today's house committee hearing were unacceptable. They have further endangered every single one of us. I do agree that the state level governments need to put pressure on businesses to allow telecommuting - NOW - before it gets worse. Large concert and sports venues, where 60,000 spectators congregate should also be shut down. As all of the health experts are saying, at this point, we need to flatten the curve - so our healthcare system is not completely overwhelmed and we aren't facing the same issues that Italy and China have already faced. We had the benefit of lead-time to prepare and it was squandered.
42
@dee. I so agree with you. Regarding the test kits, is it too cynical to wonder if those were refused because the fed gov't wanted to make sure that private health care businesses (e.g. labs) could profit from the tests? I'm really not sure how the testing administration works (or doesn't, as it were), but what good reason did we have for not using the earliest tests available?
14
@Keith
If people are tested then the numbers go up.
That's Trumpys rationale.
13
Watch the movie, VIRAL, that was made in 2016. Eerily similar containment; the movie was set in the USA. It has some science fiction mixed in with reality.
2
Finally, someone is taking leadership in NY. Where are the Mayor and the Governor sending their nonessential employees home to telecommute and requiring large employers do the same? Some employers are doing this on their own in NYC and other places. This is smart. See other countries that have waited too long and how severe the outbreak has been.
21
No mention of the Big East tournament yet?
7
In another New York Times headline, “A Lab Pushed for Early Tests, but U.S. Officials said No”....THIS is what has cause panic, the ...unknown! Trump’s insisting on keeping the “numbers low” this is why Trump’s administration refused test kits from WHO, in January! Maddening and irresponsible! One of the signs of a tyrant, is a leader who keeps information from their citizens, who spins the truth, who lies to cover up truth and mussels the experts. I don’t know how anyone can “approve” of 45’s handling of Clovis-19 outbreak! Sheer incompetence.
71
The efforts of the FEDs to shut down Dr Chis work in Seattle described in the article in the NYTimes while probably not criminal certainly were despicable and the people who constrained Dr Chu have a lot to answer for.
9
On the parade, it's not so much the parade as the thousands and thousands and thousands of young people on crowded trains drunk before they even get here, drinking all day, then barfing and peeing in the streets all night. And it will start this weekend. I say close the bars, regardless if what you do with parade.
I remember the days when polio was a great scourge, though was quite young then.Although polio epidemics came mostly in summer months (when I was not allowed to go to the movies or other crowded indoor events), so wasn't as big a threat during school year, still I don't recall school being canceled or changed in any way during warmer months of June or September.
13
Is there a reason why you inaccurately report counts as the number of cases, instead of specifying that these are the number of CONFIRMED cases? It's obviously inaccurate to say NYC has 40 cases when we know community spread has been underway. Any reporting of these numbers should specify that they're only the cases that have been tested and should clearly mention the insufficient testing facilities thus far.
52
How exactly can one achieve "social distancing" in a crowded theater?!! It is totally irresponsible for our government to allow such large gatherings while recommending social distancing. The time is now to take things seriously and prevent our crowded metropolitan area from becoming another Italy!!!
43
@Mark Fields
Umm, no one has a gun to your head to go to the movies, theatre or concerts or any amusement.
If you go somewhere then it's on you.
Do take some responsibility.
8
@Butterfly “then it’s on you” and also everyone else you subsequently infect ...
1
I am a current CUNY grad student at Hunter and I have received no official word that classes will be online. What is the source for this article?? It is irresponsible to announce a closure via the news before the school has given its own students notice.
15
@Katie
What we're seeing is how humans handle a crisis. People are scrambling because what they would normally take their time to handle they needed to have done yesterday. That, of course, is unrealistic.
7
@Katie I'm also a CUNY grad student -- at Queens College -- and have received no official email or communication from the college about this. It's frustrating to see the lack of transparency and communication from CUNY.
5
Same. I am a CUNY grad student at City College and there’s no yet official report about moving all the classes online. I think the headline is slightly wrong.
Hello. I am a SUNY student and I do NOT "appreciate" Mr. Cuomo's decision. Let each school's administration decide what is best for its specific case.
5
The administrators at SUNY Binghamton nor any other campus are no more competent than the Governor and his advisors. This is a time for command decisions.
16
Another article in the Times listed some restaurant chains that don’t provide paid sick leave.
THOSE establishments need to be boycotted ASAP. The message to pay your workers will spread faster than a virus.
40
Speaking as a CUNY student:
From what I've experienced going to two separate CUNY colleges, most teaching materials (lectures, exams, homework etc.) can be found online and I mean word for word solutions. The physical classroom somewhat hinders the ability to cheat whereas some of my online courses are a free for all. In order to make classes completely online, professors would have to come up with some original material or anyone could get a degree using Google.
Just my experience.
3
There are some narratives among politicians such as German Chancellor Markel sounding spread is inevitable. It’s no acceptable for politicians waving white flag. We can not accept coronavirus as way of life, given such high mortality rate among the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. I am not ready to check out at age of 60. I need to see 2 kids through college.
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I have elderly parents with underlying health conditions who live within a mile of the containment zone in New Rochelle who watch and trust state-tv. They are still going out...
13
@Southern If you are snidely (and uncreatively) referencing Fox News: they have in no way encouraged the elderly to go out. Cease and desist, all of you who want to make this a political hit job. I wish karma for you.
3
Southern,
Why not discuss the issues with your elderly parents; perhaps what is really needed is caring, informed adults who can advise them of the dangers; couples often act like one; herd mentality needs to have reasoned advice, not ridicule.
I would like to have parents to support even in my old age.
2
@Susan Snide references are all Fox deserves, & please don't act indignant. They've been treating this as no big deal, saying the media & the left are hyping it up. Why then would the parents be worried if that's all they hear?
2
As this crisis shows, there is no reason why universities should not all be online. Now and in the future. We don’t need physical campuses any more.
2
Yes, let’s further isolate ourselves and perform all human interaction through screens. That’s surely the take-away from this health crisis.
In addition, going forward, I propose that all offices close so everyone works from home. All sporting events shut down with both spectators and participants utilizing VR headsets and tactic feedback suits. All solid foodstuffs should be liquidated and injected directly into our bloodstreams, to cut back on the monotony of chewing. Finally - let’s do away with our pesky physical bodies (so prone to disease!) and upload our brains to the cloud.
This is the world we should strive for.
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@Rod That's not good for mental health. We are social animals. And we even need to be touched, so physical contact better come back too.
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@Rod: I'll repeat what I just said to another commenter who obviously doesn't get higher education... From a college senior: "I just tried out the online class & it was a disaster. It's impossible to have an in-depth discussion when you have to type, wait for a typed response, look for the professor's response, etc. Some classes are fine to be moved online, like large lectures, but discussion sections, labs, my senior French seminar, & my piano pedagogy class are impossible to do successfully online."
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Me and my fellow teachers in NYC public schools are sitting ducks, being exposed every day to potential infection. While I may be relatively young and healthy many of my coworkers are in their 50s and 60s and have faced or are facing struggles with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It is cruel to force us to be exposed to countless pathogens because no one has figured out how to make meals available when schools are closed. Shameful.
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@CP I read today that a study proved that children do get infected in the same numbers as adults but the symptoms are milder. If they can get infected, It’s likely they can pass it on, regardless of what the CDC thinks. It’s too new for anyone to know for sure. Schools in NY are horribly overcrowded and it really is becoming ridiculous to say avoid crowded spaces and mass transit while schools remain open.
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@CP I feel this way too as an educator at an NYC museum. I and my colleagues also work directly with school children daily. There is no such thing as 'social distancing' in these visits and my kindergarten students this morning touched me repeatedly. All of our best efforts to sanitize are also worth nothing if any one of the students is ill... it is a bad situation. I feel for you.
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@CP We are assuming that children are healthy without any underlying conditions and that's just wrong. Many children have asthma, diabetes, and other immune suppressive diseases and illnesses. We should be cautious since we are still learning about COVID-19.
14
Regarding the closure of SUNY and CUNY campuses, two questions immediately come to mind. First, how was this sudden infrastructure created? Second, if coursework can be satisfactorily completed online, why are taxpayers supporting the EIGHTY-TWO physical campuses? Going back to my first question, if remote instruction is technically feasible in large numbers, why have college leaders fought online instruction so vociferously thus far? Their argument has long been that an online experience has only limited application and that overall, a conventional setting is much more productive. Does that imply that under this policy, coursework will be of lesser value and that standards will be allowed to decline?
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@From Where I Sit
I teach at CUNY. The online infrastructure is in place (BlackBoard, etc.), but your concerns about quality of instruction are well warranted. And since CUNY has just announced a complete shutdown of face-to-face instruction, I will never see my classes again. Professionally, this will be a tremendous burden. Personally, it breaks my heart.
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@From Where I Sit Perhaps because colleges make a large part of their money from room and board. "The Campus Experience."
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@From Where I Sit
The arguments against the proliferation of online classes are not wrong. Education is not simply about the ingesting of content. Classroom instruction allows for discussion and the processing of information into actual knowledge, not just the regurgitation of facts. While it is possible to build this kind of instruction into an online format, it is difficult and time-consuming and works best with very small numbers (so, the best online courses are actually smaller than face to face courses, not the reverse as is often touted). This sudden forced shift to online teaching will indeed mean that current students will get inferior instruction; their courses were not designed for the online environment and it is not possible to suddenly make this shift without a loss of course quality. University administrations know this, of course, but they are in a bind. Students don't want to miss an entire semester of work and potentially not graduate on time. And universities can't give back their tuition and survive.
17
Schools have been closed in Northern Italy since 2/24. COVID19 confirmed cases in the region were 2/21. If we can't look to China and Europe in the last month, maybe we should take note of what was successful here in the US 102 years ago.
Cities that implemented what are now known as social distancing interventions (early closures of schools, churches, and theaters, and bans on public gatherings) earlier had much lower peak mortality rates than those which delayed action. The flattened epidemic curves in St. Louis and Kansas City, as compared to Boston, indicate that control measures were effective and were implemented early enough to reduce mortality.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6140242/
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I am Irish and love the St. Patrick’s Day Parade but it should not go on at this time. First of all, will the usual number of over one million spectators show up on Tuesday with this coronavirus scare? And even if a large number do come, their health is at risk. This is not the time for merrymaking and it should be scheduled for a later date. I do not often agree with Governor Cuomo but in this case he is 100 percent correct.
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@KMW I agree! Everyone is at risk when in large gatherings, even more so if indoors. In the absence of sufficient testing, houses of worship schools, theaters, concert halls, etc should be closed, until a better evaluation of the spread of the virus is made.
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@KMW
I'll voimit in the street at 8:30am anyway, just to feel connected to the canceled festivities.
2
@KMW I suspect they’re hoping parade organizers will cancel of their own accord and waiting until the last minute to mandate cancellation if the organizers don’t come to their senses.
We have our first cases of the virus here in New Mexico - one of which was a person just returned from New York City.
56
This is a sticky situation for politicians. Just look at how mad everyone gets if the mayor cancels school and it doesn't snow as heavily as forecasted. Politicians are rarely rewarded for being conservative, so they're inclined to inaction until it's too late. We all can see this storm coming -- and knowing that politicians will always be slower to act, we need to act individually NOW to distance ourselves from crowds and help slow the spread.
33
It is time for the mayor to close public schools. Most private schools in NYC have already closed or will close this week.
If the issue is feeding the 114,000 homeless students, grab-and-go meals can be offered, or cafeterias in a limited number of schools can remain open for meals. While more and more adults are telecommuting, many public school students have no choice but to continue taking public transportation, and study in cramped classrooms. At the very least, students should be given the choice to study at home, and not be penalized for making that choice.
113
Yes. It is definitely time to close public schools. Kids are interacting with over 200 kids at school per day (playground, lunch, gym etc). It is increasing chance of Covid-19 spread. As parents, it is very hard for us to keep kids at home without school closures. All teachers have email at DOE and they can use it to communicate lessons and assignments. We should think about kids safety first.
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I agree that there should be the option to keep kids out of school wo penalty. However if schools are closed thousands of parents will have to find emergency childcare. Healthcare workers, NYPD, and many others can’t just work from home for weeks on end.
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@Borna Kids' safety would be much more negatively impacted by school closures than by coronavirus. There is no mortality rate for previously healthy children, whereas sending 750,000 children below the poverty line home (if they have a home) where they may have no meals, no school nurse, no supervision or unsafe supervision can only lead to dangerous situations including sexual abuse. This should not be done to prevent illness in children, which it won't. It may at some point need to be done to prevent illness to actually endangered populations like grandparents. But it is a tricky balance, and we need to take care of the children first, in my opinion.
27
I think the Mayor and the Governor need to be more explicit with the call for social distancing. Suggesting people work remotely and avoid the subway isn't going to do much given how this city operates. Many business will keep their employees coming to work until we're on a lockdown like in Italy and none of us are taking the subway because we think it's fun. Most of the people using the subway, including myself, do so because they don't have another cost effective option. I completely empathize with the workers who are unable to work from home and do not get paid unless they are at work. This is another issue that should be addressed immediately. If the city really wants to stop the spread, they need to require all people that can to work from home to alleviate unnecessary face to face interactions. And until the Mayor or Governor mandates this, bosses are going to keep us all coming to work.
136
Social distancing is absolutely impossible in public schools.
22
@Sarah S
Being in my 70s, and knowing that coronavirus is especially dangerous for those in their 60s, 70s, 80s and up, I have conscientiously been taking steps for weeks to follow all the official guidelines for avoiding coronavirus.
However, it just dawned on me that coronavirus may be used as an excuse to cancel boomers, you know, those old people who consume an inordinate amount of funds for Medicare, Social Security and a wide range of social services.
Lest you think I am an alarmist, I will point out that top doctors in Italy, which has the highest coronavirus case-load outside of China, have suggested that rather than admit patients on a first-come-first-served basis, hospitals should give ICU and bed priority to those with the highest likelihood of survival—that is, people under age 60.
Indeed, this guideline should apply to all patients needing intensive care treatment and not just those suffering from coronavrius, according to the Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SAARI).
Yes, this policy is being raised in the context of Italy now, but in a couple of weeks, when US hospitals and ICUs start to overflow, the policy will be considered in the US.
Remember, you read it here first.
4
It is time to realize that many of these group activities are going to be suspended for an indefinite time. Social distancing will become the norm. The medical system will be strained. Much commerce will cease. The concurrent collapse in the cost of borrowing by the federal government, as witnessed in the 10-year treasury bond, should spur massive Federal stimulus in the form of direct aid to out of work actors as one example of the huge population that will require such aid. They, in turn, will pay their rent and buy their necessities etc. They will keep the economy going. No interest small business loans next. Then the stimulus must move to more concrete projects that will create new jobs and rebuild infrastructure for instance. It's New Deal time and all hands on deck. The contagion and subsequent economic contraction is here. Time to act!
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@Gowan McAvity Aren't most actors/aspiring actors out of work most of the time?
4
@Joe Pearce
Hi Joe. I'm not much of a street-walker at present. Practicing social distancing. Are you calling for universal quarantine? I'm home taking care of the horse farm. I have no keeper, but I do have an 83 year-old mother with COPD two towns over. I'm worried about her. Also wondering how your snark is helping anyone but you?
2
@Gowan McAvity How exactly can one achieve "social distancing" in a crowded theater?!! It is totally irresponsible to allow such large gatherings while recommending social distancing. The time is now to take things seriously and prevent our crowded metropolitan area from becoming another Italy!!!
2
We must social distance, we must avoid contact, yet the easiest thing to do is nearly impossible ... and that's to wear a mask. They're almost impossible to find, sparking me to ask WHY ISN'T THE GOVERNMENT ASKING THE FACTORIES TO RUN 24 HOURS A DAY, or is that because the masks are made in China. I found some on Ebay, overpriced for sure, but I now have a large supply. When I went to list the extra I had, at the price I paid, Ebay removed my sale, saying they will no longer support price gouging or the selling of essential materials. Now there is nowhere to find them.
1
@tourmakeady los lunas, nm
Experts say masks aren't useful as a preventative. They are only needed if someone is sick or to be used by health care workers who are working with people with the virus. Rigorous hygiene such as hand-washing is more effective as a preventative.
Instead, the authorities need to organize an enormous testing program, which would identify people who have the virus but don't yet have symptoms, and alleviate fear at the same time. Waiting until people present symptoms and limiting testing to those who have known exposure to other cases or the "hot spots" is hugely irresponsible.
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@tourmakeady I believe the factory capacity and raw materials required make it impossible for people to simply snap their fingers and poof - make as many masks as we want. Given the uptick in global demand, I'm sure there's been an increase in manufacturing, but there are constraints on these things that the government can't just make disappear.
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@tourmakeady los lunas, nm
I read that there is a legal issue with mass producing the masks. It's related to regulations that control the masks for industrial usage. Evidently, the plaintiffs' lawyers don't want the regulations changed.
2