Can you please help us figure out whether/how we can get refunds for cancelled Broadway tickets?
@New York Parent contact the box office or ticket agency
2
@New York Parent
Yes, also, during these hard times when so many people's lives are in danger, and so many institutions and businesses are closing, where can I get my Maserati detailed?
23
Most ticketing agencies and/or venues contacted me today after Blasio announcement. Most are refunding to credit card. Some require a call.
4
We are collectively behind the curve.
Everyone needs to pitch in.
Don’t be a vector!
Action is needed now. Go find and isolate infected people. Help them, reward them and quarantine them in a facility. If you have the virus it is stupidity to think quarantine in home will work. Most people live with others, unbelievable to think they can just stay home when infectious.
Remove any stigma, rich or poor, young or old, separate and aid in recovery and healing. Anything else is wasting money, time and lives.
Fever is the tell tale sign, everyone needs to be checked daily repetitively for fever until the virus is contained. To not do so is irresponsible and borderline criminal. Identify fevers, test for virus and quarantine if positive until recovered. Do this now.
3
Some parents want the schools open. Some want them close.
No doubt that all parents want to keep their children safe, but keeping children at home could mean some parents unable to work.
Doctors and nurses are needed in the hospitals. Restaurants, shops, police station, fire station, even the government cannot open without staff. There will not be Uber if there’s no driver on the road.
Just a thought: In this emergency situation, I suggest keeping schools open for those families who cannot care for their children when parents work. Though, those who can keep the children home should be allowed to do that.
Less children will be easier for the system to handle. If schools stay open, low-income children would be cared for, and they can also get access to computers at school. When there are less kids, desks can be rearranged so everyone sit more apart from each other. Our society needs everyone working together.
Instead of interacting with the students, teachers should implement “distance-learning” even at school. Teacher can Facetime, instead of live Q & A. My son got a lot of homework from all the teachers, keeping him very busy even though his school is closed. I think homework provides stability, help the children deal with anxiety.
Unprecedented situation requires unprecedented solution.
12
Was the 500 cap on gatherings the recommendation of Las Vegas odds makers? It's like saying yes, you can be a little bit pregnant. Let's get serious and accept that we need to close down public gatherings period. It will be far less painful to do this now and take our losses than it will be if COVID-19 hits its stride and millions become sick. We need to do this now instead of waiting until we have to take too-late draconian measures as Italy has done.
10
A resounding thank you to the Chinese government for it’s secrecy and not letting in Outside Health Organization. We still have diplomatic relations Why?
9
Because they own our debt and we need to buy all the stuff the make.
10
passing this along: I was just told by a well placed media source NYC may be locked down/quarantined this weekend. Please plan ahead.
10
Close the schools and start setting them
up as temporary hospitals
6
As usual, DeBlasio is totally incompetent and even Cuomo, whom I usually admire, isn't making the right decisions. Firstly, don't call New Rochelle a "containment zone" when people can move freely between that town and everywhere else! What is the National Guard doing? Not ONE PERSON was wearing a mask, it's a total joke. Secondly, "no gatherings of 500 people or more"? REALLY? OK, how many THOUSANDS are there at any given moment in Grand Central, Penn Station or MACY'S! How about schools? Kids are on top of each other and yet "no gatherings"? Doesn't make sense! The problem is that they don't want to make the REALLY hard decisions, so they're doing everything piecemeal. Either make a stand and combat this pestilence full-on or admit that you've lost control of the situation. As to our federal government? LOOK what happens when a gangster-criminal is elected president. Divine retribution?
23
After the pandemic ends, US must work all countries in the world bringing the chinese communist down. The communist evil is the enemy of chinese people and world people. I am willing to suffer any economic loss in order to wipe out this evil.
3
I don’t see how your comment is pertinent to the situation at hand.
9
People keep saying close the schools and kids are in the streets. No mobs of kids seen in the pics of Italy or China during their lockdowns. People here dont understand that this is all out WAR. We need the will to do what needs to be done.
3
It will subside.
The city will open up again.
Then it will return..
2
I said it earlier and I will say it again. Schools are like cruise ships. Transmission is a given. The only difference is that we release the "passengers" every evening to share with the community. Absolute insanity. Spring Break starts for private schools next week, though many started this week. If we move the public Spring Break up to coincide, then we can essentially keep the entire city's kids out of school. This should buy us a bit of breathing room to slow and mitigate this epidemic. Please, before it is too late.
13
It is unconscionable that schools are still open. They are the most obvious locus of infection, 30 kids in close quarters for 6 hours a day, mixing with other hundreds in corridors and bathrooms, with low expected compliance of preventive procedures. What are the authorities thinking? De Blasio declares a state of emergency to prevent the spread of a very contagious and dangerous virus, and he keeps 1 million kids in school? Is this political calculation, incompetence or fear paralysis? This is the time for leadership to show up in the real world, not on cable news.
21
There are serious concerns with cancelling school for social welfare reasons. However, switching to a co-teaching model— using technology to stream classes and teach in-person concurrently— would be a helpful step.
Many kids with older or ill relatives could take advantage of this if those relatives could watch them, therefore reducing the risk of kids transmitting Coronavirus to vulnerable relatives. It would also reduce the density of the schools, which would tamp down transmissions in schools.
News from Italy:
"Local officials report instances of overwhelmed doctors and nurses simply leaving some elderly patients untreated; hospitals sending people with pneumonia home; and hospital staffs having to choose who to deny the use of scarce equipment like ventilators. Medical workers are collapsing from exhaustion, and taking ill themselves."
I am glad that we are taking some measures but it's not enough. NYC could end up in flames if we can't significantly flatten the curve.
8
The panic is worse than the virus. The way this has been handled by the media is terrible. It may not be what people want to hear, but the truth is there is no way to contain this virus other than common sense. Blockades of small towns, flight bans and other restrictions are not going to help. Its likely that the the virus is already widespread. If everybody stayed home for three weeks, it would cause more damage, and probably more death, than if we just stayed calm, avoided contact, washed our hands and got a good night's sleep. The reaction to this virus shows a lot about out society these days. We should remember this the next time we are asked to go to war, because right now people are acting like their lives are in danger, and in fact, they are not. Not even close. Nothing has happened that is out of the ordinary. Yes, we have had some deaths, But the worst part of this by far has been the reaction of panic and pointless extreme and costly measures that will have no effect.
6
A parent at our local elementary school has been confirmed with the virus. The principle asked the superintendent for instruction. They decided to keep the school open. As hard as it will be, schools should and will have to close in order to reduce the spread of the virus. It is only a matter of time.
6
Blasio needs to send City employees home as employers from the private sector are doing. Only essential workers need to report to work that will slow down or even stop the contagion like in Wehan. Why is government moving at snail pace?
5
A friend lives in Smithtown in Suffolk County, NY. The Smithtown School District closed all schools until March 22 even though there are no coronavirus cases in that district. They are taking a proactive approach to protect their people. Given the current circumstances, all school districts across the country should close for some period of time to slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
For those who say it's just like the flu, the medical experts disagree with you. I trust the medical experts over armchair doctors.
13
@ME agreed!
4
Cuomo should close all schools in NYC and Westchester until situation is better.
11
And what about city buses and subways. 3 million people ride them everyday...talk about a Petri dish.
9
Please report on upstate, NY as well
8
Okay, so there's 20 million people in the greater New York City area and about 1000 cases. To put it in perspective, that is .000005%. Very low.
2
@DeAnna
1000 confirmed cases. Testing has been almost non-existent so far. The actual number of cases is probably 50 times that at least.
30
@Judy Right you are. Or 100x as many!
7
Yes, it seems as though the only way we are going go cope with this is to avoid all contact with others or things that others have touched. No one even knows if they are sick, and if they were, there seems no way to get treated.
But every politician, from the town clerk to the President seems intent on telling us how their amazing leadership will get us through this, with an emphasis on who can be the most draconian in the response, while saying "the other guy" is totally incompetent. Lotsa blame, lotsa self glorification.
I guess everyone is going for the Rudy Giuliani / "Mr. Mayor" effect that he got after 9/11.
2
It's worse in the cities than out here in a rural area. A virus doctor said on Canadian radio today that rural gatherings are safe as long as it's just locals.
By the way, what's happening with the toilet paper? I'm going to have to look up what they used in the age before Purex. And folks, please don't use the Purex kitten.
1
Does it make sense to close schools?
Here are a few excerpts from recent articles about children and the coronavirus.
“A big question is can children be infected but not show symptoms and transmit it to other people,” Albert Ko said, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Yale School of Public Health. “I think that’s unknown.”
"Because so few cases have been found in children, there’s been speculation children are simply less likely to get infected."
"But many epidemiologists suspect that very mild symptoms in children may make it seem that they are not getting infected at the same rates as adults.
New data published last week by Chinese researchers showed authorities searching for coronavirus cases based on "symptoms" found lower rates in kids. But when they relied on contact tracing — and "testing" people who come in contact with a confirmed case — children seemed to be getting infected at the same rate as adults."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/10/coronavirus-is-mysteriously-sparing-kids-killing-elderly-understanding-why-may-help-defeat-virus/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/02/29/preventing-coronavirus-spread-schools/
Because we currently don't really know how the virus interacts with children, it probably makes sense to close schools until the transmission/infection rate has been slowed.
What a dilemma.
4
@nycmayor: when are you permitting staff to either TELECOMMUTE?? It’s insane that with close to 400K workers you do not have a plan for office staff to work remotely.
3
Yet De Blasio insist on keeping DOE schools open! Why? The only way to stop the virus is keep everyone home. Contingency plans should be made to provide support to families who are dependent on public schools for breakfast and lunch.
12
To Trump:
Listen to President Macron of France’s speech.
That’s the way you talk to a nation!
7
New York City needs to go into lockdown now.
Schools are Corona hubs. They need to be closed for the rest of the month. That's what's happening in entire countries in Europe.
10
Just close down the city. Now.
5
Close the schools and ban ALL gatherings of more than 200!
The schools are hotbeds of germs....they are dirty, and the staffing to thoroughly clean them doesn’t exist. It won’t be done well. In elementary schools children come in sick, literally sneeze in your face and, throw up at your feet. Grandparents often pick up many of these kids.
Ireland closes school because ONE child tests positive, and we keep schools open because we are worried our kids won’t learn? A few weeks of missed school is nowhere nearly as bad as the virus spreading.
This city needs to wake up.
9
Are they closing the bridges and tunnels?
Well, public schools are closed for 10 weeks over the summer and somehow people get by. Now is the time to act. A parent at our school tested positive, kids are waiting to be tested, yet the school cannot close.
13
I can't find any confirmation that after school activities (such as sports, plays, etc) are canceled. I only see this in the NY Times, not on the DOE website or anywhere else.
Where did the Time get that information?
3
People are on the edge and busy playing the blaming game. The one responsible entity for this chaos belongs to the administration that did not have the foresight to make available testing kits for anyone who needed to be tested. An ego driven president and in NYC an equally ego driven mayor does not make for safe days ahead.
12
It seems inevitably there will be more of a quarantined/lockdown situation here in the city.
Why not do it now to slow the spread down. Why wait till it’s worse?
16
I think we're taking the right steps by restricting sports events and other major public gatherings. The rise of the coronavirus death count in Italy is alarming, but on the other hand the containment of the outbreaks in China and South Korea is remarkable and very encouraging.
There's currently a lot of uncertainty about how serious this will get in the USA, but that will clarify gradually in the coming weeks. I remain cautiously optimistic in that regard and hope and believe that fatalities from the coronavirus will be fewer than from the common flu which kills about 30,000 in a typical season.
5
South Korea: drive-by testing.
3
"Ohio has just five known cases of the virus so far, but the governor said the move (to close the schools) was meant to get ahead of the spread and help save lives."
And yet, in NY we have 300 cases, 100 in the city (with hundreds if not thousands more undiscovered) and schools are still open because.... why? The richest country in the world can't figure out how to feed kids that need to be fed so we need to put everyone at risk?
26
There are over 3,000 students at my child’s school in the Bronx. That’s 2500 more than the new limit for public gatherings, and we’re talking about a gathering that takes place Monday through Friday week after week. DeBlasio said the 2 public schools in the Bronx will close for a day or two, just long enough to clean and sterilize. Desks aren’t spreading the virus, people are. So the vicious cycle begins again when the kids head back into the classroom.
25
Unfortunately, desks can potentially retain the virus on their surfaces for hours or even days. But a most important fact that the American government has long withheld from its people is the COVID-19 is an air-borne disease. You can get the virus if you were staying in the same elevator with a virus-carrier before s/he even shows any symptom at all. That’s why all people in East-Asian countries where the virus first broke out had to wear face masks. They wear masks to protect themselves and other people when you have no idea who’s already had the bug. Trump and his administration never told American people about that.
4
We need to find the infected. Give a reward to all who can show infection, and put them in quarantine. Make it a badge of honor to have been identified and willing to isolate. Reward.
Waiting for the infected to show up is not going to work. Lets be proactive, find them, help them and isolate until recovery.
Start with a fever check, daily. Check your neighbors, children, etc. Find the virus and isolate it. It could all be put back in the bottle, but you have to go looking for it, round it up and let it flame out. Talk to any farmer, you don't let your livestock wander around infectious.
An all out assault on the virus could knock it down quickly. Set up centers where people can be quarantined. Keep them together with help to let them recover. There is no other way until a vaccine is available. Go find the infected, quarantine and help them, and us.
It is ridiculous to think that everyone can go home and recover without spreading virus. Families will be contaminated, neighbors and everyone else. Set up centers now rather than later. Hotels can be converted over, recruit people who have recovered to help administer and operate.
Otherwise, keep doing what we are, and watch catastrophe unfold in slow and then rapid motion.
4
What about my nephews wedding ? Do they cancel postpone . There is no guidance for these events coming up in next 3-6 weeks .
1
@Barbara - I guess it depends how many people are attending, but it’s probably up to the bridal couple to decide whether to postpone. Vendors might be willing to give them some of their money back given the circumstances. I know this is not at all the same thing, but I was supposed to attend a college alumni event in NYC this weekend for which there was a fee. When I signed up weeks ago, the sign up form stated that there would be no refunds offered after a specific date. I cancelled yesterday, well after the cut off date, and asked for a refund given the circumstances. They granted one. All couples planning a wedding can do is ask their vendors and hope for the best.
Obviously I can’t tell you what to do, but I know if I had a wedding to go to in three weeks I would not be going. Guests have to consider themselves in these circumstances and at some point, brides and grooms have to consider their guests. If the show goes on there are some people who will go no matter what, like parents and elderly grandparents, for whom the consequences could be fatal. Postponing may be temporarily heartbreaking but may be also be the safest, most gracious thing for all involved. If you do go to your nephew’s wedding in the coming weeks, be careful and stay healthy.
5
I understand DeBlasio is in a tough spot with the schools, but what is worse — kids spreading it to their parents and grandparents, potentially leading to the deaths of their caregivers or coming up with some other creative solutions to getting food and care for those kids? It will cost the city money and human resources but could lead to a lot better outcomes for all kinds of families.
18
It is very apparent that there is no leadership from Washington during this pandemic. All we get are politicizations and deer in the headlights looks. It is our state and local governments who are carrying the ball as best they can, and their efforts should be commended. Even private entities are stepping up and doing what they can (the NHL, MLB, the NCAA) to help mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus, and they should, likewise be recommended for their input. But the White House? The Senate? The President and Vice President? Just absolutely useless. I hope that they don’t catch cold.
11
I just read the Belgian news.
As of tomorrow, all schools, bars, clubs, restaurants, etc. will be closed in the whole country until April 3rd. Only essential services remain open like pharmacies and grocery stores.
We can't even get our testing up and running. This has disaster written all over it.
17
We are fortunate that here in New York City we have a mayor and staff that doesn't think that science or the medical community are part of the liberal or deep state conspiracy. I hope that across America, no matter what their level of education, political beliefs or racial bias, people are able to convince their own state and local governments to address the COVID19 epidemic in a way that is not political but based on science and facts.
8
LinkNYC kiosks, over 1,500 of them on city sidewalks, need to be sanitized often, even fully cloaked airtight all-time, to avoid spreading coronavirus by touch and by ventilating fans blowing germs on users and passerbys.
4
I don’t understand how gatherings of over 500 people can’t happen, but schools are still in session with 500 and more students in a building changing classes, cramming together in the halls during passing time and at their lockers, in classrooms where they sit at desks other students have sat in throughout the day, and sharing computers all day long. I understand de Blasio’s instinct to keep schools open to support low income communities, but if that spreads the virus throughout the low income community, it is going to devastate low income communities. Closing schools combined with one other non-pharmaceutical intervention has shown to slow the spread and reduce fatalities from epidemics. We are intelligent creatures. I’m sure we can make it work with emergency unemployment benefits for caregivers who have leave their jobs to stay home with kids and food deliveries for kids who get free lunches.
27
@Deanna It's madness. France, Spain, Belgium, ... have all closed their schools. They're Corona hubs.
Why is everyone dragging their feet in the US?
5
Just followed up with my tenant who I have mentioned has all they symptoms and was in an office for two weeks with a positively tested individual. She has tried everywhere including the Coronavirus hotline. They are being very stringent on who gets tested. Because she was not in direct contact she does not qualify. Di Blasio said if you need a test you can get one. Something is not lining up. Can we get tested or not?
29
I think they want people's doctors to decide they need a test, which I assume the docs do after deciding you don't have regular flu (like by having you tested for that) and/or you are having extreme symptoms, like difficulty breathing/chest pains. I know it's easier in places like South Korea, where they have drive thru testing, but they are just better organized, with much greater planning & testing capability, than us.
4
@ELBOWTOE Please keep posting. I do not understand why the market is top of front page if it's news like this that matters more. BDB claims we may have 1,000 cases by next week. No, we have thousands amongst us we just don't know it. And our schools are still open! I understand it is not their fault, we don't have test kits. But they have to keep making noise, if for nothing else, to show the public they are willing to test and expose the ineptitude in Washington.
1
She tried all her venues. I spoke to someone up the chain and it appears my concerns are not imagination. There are not enough tests.
4
Diblasio should close city schools immediately.
Schools are a breeding ground for spread of COVID-19. The kids may be fine, but adult parents and granparents will get ill. Closing a school in response to a positive case in a student or relative will not slow the spread of the virus. In the absence of widespread testing we have no idea who has already been infected. Don't wait! Preemptive closing of schools has a shot at slowing disease spread.
Yes, many kids get meals and services at the schools. Keep these available for those who need them. Or call in the national guard or the police to help distribute necessary supplies and food.
We need our leaders to act now. Decisively and efficiently in order to have a hope of stemming this outbreak.
28
Not challenging you, but what is your factual basis for statement that schools are "breeding ground" for COVID19?
The entire NYC needs to just do a two-week lockdown. IF we don't the virus will keep growing. Perfect timing since all Broadway and events are canceled. The more we're out the more will spread. Hospitals, pharmacies, and groceries to remain open.
19
I am a school librarian in the Bronx. I recognize that many students will suffer if schools are closed, but suffering and possibly deaths will be increased if they remain open. There is a middle path. Schools could be open, for lunch, social services and even needed child care. Small numbers of students in each staffed classroom could sit apart. No more than two per table. Lunch could be served, with students required to sit separately. It doesn’t sound like fun, but it would provide a safety net.
31
There is no good solution here, but where is the community planning? Cancel schools and redirect meals to shelters and community centers where students and their families can get meals. I know parents have to go to work but how many are truly alone without a friend, neighbor or family member to pool resources for childcare. Can't we be resourceful to help our elderly and susceptible?
15
why is the limit gatherings of 500?
why not NO public gatherings. How serious are public officials about ridding this virus?
The faster we end the transmission from person to person, the faster we are done with this.
13
Close the public schools. Send home learning materials like books and paper packets. No internet required. Offer NYCDOE staff extra pay on a voluntary basis to serve food and be present in schools for students who need it. These are not difficult solutions. Oh, and spare a word of appreciation for the essential work being done daily by the staff of the NYCDOE.
17
dear mayor,
private schools are on spring break next week, so why not move public spring break to match? can always reopen after 2 weeks if conditions warrant.
you're welcome!
28
Destroy the economy before the worst. Typical of cowardly leadership.
1
Banning gatherings of 500 or more? That’s a stupid number. Like it’s safe to risk the lives of 499 people?
24
Sounds like subways, train stations and bus terminals just became illegal!
5
My kid's public NYC HS has about 1000 kids per grade. Isnt that more than 500?
CLOSE THE SCHOOLS!
32
Close the schools then the kids are in the streets; repurpose the schools for support of the students.
I just heard the news story about a man who flew from NY to FL on Jet Blue, who took the Coronavirus test, and who learned in flight that he tested positive. He should have waited until he got the test results before he decided to get on the plane. People are so selfish.
30
One more reason not to fly.
1
Mr Mayor, please set up a NYC alert page, displaying updated locations of all confirmed positive cases! Just announcing increasing numbers does not help! Mapping updates on contaminated areas worked very well in Taiwan.
19
What about Penn Station, Port Authority, and Grand Central?
12
When does Trump declare martial law? In time for the premier of "the Plot Against America"?
4
The foodie email lists I belong to keep telling me that de Blasio says it’s ok to go out to eat if you’re not sick. Talk about dangerous misinformation.
10
Enuff already. I don't know how the Corona Virus works -- no one seems to know if it is seasonal.. Not sure that it makes much difference if the crowd is 30 or 500.. In fact possibly more contact in the crow of 30, where people feel they can trust.
Was hands-- try not to touch anything, wear lovely gloves-- I would like unlined leather or several pairs of cotton... do not touch your face esp. your eyes -- and mine have been itching like mad. Do not stop getting out -- immunity is conferred via exposure,, kids on farms have less asthma!
fix yourself something yummy for dinner but not too much of it.
Don't eat bush meat even if cooked. There's always clingwrap if you run out of face masks...
2
@Anna You need to inform yourself more.
Entire countries are going into shutdown: Spain, France, Belgium ,... are closing their schools for weeks.
If we don't do the same, over 1/10 people over 75 who get the virus will die, and many children and adults whose immune systems are weakened by chronic diseases.
5
All NYC Catholic Schools will be closed beginning on Monday. What is DeBlasio waiting for?
16
Because God's imaginary, reason and science take the helm.
2
The show must not go on.
10
Close the public schools
12
Our leaders will destroy this country,,,,the more they shut things down the further we will decline into a depression. Good job guys and gals.
500. Why is it safer to be in a crownd with 500 or even 50 than 501?
Picking numbers out of the air is silly. We are supposed to stay 6 feet away from others. I guess the next time I am a group of 499 people I will try to that.
Either we want people to be well money wise or health wise. Until we get this sickness under control we can not have both.
How about running 3 shifts so that only 1/3rd works at a time. Stores can stay open many more hours and sections of a city may shop at certain times. Sounds silly? How about when we had the gas problem and only certain cars could get gas on certain days?
12
Plans to attend the St. Patrick’s parade
Or see a Broadway show
How about going to see the Knicks
Now you can’t, you know
Until this virus is under control
These things we need to suspend
Suspend until when
I don’t know, my friend
Until we know
We must suspend
Or the St Patrick’s parade?
When will this all end, my friend?
The answer
The question, my friend
Until when?
4
By all accounts the corona virus is, as an apocalyptic virus, a pretty lame bug. It has an estimated mortality rate of around 1% (compared to the Spanish Flu 2.5% or Sars 10% or MERS 34%), it does not appear to kill young, healthy adults, and it doesn't seem to have much of an effect in children at all.
Yet the ghastly response of many countries – including Italy, Iran, and the United States – makes it seem like governments in these countries came up with a plan to give this virus a fighting chance to do as much damage as possible.
The "Plan to Give Covid-19 a Fighting Chance" in the US goes something like this:
1. Let's ignore the threat and not prepare for as many weeks as we can
2. When it does appear in our shores, let's play down the seriousness of the virus as much as possible to spread the fake news that this is just a bad cold, and anything else is deep-state hysteria against our leader
3. Let's contradict scientists and experts to sow distrust and doubt in the seriousness of this pandemic
4. Let's not have tests widely available, that way we can't really know who's sick and they can spread the illness around
5. Let's keep schools open so kids can spread it to vulnerable populations while they themselves do not show symptoms and go undetected as super-spreaders
6. Let's keep workers that can work from home go to work, preferably using mass transportation
Let's follow these six simple steps, then let's sit back and relax and see our country explode.
22
Still not enough tests around. 100% Trump's fault. Time to hold the senate accountable for not removing him from office.
16
@Joe - Three of my doctors belong to a large group medical practice. The practice sent around an email detailing the coronavirus and their response to it, including requests that patients stand six feet away from the check in desk, come alone to their appointments unless it is absolutely imperative that they bring someone, and sit six feet apart from each other in the waiting room if possible (anyone who has been to my dermatologist, for example, knows how absolutely impossible it will be to do that in the minuscule waiting room she shares with another doctor). They also announced that their ability to test for coronavirus is very limited, and at this time only “high-risk” groups will be tested: the elderly, those with chronic medical conditions such as COPD, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or those exposed to a known coronavirus case. If you don’t fall into those categories you can’t be tested, and they’re basically telling you to stay home if you have flu-like symptoms but haven’t been exposed to a known coronavirus case. People with coughs, colds, sinus infections, etc., are being urged to utilize virtual urgent care services to avoid coming into the office.
We need to have widespread testing available like other countries are doing. Look at Australia - Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are getting treated there because tests were available immediately to anyone who felt sick. We need that here. Come on, federal government! Get with the freaking program.
8
Even if you got the test and it was positive you likely aren't going to be treated any differently than someone with normal flu unless you show COVID19's worst symptoms -- double pneumonia, difficulty breathing, etc. I know Tom Hanks and his wife have been hospitalized, but they are celebrities and Australian health system may want some good PR, not to mention fact the movie production company wants them well ASAP.
2
@ellienyc - They were tested because tests were available to anyone who even felt sick - that was my point. Widespread testing is what we should be doing in this country. Now, whether Mr. Hanks and Rita Wilson were whisked to the hospital after their positive diagnosis because they are celebrities is another question - Mr. Hanks is also a diabetic, so there's that to consider - but I doubt all of this was done so that the Australian healthcare system could drum up some PR. This virus isn't the type of PR anyone wants.
When Japan's numbers were lower than ours are now, they closed their schools across the nation. Yes, it involved sacrifice, but they managed to push the virus back. Now, their numbers are low while ours are high. And, our numbers are about to skyrocket; people are unprepared for what is coming. Many Americans are unaware that they are incubating the virus. We had the rare opportunity to learn from all of China's suffering, but we blew it. Now, day slips into day with our laid back attitudes, and the situation becomes so much worse for us. Close the schools now! This should have already been done. Broadway shows? Are you kidding me? NO. No way. Shut them down. It's ridiculous to even consider keeping them open. Sadly, we are listening to bureaucrats instead of virologists. We are going to have to get hit and hit hard before we make the necessary adaptations. And, that is very sad. Sadder than the temporary closing of a Broadway show... jeez.
17
@Nancy We should have imposed the travel ban from Europe much earlier !
And the usual critics blame Trump for this ban, really crazy !
Someone mentioned that we are over- reacting to Covid-19 as if it’s the Bubonic plague. That idea crossed my mind as I walk through the streets of the city with the garbage sitting for days it seems piled high and wide on the sidewalks. The rats are as plentiful as the squirrels lately. We have hospital waste sitting out there too. Now it’s hospital waste with Covid-19. Private Sanitation companies collect casually here and there. The streets are never clean. Where are the fines Mr. Mayor? Hope everyone got a good deal on their garbage contract. Enjoy it.
7
Apparently Iran is underestimating the death toll from the coronavirus. The burial pits in Iran are so vast you can see them from space. So much for being a respectful religion. Mass graves in burial pitts for citizens who died from the coronavirus.
4
@CK:
"So much for being a respectful religion."
Iran is clearly overwhelmed by the numbers of dead bodies. Similarly, Irish Catholics had to resort to mass graves during the famine of the mid-19th century. You can visit these famine graveyards/burial pits today; they're often adjacent to the former workhouses where so many died. By your reasoning, Christianity is also a "disrespectful religion."
4
We need to stop every thing for a month, like a war, only food distribution and hospitals, stop absolutely everything, people need to stay home, insulated, just call if you do not feel well.
18
It only takes one person infected with the virus so how in the world will limiting events to 500 people is going to curtail the outbreak?
A real genius in Albany is putting the public at risk.
3
There are fairly mediocre Broadway productions on network tv and millions of voracious theatre fans tune in. Why can't Broadway producers PLEASE broadcast productions on tv? We need their talent and abilities and it can be a domestic USO project. Please? Can Billy Joel give us a song from MSG on NBC? Please?
4
My spouse works in TV production. Ever seen the credits? It’s not one guy with an iphone. It’s dozens and dozens of people. Plus control rooms are tiny so it’s a lot of people in tight quarters. Also, theater actors spit a lot. Not their fault, they have to project their voices, but we don’t need this right now.
8
New York has many more cases ... just not tested yet !
12
It is also likely we had thousands of cases starting in Dec or Jan that were treated like regular flu and from which people either recovered or died. Don't forget: it wasn't until mid-late Jan that the flow of thousands and thousands of Chinese tourists to NYC was stopped.
1
To the Editor:
To all New Yorkers and visitors who care about the survival and longevity of our wonderful cultural organizations. May I suggest that you use your ticket credit from cancelled performances to either order tickets for a future performance or to make a donation to the organization? I do not work for any of these organizations, but I certainly plan to do this. Let's show that we can pull together unselfishly to keep this most important part of urban life alive.
9
Maybe I can finally get a ticket to Hamilton! Joking...of course. We should shut all things/everything down now. Full stop.
3
Meanwhile many public schools have way over 1000 students (Take Brooklyn Tech with 7000 bodies in one building)
9
It would be really helpful if NYT could be specific in their headlines and pieces whether they are referring to New York State or just New York City. As someone who lives in Upstate New York (where we have our own confirmed Covid-19 cases), the update about the bans on gatherings of more than 500 people was very confusing. The push notification and headline said NY State, but the actual piece only seemed to refer to NYC.
8
Plans to attend the St Patrick’s parade
Or see a Broadway show
What about going to see the Knicks
Now, you can’t, you know
Until this virus is under control
These things we need to suspend
Suspend until when
I don’t know, my friend
Until we know
We must suspend
1
How important is credibility and trust in the president, especially at a time of national crisis and emergency—
You can't put a value on it or overstate it.
And it's missing.
6
Just a thought: Biden's response to the virus was fact based details of clear path forward. Trump's reaction to virus was to discount the seriousness, then place blame.
Who do you trust to handle this global healthcare pandemic?
5
What is the logic of closing schools in NYC only AFTE the number of cases have become scary enough? In a week's time, if there are suddenly hundreds or thousands of cases in the city, it meant they got infected right now.
Why not be preventive and proactive instead of letting this virus take the upper hand?
This will be a life and death situation for many people. Not for me or my wife (healthy adults in their 40s), luckily not for my kids for sure, but for many people in the risk groups that we know and love.
Maybe as parents, those of us who can afford it, should make the decision to keep our kids off school. These are dire times, shouldn't we act accordingly even if our authorities won't?
19
Agreed. Although perhaps there could be a partial school shutdown, to accommodate families and children in need and provide more essential services like free lunch. We are pulling our kids from school effective tomorrow. People need to start thinking and acting for the greater public good.
7
@Christian patterson We've decided to pull our kids as well. Dire times, let's act accordingly.
1
Expanded testing and rolling school closures would make a difference. Maintaining selected drop-in centers to provide free lunches to eligible kids would work too. Japan keps some schools open on a limited basis to accommodate certain students. We can adapt to temporary and necessary measures for the public good.
11
Probably wiser to close subways/buses than theaters - huge numbers of people crowded together and then dispersed all over, spreading disease far and wide.
Oops, i forgot - everyone is so desperate for $ that they need public transit to get themselves or their employees to work. The $ always wins.
6
When you live in NYC, there must be transportation.
The people need to travel.
I have a friend who lives in the Bronx, she has to work; she lost her husband two weeks ago, lives alone with no family support as she lost her mother last spring.
She can not even buy groceries without a bus service.
People need services not theatre at this time.
6
@Dave We can't close subways. We need people who work in hospitals to be able to get to work and many rely in public transportation.
But if everyone that can work from home does, and if schools are closed, then subways will be significantly less crowded and safer to use.
9
It is time to close the schools. Risking the lives of children and even more so (since they are more at risk) the family members of school children, especially the elderly, is not the answer to addressing the hardship of poor families. He needs to find a solution to keep those children fed, cared for and educated, but putting all children at risk, including the poor ones, is not the answer. The rich children are already protected. All the private schools have closed. This is weak leadership. I'll be keeping my kids at home.
17
Don’t forget the staff working in public schools!
2
Libraries are staying open and they are filled with people who are looking for free entertainment now that theaters, concert venues and other crowded places are shut down. Most libraries do not have open windows and the same stale air circulates. If crowded gatherings are banned, why are large groups in libraries being ignored? It is irresponsible to keep libraries and similar facilities open if the objective is to reduce transmission among many people.
10
@Jamie - I wondered that myself. My church has suspended services and my yoga studio has temporarily closed, but my local library is still open, as is my local independent movie theatre. Why risk the employees’ health like that? I don’t care how much you sanitize, all it takes is one person. That person of course wouldn’t do it on purpose, but it still only takes one. If the Met can close, so can libraries and these other smaller places.
4
I am a teacher in the Bronx and the schools need to close. Kids are worried, teachers are worried and the education system is too interconnected. The virus was detected at a school in the Bronx; now all schools in the Bronx should be closed. Charter and private schools will close first followed by district but it needs to happen NOW. My school has 350 students and there are 4 other schools in the building. Why does a school not count as a gathering of 500 people or more?
37
I think any small or large gathering is a problem. Why 500 people for the NY ban? Seems so arbitrary. Can't these shows just postpone until further notice?
16
Now they can go ahead and close the schools, unless they want children to walk out of those Petri dishes and infect every adult in the community. The lack of will, leadership, knowledge, empathy, and common sense in the nation today is spellbinding.
28
Thank you! Many NYC public schools have a population greater than 500! Who will teach after the kids, as carriers, infect the teachers?
19
@DD The quickest way to destroy this country is to shut everything down. This virus primarily effects people in their 70s and 80s!
1
@MM
“Destroy the country”?
You can’t draw a line around a certain demographic that are more vulnerable and ignore the rest that are at risk at varying degrees. Not the way a pandemic operates. Young people interact with everyone outside of school, and schools themselves have older people in them as well.
It would be wise to pay attention to the warnings now of those in Italy who felt similarly about not shutting down just a few weeks ago. BTW, now they’re shut down.
7
Our government in New Zealand had a Pandemic Plan in place long before this virus even had a name. Government departments are only as effective as the annual allocation of treasury money that the government allocates to them. Trump cut back on funding to government departments and gave tax cuts. Not much help now if you look at the sharemarket; why the rich vote for Trump is beyond me. Careless, reckless, and had deregulated the financial and every other industry, that had checks and balances on them to stop a crash from happening.
14
We did, too. The Obama administration made the plan, though, so trump decided to kill the plan because he hates Obama and doesn't give a rip about the country.
5
We are seeing nothing but belated half measures. DeBlasio and Cuomo are not much better than Trump. They will only implement real containment measures when it's much, much too late. The virus is spreading exponentially now. We know this. That is what is happening everywhere it has been. We just don't know who is already infected because we have almost no testing available. So we allow it to spread, relying on imprecations to wash hands to save us. Our leaders are not up to this task, not at the federal, state, or local level.
32
I took the train into New York Penn station yesterday. There was no hand sanitizer in any facility in the station, food service or otherwise. Once I came above ground I didn't see any hand sanitizer available anywhere in any facility including restaurants. There is no way you're going to contain this if people are walking around touching things and are unable to clean their hands.
39
Having flown in last night from 3 weeks on west coast (planned the trip months ago), the difference in prep in public spaces like airports and train stations is noticeable and surprising. East coast very slow to put out necessary precautions. Long lines at sinks to wash hands the norm there now.
1
@Eileen D But there are plenty of restrooms with soap and water in Penn....
Data becomes more reliable daily. But we are nowhere near knowing how many people have been infected and have come through with mild/manageable cases. This is due in part to the lack of fast and universal testing. Once we have statistically valid information, it’s likely that the mortality rate will drop and a majority of cases will (hopefully) be classified as minor. That should go a long way to allaying fears. But it shows that while even the most effective and proactive government may not be able to fight the virus itself, it should be able to offer testing and good information.
92
@EdNY
A comparison between H1N1 and Corona deaths both by month and in total would be instructive. 13,000 Americans died in that 2009 pandemic
9
de Blasio needs to ban large public gatherings in NYC. It's ridiculous, for instance, that Billie Eilish is performing at MSG on Sunday where thousands of fans are going to be on the Garden floor crushed together.
Most of them will be young and fine, but then they will go home and infect others who might not be. What is de Blasio waiting for?
135
@Sparky And Eilish has what, 30 more shows, here and abroad in the next 2 months. Shows are often postponed when a band member is ill. What about the crowd this time? Let’s see her make a mature, adult decision. Waiting...
13
@Sparky
Exactly. And then they’ll go back to the school’s that won’t close on Monday and spread it.
5
@Sparky I'm confused. The article says that gatherings of over 500 ARE banned as of 5 PM today. I assume that would cover the concert you are talking about?
16
As long as schools stay open the spread cannot be contained. You can close down Broadway, you can close down businesses and subways and every other gathering place, but there will be no benefit if students spread it between families. There is going to have to be a point where we have to choose the least-bad decision between some painful options. The longer schools are open, the more disruptive and painful those least-bad options become.
180
@Richard Weiss Then their parents - doctors and nurses - would have to stay home and add to shortcomings of the already severely unprepared health system.
4
@Richard Weiss In many NYC households, younger students live in three generation households with elderly grandparents, a vulnerable segment of the population.
3
@Ella
Few commenters on this board think and/or are considerate of hundreds of teachers and school-building personnel in each district! These individuals, mostly women, may be exposed to the coronavirus at work and they’re exposing their children and their families as well. Why is that okay?
20
All city libraries and libraries in all college and universities are remaining open. They are actually inviting students displaced from classrooms to gather there. So what is the point of closing colleges and universities just to re-create another environment where there will be large groups of people? I just came from NYPL and it was crowded. People are bored and have nothing to do so they go to the library for free internet, books, etc.
Subways are still crowded. I took a late train and had to sit next to a woman who was constantly blowing her nose. This is ridiculous. We will be the next Italy in no time.
68
@Jamie there's also the staff that are required to come in to work at these libraries. I work at an academic library and classes are shifting to remote yet our library and other student services remain open. I get wanting to have a space available for students to use computers, resources etc, but there doesn't seem to be a response that people have to use public transportation to work and keep these places open. There's going to be a lot of unnecessary resentment if select faculty and staff are allowed to work from home yet others cannot simply because of their position.
23
@Jennifer
I understand your concern, but I think it is misleading, at best, to suggest that"select faculty and staff" will be able to work from home, as though this were some sort of conspiracy against un-select staff. Most colleges are trying to continue to serve students remotely, as long as possible. That means that you, as library staff, will be needed to provide online access to students who do not have it at their homes.
Maybe it is a mistake to try to keep classes going in any way. But, it is not some mean-spirited or snobbish effort to spare some staff while picking on you.
5
@Jamie they may ask the students to practice social distancing on the premises.
1
We're caught in a catch-22. On one hand, we need to close schools because they're basically huge petri dishes, and while most children may not be at serious health risk, they could pass along the disease to parents, grandparents, or guardians who may be at far greater risk of developing serious health conditions due to the coronavirus. On the other hand, we live in the kind of ridiculous economic system where, if we close the schools, there's the very real possibility that a significant number of children may not eat. Adding to that the issue of childcare - a lot of parents have the kinds of jobs (low-wage workers lacking real benefits, working as independent contractors on an hourly basis, working under the table, etc) where if they don't go to work, they don't get paid. And on top of that, they likely can't afford childcare.
So we're in an awful situation where we're forced between controlling spread of a dangerous disease and ensuring children can get eat and parents can put food on the table.
Add to that the staggering impact this virus is going to have on NYC's most vulnerable population - the homeless, who often lack easy access to sanitary facilities, and can't quarantine themselves if they get sick because they have no place to do so.
We need a real Marshall Plan for this - ensuring people can stay safe and healthy, while also ensuring that they can have access to food, stay in their homes (affording rent, etc), and keep an eye on their kids.
350
@Justin Yes, there are huge costs either way. Also, many teachers who are older will be put at serious risk if we keep the schools open. That needs to be considered as well.
71
@Justin Your point about children at risk of not eating is so important and more. Perhaps a real Marshall Plan could keep schools running as welfare centers -- places where staff continue to work and get paid to do things like distribute breakfast and lunches to the community in a sanitary fashion, provide information, even have city-run testing facilities. I hope officials move quick to shut down the city and mobilize resources in ways that don't leave the many vulnerable people we have to fend for themselves.
50
@AN Martin The key with that is ensuring it can be done in a way where crowds aren't congregating and sanitation is ensured, as I know most other crowd-generating events/locations have been shut down or are in the process of being shut down.
There's also the idea of perhaps sending families home with a week's worth of breakfasts and lunches, in order to limit the crowd-creating gatherings, but ensuring the kids can eat.
Still doesn't address the issue of parents being able to stay home and still get paid, but it's a step.
19
Like many of my peers, we work in the service industry. Including restaurants, bars, hair salons, nail salons, clothing stores, etc. and not only have the stress of the illness bearing down upon us but the stress that many of us work week to week, month to month. And aren’t provided healthcare. If the whole city is placed on lock down, we can’t just “figure things financially out later”. Rent is still due. Bills are still due. To work from home and still receive pay is a luxury many of us don’t have.
To shut down the city serves as a burden in more ways than one for us.
133
@CG - I would hope that your city leaders will get progressive like ours and call for a moratorium on evictions for one thing. I don't know if it has actually passed but that is on the table.
Amazon just ponied up a few million to pay neighborhood businesses for lost revenue due to 15,000 employees being told to stay home. Mike Bloomberg can certainly pay as much to help New Yorkers as he did campaigning.
53
@CG worry about your health first and worry about the health of all New Yorkers. Times like this bring out the best in most people,
7
Schools need to be closed. Work around the issues, tackle them headfirst, but close schools.
This is a pandemic, not an exercise.
21
@Moosh you gonna watch my kids or take my shift at the hospital?
1
Maybe draft the old people who are going to die anyway to provide free babysitting for kids off school while their parents work.
If gatherings of 500 or more are banned and many public schools have more than 1000 students, why are we not closing the schools? Why are we allowing this pandemic to spiral out of the control? Where is the action from the mayor or the governor? Children are spreading coronavirus to their teachers, staff, parents, and grandparents. Immediate action is needed.
Close the schools.
28
@CP I am livid at the lethargic response from the De Blasio administration
3
Academic libraries are still open for business. Today, we had two students at our campus library and one yesterday. Beyond that, we are in the long haul until April 20th. I hope my coworkers and myself can stay healthy during this time that we are still continuing to serve students and faculty.
4
I work in a New York City public school. There are more than 500 children and adults in this building. How is this not a large gathering that needs to be canceled?
56
@Cris It’s obvious that Cuomo views schools and educators as glorified babysitters. He and others simply don’t care that these women and men may be exposed to COVID-19 and may be exposing their elderly parents , grandparents, and children to this disease.
3
So student in a a grade 6-12 school "self-identified" with the virus and the school is closed for sanitation.
Can we have information on the age of student, since we are told that children are basically spared this illness; how the student was able to access the test and why this case is not receiving more attention.
I am 65, have had a fever around 100 for four days straight, tested negative for the flu via a swab test, my doctor and hospital know absolutely zero about testing protocol or costs, or location,etc, so I am headed back to school tomorrow -because I am out of sick days. Our town is near Upper Montclair a relatively income stable area to say the least - but a student in the Bronx can secure a test ??? How is this even possible ?
22
Ask your union to help. NJEA has a lot of clout with state government. Too much, some of us believe. Your low cost, high level health insurance comes to you courtesy of taxpayers, not all of whom have kids. And yes we know you pay taxes too, but you don't reciprocate by paying into our high cost low coverage plans. You're welcome.
1
@JaneK Returning to school with a fever is very irresponsible and borderline criminal. YIKES!
4
@jerseyjazz
I am in a charter school so there is no union.
1
It's hard to remember that not only the elderly are at risk—there are many who rely on family outside their building, can't afford delivery, or are single parents who must work and who cannot leave their child at home alone. My building is organizing a volunteer per floor to knock on vulnerable neighbors' doors, offering to help out (without opening doors, to limit risk of infection). I believe in New Yorkers' incredible ability to come together, to step up to any challenge. And not only New York—it's something we all must do in the coming months.
12
I just want to mention this - I’ve read articles online where doctors have been quoted as saying face masks DO NOT WORK and may INCREASE the likelihood of getting coronavirus because you are touching your face more.... WASH YOUR HANDS for at least 20 seconds, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE and try to AVOID touching surfaces when out in public. If you are concerned about something you touched WASH YOUR HANDS.
7
My daughters elementary school has more than 500 students. That’s not considered a large gathering?
15
@Katherine Lando
We are on our own. You must take the action you feel is appropriate based on your knowledge. The information about the virus is widely available.
Unfortunately, there is no "balance" with an airborne viral infection. I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette when I board a subway car on my way to and from work.
I think we wont feel the effects for another week or week and a half at least. Cuomo's lack of precaution by forcing those who can WFH to WFH will be a large nail in his coffin as a legislator.
9
There are more than 500 on every Subway train every day. Time to start working from home for everyone who can.
20
Everyone who can work from home should be required to work from home—starting right now.
Issue an edict to all NY businesses to set up their knowledge workers with VPN network access and whatever is necessary. Without state leadership demanding it, they will not do it.
There’s no time to waste. If we don’t slow the spread, the health care system cannot handle the mountain of cases and will break down. Health care workers will get sick. Like in Italy right now, they will have to make the hard choice of leaving some people to die while they focus care on those who are youngest and strongest.
19
Doctor Oz part 2
Lipkin: We also have data that will be coming back shortly on trials of a variety of drugs which I think will also be important
Oz: if you do get sick from coronavirus, how long should you expect to be ill?
Lipkin: some people have no disease at all, some people have a very mild disease in fact the majority of people have very mild disease, some don’t even necessary even know they had the need to go to a doctor. But if you get severe disease and get hospitalized in ICU even without treatment most people will recover and those people will recover in a period of 1 to 2 weeks.
Oz: if you do have the infection End it is so mild you don’t even know you have it how long are you contagious for?
Lipkin: that’s also something we don’t have a good fix on but I would say a maximum of two weeks.
Oz: lessons from China and its mass quarantine, does mass quarantine work?
Lipkin: in China it clearly slow down the outbreak and the major advantage was not even so much for the Chinese but for the rest of the world. In Columbia we are limiting meeting sizes because the probability is the more people at the meeting the higher the probability that someone in that group will be infected.
What we need now is answers, what we need now are ideas.The New York Times has a vast resource of knowledge...it’s highly intelligent readership. Now is not the time to panic, criticize or spread more fear.
What are your idea to stop the spread. You never know maybe someone out there has the answer.
Here are my suggestions. Part one
Since the age to begin worrying about this thing is 50 and above those people should stay in for the next two weeks. They get paid by their job. We don’t need the hospitals inundated. Two weeks will give us vital answers, and we will learn just how immune people under 50 are.
The unanswered question is how many people have already had Corona virus, was that sore throat you had last week Corona. People need to test for the antibodies in their system.
If you have a cough or feel sick you stay home by order of law, till you feel better.
Everybody who rides the subway or bus must wear a n95 mask, these will be handed out at the terminals. Build a factory to make them, i am so tired of hearing about shortages , make millions of them, they are masks not Sherman tanks. When we start fighting back for real, people will be less nervous, right now we are sitting ducks.
Obviously no big public gathering
Let’s work split shifts , some in the day some in the night, and space people out in offices so know one sits next to each other.
Anybody who can work for home works from home it’s a law.
No spitting on sidewalk it’s a 100,000 fine
8
@Lonnie I agree. Make more masks! During WWII no cars were manufactured. All auto plants made tanks, trucks, planes,etc. Just do the same now. We can have millions of masks much sooner!
@Lonnie Most of what you say is true but to say the NY Times has highly intelligent readers is a huge stretch...just read most of the comments to any political article.
1
Closing schools has a hundred years of historical data supporting its effectiveness. The mayor and chancellor are an embarrassment.
60
The subways.
My God the subways.
25
The subways are as packed as ever. People are not heeding the recommendation to stay home. Most frightening I heard Italian speaking tourists at Fulton Street station yesterday.
12
@April
I was on the E train yesterday around 11:00 PM. I was trying to keep my distance from people. Turns out a section of the train was pretty empty because a homeless guy was sprawled on his stomach and stretched across a whole seat. I figured, well, he's not coughing, so I sat across from him. Everybody else congregated at the other end of the train. Then I moved to the corner seat so I could sit alone. But immediately a guy squeezed in next to me, wearing gloves, looking worried, and worst of all, looking sick. Pretending I had to get off, I got off at 7th Ave and 53rd. I walked the rest of the way to Penn Station. This whole way, I noticed sick looking people and tons of people coughing, sneezing, and touching their faces. I do not have high hopes that NYC will come through this unscathed. We let our infrastructure and social safety net wither, and now we will pay the price.
7
One thing you need to keep in mind is that we are at the beginning of the spring pollen season and people like me who are highly allergic are already feeling it. While the worst of it won't be for another month or so, some people are already sneezing, coughing, and often feeling and looking sick. So don't automatically assume the sick looking person in the subway is an infected narcissist.
By the way, I have 50 or 60 masks in my cupboard and the reason is that at the height of pollen season antihistamines and flonase sometimes just aren't enough for me. I find it embarrassing to wear them, which is why I have so many left from earlier years.
2
Anyone who believes there are only 62 cases in NYC is naive. The real question is what did Deblasio get to keep the St Patrick Parade? Between the parade and the after parties it will be a real breeding ground. I guess this is how Escape From New York started and the real life reason why they will be locked down.
8
@Hellen It was cancelled
14
@Ani
Yes finally but there are serious questions as to why he waited so long. This is just an example of why his presidential bid failed. Deblasio has been a huge disappointment.
1
The parade has been canceled. The cancellation was reported widely.
Meanwhile, right here in NYC, we can’t get face masks, we can’t get hand sanitizers.... perhaps the UN can air drop some?
What a country.
34
@A. Simon Hong Kong has managed to gain a modicum of control and they attribute it, in part, to everyone wearing face masks. While they don't protect people 100% from the virus, they do offer some degree of protection, and nowadays, we've all got to hedge our bets. However, our government is telling us not to wear them. "Experts" on the teevee imply that they are useless, but they are afraid to come right out and tell us that they don't offer us any protection because they know better. The only reason we have been discouraged from using them is because we don't have enough. It's outrageous!
9
I’ve read online articles from doctors - Face masks DO NOT WORK and may actually INCREASE the likelihood of getting coronavirus because you will be touching your face more. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE and try to AVOID touching surfaces when out in public. If you are concerned about anything you touched WASH YOUR HANDS
@A. Simon, yes you can. A scarf, handkerchief, or other scrap of cloth should be just as effective as a disposable face mask. Soap and water are very effective at sanitizing hands. Are we victims of bad government or victims of our own helplessness?
Schools in Smithtown in Suffolk County on Long Island are closing.
7
The hysteria is worse than the virus. You'd think the bubonic plague was sweeping across the world.
16
@Nat Until you get it, then..... and FYI, bubonic plague would be better.... that was caused by bacteria, not viruses...
@JPV0729
Bubonic plague can easily mutate into pneumonic plague, which is every bit as lethal and much more contagious.
1
CLose the schools and have thousands of marauding kids on the streets making mischief
7
Broadway shows should be shut down immediately and for the near future. They are like being on a large plane for a 2 hour flight!
9
@BMD
They did. A friend with tickets for Saturday called Ticketmaster and was told they would receive an automatic refund.
I’m at the hospital now trying to get a test. I have clear symptoms. The very kind doctors and nurses said there are no tests here. They are only for people with complications who are being admitted. They said “ NY is not doing widespread testing”.
They will probably send me back out into the world with the instructions to come back if I can’t breath.
40
@kryan, please share band of hospital.
3
Even if you got tested and tested positive, your recommended treatment would likely be no different than for regular flu -- bed rest at home, lots of fluids and chicken soup, etc., UNLESS you had severe symptoms suggesting double pneumonia (difficulty breathing, chest pains,).
1
What do you expect the test to do? It does not govern your treatment. If you have serious symptoms, you get treatment. You probably need to stop hanging a hospital. Only sick people are there.
1
Shut down all movie, Broadway, and off Broadway theaters for 30 days, to start. No attended sporting events, concerts, or any venue with more than a small number of people.
10
Why is Mayor deBlasio not closing the city schools? He is leading from behind. Completely unacceptable. Governor Cuomo is displaying much better leadership...
20
I continue to be outraged that the DeBlasio administration does not have the courage to act decisively now. We are already past the time to stop public gatherings. It should have happened on Sunday. Shut down Broadway shows and movie theatres now. This lack of leadership is truly irresponsible. Make people who work in offices start working from home immediately. Reduce the flow and congestions on trains immediately. Do it now.
23
First and foremost - the people who will be very ill are the elderly and those who have severe medical conditions- we know this from China and other countries. Unfortunately the administration put on the MAGA caps (Most Antagonistic Geriatrics Around) and decided to ignore experience and the US medical experts who went to China to study the virus. We are reinventing the wheel to the detriment of the country and world economy. Now we learn a Brazilian was infected at Mar A Lago - is Trump a carrier? Looks like it should be closed. Why should he be exempt?
12
Everyone should be acting as though they’re infected until they know otherwise. If you’ve got a cold or cough, stay at home. Anyone who can telecommute should be doing so. In public we should be keeping our distance and minding the personal space of others. And for the sake of all that is good and holy, we should be cleaning our hands often, and as if we just gave Harvey Weinstein a massage on a balmy summer day.
Our government can’t stop robocalls, expecting them to thwart COVID-19 is pure folly. The government will allocate resources; medical professionals will treat victims and search for a vaccine, but preventing the dissemination of this virus is up to us as individuals.
Now is the time for all Americans to…
Prepare for the worst
Assume you’re infected
Never touch your face
Isolate yourself
Clean your hands as if you just massaged Harvey
Positive thinking is for the already infected, for everyone else, think negative, stay negative.
11
State Senator Will Brownsberger has posted a chilling report of the medical crisis in Italy.
This from a doctor in Italy:
And while there are still people on social networks who pride themselves on not being afraid by ignoring the indications, protesting that their normal lifestyle habits are “temporarily” in crisis, the epidemiological disaster is taking place. And there are no more surgeons, urologists, orthopedists. We are only doctors who suddenly become part of a single team to face this tsunami that has overwhelmed us. The cases multiply, we arrive at the rate of 15-20 hospitalizations a day all for the same reason. The results of the swabs now come one after the other: positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the emergency room is collapsing... Oh yes, thanks to the shortage of certain devices, I and many other colleagues are certainly exposed despite all the means of protection we have...
This from a doctor in Boston in touch with doctors in Italy:
More deaths among doctors and nurses in Italy- now so many healthcare workers home with pneumonia or symptoms (a few with ARDS intubated in ICU). The president of the Lombardy region of Medicine (something like the Mass AMA President) just passed away this morning for COVID-19. He had symptoms yesterday, intubated at night and cardiac arrest few hours later. He was a PCP and kept working for directing people either to the hospital or keeping them home.
https://willbrownsberger.com/slowing-down-the-pandemic/
11
“As of Thursday morning, New York City had 62 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, nine more than on Wednesday, the mayor said.”
62 out of how many tested?
9
If you are feeling nervous I urge you to watch the Dr Oz show today, he had Ian Lipken from Columbia university, one of the top experts on virus who traveled to Wuhan to see first hand the ground zero of the outbreak.
Here are some of the main answers, this is the absolute latest news
How long can the virus live on surfaces?
- so Vincent Munster and a team at NIH in Hamilton labs in Montana have recently completed a study, their data suggests that it can last up to 48 hours on plastic and metal.
The doctor suggested you wear gloves when touching anything, subway poles, doorknobs,etc,
There are some very big advancements in the treatment of people who have the virus, one involves taking the blood from someone who has already had the illness , taking those antibodies and putting it into someone who is about to die. What does that data from your colleagues in China show?
- the communicating author on this paper the former minister of health, and what they found is that if you take plasma which is basically a component of blood which doesn’t have any blood cells in it and you give it to somebody who is very very ill that in a series of 10 patients they were able to save everyone of these patients, they were able to reduce the disease, now larger trials are needed to see if this can be reproduced but I am confident that this is going to make a difference. This suggests that we are going to have some therapies that we can use immediately.
End part 1
1
It would be instructive if the NYT would publish a monthly and running total of deaths from H1N1 (2009) and Corona (2020).
Having this data the average American would have real life data to provide context to the evolving situation.
7
In 2009 the swine flu infected 1.5 billion people resulting in 500,000 deaths. No one even remembers it. Why? The media didn’t hype it up out of control, and Republicans didn’t weaponize it politically. What Democrats & the media are doing with the Coronavirus outrage is ridiculous. All to get Trump. As more & more people wake up & realize the debauchery the media & Democrats have engaged in, both organizations will collapse.
5
@JOSEPH I agree that there is a lot of hysteria, and have been looking into the response to H1N1. But perhaps we can hope that there is a way to use the hysteria to catch it before 500,000 people die.
5
@JOSEPH REALLY? Nobody has to be out to get Trump. If anyone is after him (and is for sure, now getting him) it's KARMA!!
@JOSEPH Yes, the entire world is out to get Trump. And the entire world will collapse as a result. Enjoy.
3
Close the public schools
6
The simple answer is to cancel all museums, schools, shows, movies, restaurants, bars, and other places (other than workplaces and essential stores) where people gather. For three weeks, which might be extended if needed.
28
Every hour of every day the question should be, where are the tests? Where are the tests? Where are the tests? Lack of testing is pushing this crisis to be 1000x worse than it needs to be.
60
@Susi It’s inexcusable.
5
What do you expect the test to do? Are you going to get a test every day because you can get exposed every day? Of course not. Tests are for people in a hospital to diagnose their ailment. Tests do not drive treatment for people not in a hospital. Only symptoms do.
1
Why are people stocking up when, and if you need to self isolate, you can buy your groceries online and they will deliver to your home for a very small fee. In NZ you can just buy your groceries in a virtual supermarket, pay for them over the internet, and they will deliver. You'd just tell them to leave them at the gate or inside the gate or front porch.
5
@CK
And who is the "they" that have to go out to deliver? The larger point is not just isolate individual people AFTER they are symptomatic. It is to slow down the spread by reducing contact among the entire population.
9
@Marta They are Countdown supermarket grocery delivery service.
https://shop.countdown.co.nz
1
I don't understand how that Bronx student was tested positive but that result was not entered into the city/state/ or federal database? Are there other cases not being counted? That seems worrisome.
23
I’m an ER doctor. The 15% who get very sick will overwhelm healthcare rapidly. This is no joke. Even in NYC. This could get terrible very quickly. The Mayor needs to lock down the city now, nightclubs, B-Way, MSG, Barclays, subway. People will help each other not starve etc. as NY’ers do. That is the least of the concerns. Ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.
275
@BK Sounds like a tidy program. And how will all the unemployed workers of these establishments pay their rent etc? No subway is a recipe for complete economic collapse. Sorry Doctor, I cannot imagine this is rational
11
@Frumious Bandersnatch There should be rent forgiveness or some sort of exemption. More important is to stop the spread. We are facing economic collapse no matter which way you look at it. Another Great Depression will hit once the dust has settled and the virus goes away
12
@Frumious Bandersnatch
No it is very rational
What is not rational is cult like focus on financial considerations as a primary concern.
Where there is a will there is a way.
26
Mr. Mayor, please set up a NYC Coronavirus hotline and drop-by free testing sites, and then disseminate that info to NYers. Right now there is no system in place.
36
There are not enough tests, that is why he has not done this.
24
Political leaders' commitment to serious action seem to lag continuously behind events. The leaders announce today actions well-tailored to address problems which needed those actions a week before yesterday. Maybe that is the nature of politics. But it is not serving the nation adequately now.
Epidemic statistics the NYT keeps up-to-date and publishes continuously now show the U.S. notably behind other developed countries—behind essentially all of them—in implementing effective tactics to: reduce the rate of increase of the epidemic; husband life-saving technology; and to preserve life.
If political leaders stay unwilling to be proactive, that trend seems destined to become ever-more-evident. Of course the cost in lost lives and social disruption will be far more important than the mere fact of embarrassing numbers. On the other hand, energetic attempts to improve the numbers might save a lot of lives.
6
I seriously hope secondary hospitals, for instance in the Javits Center, are being planned.
28
You are not going to get better treatment at a triage site in a convention hall than you would at home.
@Michael Blazin I have to imagine that Elliot is not proposing an alternative to staying home. He's more than likely proposing an alternative to spreading the virus and then dying on the street because there are not enough hospital beds available for those who are seriously ill.
I also pictured places like the Armory or MSG being used in the same manner.
4
Why introduce restrictions when you are not testing people anyway? Why ban EU travel, if we don’t care who has it or who gets it, because it is already spreading through the community?
We have a liar in the White House. The states need to do better than our federal government. I am guessing that most of us will have milder forms, so they do not want to impede the system with people who can recover at home. However, just be forthcoming.
37
Why we should protect people over 50 for the next two weeks. Two weeks from now we will know with concrete certainty what we are dealing with. We will know how long it takes to recover from the virus and have it completely out of your system. We will know how deadly it is.
The people, the first people infected in our region are like pioneers. They are going first. Soon they will be on TV talking about their experiences, like the people from the Diamond Princess who recovered. Scientists will learn a lot. So will we, and knowledge trumps fear.
Two weeks is two weeks more of innovative treatments, something is going to work, you will see.
The people 50 and above are the vulnerable population and get the most severe cases, if people over 50 are ordered to stay out of work, out of bars, restaurants, grocery stores, they will have less of a chance to get sick, and inundating the hospitals. It’s like taking the prey away from the predator.
Governor Cuomo I urge you to tell people over 50 to do all those things. Otherwise they will be forced to go to work, get sick, spread the virus and destroy our hospitals.
The time is now for bold action, everybody write of call the governors office . Let’s take away the fear with a few quick, bold decisions. I am tired of depressing press conferences where the governor tells us how things are getting worse, let’s get proactive.
19
@Lonnie I think you meant to write "people over 80", maybe? Us folks between 50-60, and even many 60+ year olds, are as hearty and healthy as many 20 year olds. I guarantee it. Best not to age-discriminate, anyway, even for something as serious as this. Heck, if you're going to call us OLD and vulnerable, then let us retire now (at 50).
2
Mayor DeBlasio, forcing a million plus kids to go to school where they are at a much greater risk of exposure to the virus based on the excuse that poor kids will starve isn't just being dishonest its immoral. As you well know there are a lot of ways that low income and homeless families can get food in the city. Countries around the world are closing schools to limit exposure. Those countries have poor and homeless but aren't hesitating to close schools. Kids can and are catching the virus, a small percentage are getting sick, but even if they don't they spread the virus to their parents and grandparents and many of those people will die. Instead of injecting your politics into everything please actually do what's in the best interests of the city for once and close the schools.
39
How are they transporting those laptops like they Kanye West? Total disregard for cost of expensice technology.
What's it like to have a paid sick day?
Such luxury items are out of the reach of the many temp office workers.
Staff is such an expensive burden on corporations of today--leaner, meaner and more competitive without such pesky burdens as people.
9
Madison Square Garden holds about 20,000 people at full capacity. If the Billy Eilish Concert happens and hypothetically 18,000 people attend, it's almost a certainty that at least one of those people will be positive for Covid-19. How can the city and the Department of Health not step in and shut it down? It's completely irresponsible for them to do anything less.
39
@Andrew .. Agreed. At 62 and with a compromised immune system, I have been forbid from going to the STYX Concert Sunday night but the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side (owned by MSG) has not said anything about cancel/postpone so
, while I could have my kids go, I cannot... and of course I really bought the tix for me. Luckily, Amtrak will let me cancel, but we need for shows to stop so we can all get on the same page.
15
@Andrew They don’t want to have to paying staggering breach of contract fees.
So, closing venues "of over 1,000 people" is an answer? Otherwise, we're good to go, Broadway! Ha!
5
@Ellen . actually, they should stop all meetings over 250 (about the size of a packed F train car) since we need to stop the spread or all life will stop like it did in Wuhan. By the way, the Chinese are now over this with no new cases. We need to get there too.
6
New York City should shut down schools. Even if kids are not at risk for having the virus become serious, they are absolutely super-spreaders.
31
Uber eats just told their drivers to drop off food , leave it at door than leave,now every other company that delivers, especially amazon should do the same . This is how things work, one person comes up with a good idea, the rest follow suit. Business leaders can have a lot of say in keeping this from spreading. Wake up everybody time is of the essence.
12
And, Columbia University just went online for the rest of the semester. This is a good decision that should help to protect people, but it is important to note the disruption to student lives.
10
I don’t get it why they’re not distributing masks and ramping up testing. They’ve had 2 months to get ready...
it’s a 3rd world experience - no masks, no tests, no hand sanitizers, and shortage of all kinds of cleaning equipment in NYC
57
Masks only help if you already have the virus, it doesn’t really prevent somebody from getting it. If it makes you feel better, West it, but it’s pretty useless. Also wearing a mask is pretty useless if your hands are exposed while doing so.
1
Masks don’t do anything unless you are medical worker that spends hours around sick patients. Testing is a waste unless you have symptoms. We don’t have enough tests for 330 million people to calm their jitters. Soap works as well as sanitizer.
4
@Michael Blazin Mass testing does work to flatten the curve, that being its essential function. That this works is evident from the results in other countries.
2
Canceling the New York St. Patrick’s Day parade was a very smart move. This is the largest parade in the world and putting over one million spectators’ lives at risk would be very unwise. I am Irish and love this parade but I do not think people are much in the mood for celebrating with this coronavirus threat hanging over our heads. There was too much at risk and once this virus goes away people will want to have something to celebrate. The end of this outbreak will be certainly a joyous occasion and people will be ready for a wonderful parade. The Irish certainly know his to put on a show.
27
The last sentence should read: The Irish certainly know how to put on a show.
3
None of the volunteers in the photo assembling bag lunches or the National Guard distributing food are wearing masks. This is not good. Surgical masks prevent asymptomatic individuals from transmitting the disease or anything else. People preparing or assembling food for distribution during a "pandemic" should be wearing masks. This virus can live for a week on some surfaces. This lack of protocols is literally going to be "the death" of some people.
28
@Belasco This is what stumps me also. We keep hearing that 'wearing a mask (as a healthy person who does not have the virus) will not prevent you from possibly getting the virus from a sick person in your midst'. But.... as the past weeks/days demonstrate, many people in our midst may in fact have the virus and not realize it. So as for me, I'm wearing a mask because 1) it can't hurt and 2) I see all of our wearing masks as a 'service' to those around us. More of us have the virus than we know, so we should all err on the side of caution re: infecting others.
9
Wearing a mask is NOT a service to those around us. As a reminder, there are shortages of masks for those who need them most: healthcare employees, people with symptoms, and those with vulnerable immune systems. If they can’t get masks, then healthy people monopolizing the supply of masks increases chances of deaths, particularly since the Coronavirus is, for those of us who are healthy, simply a short lived flulike illness.
1
Much analysis has gone into the difference in response between those countries who seem to have a handle on this (Hong Kong, Japan, and S Korea) and places that dropped the ball (Italy, and now maybe the rest of Europe)
Sadly, we are following Italy’s example. Maybe even worse.
10
I don’t know what you mean by “dropping the ball” . You must be a public health expert knowledgeable of Italy. Italy was the epicenter of the spreading after China and Korea and went through unprecedented measures of containment. Only democracy that went on a full lockdown. Only European country to have undertaken from the beginning a massive number of tests. This how Italy managed to prevent far worse consequences. Saying this, every country would shake facing such a new and widespread threat.
As a foreigner living for years in NYC I am rather concerned with the overall capacity of the US health system to manage epidemics and CDC being fit for this challenge. But this is another issue for which we all hope for the best.
4
@JB
U.S. has one of the lowest death tolls. Data is what counts not feelings. The U.S. experienced 13,000 deaths from H1N1 in 2009 and there was hardly a media ripple
1
I believe it is unethical to keep the public schools open during a pandemic.
The goal must be to use all means possible to stop the spread of the virus to protect vulnerable populations and slow down the rate of serious cases so that hospitals don't get overwhelmed.
We must get serious about flattening the infection curve to mitigate the effects of the virus and lower the mortality rate.
53
@Mme Chauchat I disagree. Children are more immune from the disease. Among those tested in NYC, so far, only 62 people in NYC have tested positive as of 10:30am this morning. By contrast, there have been 2700 new cases of the flu reported in NYC this week alone, but the actual count is much higher because many people don't seek treatment for a flu. In New York State this season, there have been over 140,000 reported cases of the flu and yet we hardly even think about that.
Furthermore, where would the kids go? Many would wind up going to libraries, day care centers, or to work with their parents where they'd still be around many other people and many would be traveling on buses or subways to get there.
So I don't think it's necessary or viable to close all the schools yet.
6
Kids can transmit the virus to frail adults and those with comorbidities.
26
Children are not in the vulnerable populations. They should stay away from grandparents or people that have other issues, but they themselves will be ok. How many kids would be hurt staying out of school and getting into all kinds of problems?
2
Imagine graduate business school/MBA students having to take their courses online, rather than in person, that would stripped them from the main benefit of business school in the first place, which is the face-to-face interactions with classmates. (Their education would never be the same, and hence, the value of their diplomas will also be tainted in the job market.) The shift would quickly make any $100K-or-so annual tuition further overpriced, unless of course students get their tuition payments reimbursed significantly--and this should apply not just to MBA students but more broadly for all university students (but the impact of an in-person-to-online-shift would be to a lesser extent so maybe the tuition reimbursement should be less too when measured as a percentage of total tuition payments made).
2
@Andy : I would think the face-to-face contact during a pandemic would be a liability, not an asset. Better that the schools close and allow students to come back next semester.
15
@Andy - In this day and age, you have just as much face-to-face online as actually in the same room. Every night, some of my neighbors gather around the table, turn on their laptop, and have evening prayers with their family on a South Pacific island. Other than "laying hands" on each other, its the same experience as being at the same table.
A lot of these students you refer to have grown up online playing multi-player video games. They have their teams which could be scattered across the country all tied together. I often watch live teaching videos with live comments on the side. The only thing missing is seeing which weird getup a classmate wears today.
On a planet that is dying from humans and their traveling around, learning to stay at home and talk to each other abroad will have great benefit for all creatures.
7
@Andy I think it will have no impact whatsoever. I've never heard of any employer asking how much interaction someone with an MBA has had with other students and no one ever asks for grades. At this point in the year, a graduate student is probably working on their thesis and not taking very many courses.
And good teleconferencing software enables interaction anyway. It's not quite the same as being there, but it's close.
Tuition reimbursement is another matter, but I doubt it's going to happen.
2
There is a focus on Broadway. If the mayor decides to follow the 250 and above number, this could also affect off and off-off-Broadway.
9
Bill de Blasio wanted to be a leader among mayors. He tried to organize a national mayor's conference nobody came to. He looked at running for president until the cricket chirps were too loud to ignore.
Well, here's his chance.
What about it, Mr Mayor? If you're willing to put aside the fights over statues of women and testing standards for our elite high schools, you might actually have something real to do here.
23
@Talbot
I hate to say it, Giuliani during 9/11 and Bloomberg during various hurricanes and snowstorms are starting to look pretty good. And believe me, not easy to compliment Giuliani.
5
Please don't promote "Elbow bumping". Latest statements from researchers say that still renders the participants too close and allows for transmission. Some reports now say keeping 15 feet apart is recommended.
As for greetings. The Roman style salute where you tap your fist on your heart to acknowledge another serves.
16
@Belasco Or the peace sign, or a smile, or wave ...
CLOSE NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW, Mr. Mayor and Gov. Cuomo.
By closing the schools for 2 weeks, we can stop the spread. Yes, it's harder on families that need schools open for their reasons - but it shouldn't be on the DOE to care take with regards to meals and childcare.
Another Department like Social Services and/or the Dept of Homeless should be the main point of help - not the schools. Why are the many being sacrificed for the few?
41
@BK Christie Closing the schools won't necessarily accomplish anything. First of all, as of 10:30 this morning only 62 people in all of NYC have tested positive for the virus. Children are more immune.
Compare that to 2700 new reported cases of the flu in NYC this week alone and 140,000 cases in all of New York State this season alone. We have selective panic.
If the kids weren't in school, I guarantee you they won't be self-isolating at home. They'll be in parks, libraries and taken to work, where they'll be interacting with far more people than at school and also traveling on subways and buses. The best action is probably to keep them in school except in any case where someone in a particular school has become infected.
Having said that, NYC public school students will be off from April 9 - 17 anyway. If the number of cases increases substantially between now and then, maybe they should close on March 30th. At least that would give parents 18 days to plan.
1
@Martin Brooks Where is the evidence that children are more immune? Given that infections in NYC schools are still near 0, with the exception of the schools mentioned in the article, this is precisely the moment to curb the spread.
Why would we wait for one case to develop in a building and possibly infect hundreds of others to do something about this pandemic? What about the adults: the teachers, the administrators, the staff and their families? Do they not deserve to be in quarantine?
April break along with unused snow breaks should be moved into March, and schools should be closed for the next two-three weeks.
8
@Martin Brooks Wow....just take a look at Italy, Iran, South Korea and ALL other European countries trying to play catch up, including ours.
It's math and the #'s go up exponentially...
With social distancing, we can stop the opportunity of the virus spreading... why are we taking chances?
1
I work in several East Harlem public schools, schools that feed children who otherwise might not have enough to eat. The schools need to close and we need to figure out a way to feed those children. Small children can be taught personal hygiene, but they also forget to wash their hands occasionally and touch themselves and each other CONSTANTLY. And anyone who lives with children touches them (hopefully). The contact and proximity are extreme. Once it is in a school, every child is exposed and bringing it home. It's not like an office where adults can process the idea of "social distancing" and will become almost OCD about hand washing and hand sanitizer. Kids are kids.
102
@RE I agree, Schools should close for 14 days until more is known about this virus and its spread. And the children at risk must have their meals.
Childcare needs somehow to be provided too. Parents work during school hours. And all this has to be put together without placing dozens of kids together in the same place.
Healthy people, including kids, can be carriers. Nobody is testing those without symptoms, so we have to assume that some children and adults have been exposed to the virus but are not showing symptoms. They can still spread the illness. There are school children with compromised immune systems too. No easy answers to these complex problems.
4
It isn’t just about schoolkids; the elderly are about to become an endangered species.
As officially noted by the CDC, coronavirus is already especially dangerous for those in their 60s, 70s, 80s and up because affected oldsters are dying or becoming seriously ill much more frequently than those under 60.
It has dawned on me that coronavirus may be used as an excuse to cancel US 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 recommended 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 60.
Indeed, this under-60 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 recommendation is being made in Italy now, but in a couple of weeks, when US hospitals and ICUs start to overflow, the policy will be considered in the US. Actors, politicians and elites over age 60 have the money and power to get preferred treatment for coronavirus; the fate of the rest of us oldsters is up to the vagaries of the virus.
Why hasn’t AARP picked up on this?
38
@Mon Ray - Every hospital, health department, and emergency response team has practiced emergency plans, triage policies and procedures in place for how to prioritize and allocate limited resources in the event of an emergency. Trying to make changes to a planned procedures during an emergency will lead to confusion, misapplication of resources, and diminished care for all patients.
Arguing for a first-come-first-serve admission plan means that patients with severe conditions may die while waiting in line behind behind patients with mild, non-life threatening conditions. Arguing that hospitals should prioritize treatment of those least likely to survive above those who are more likely to survive means that we could ultimately see more overall deaths as patients who started as easily treatable are allowed to worsen until they reach a critical status.
2
@Mon Ray Hysteria helps no one. What you are describing isn't new. It's called triage. It's a sensible, necessary measure meant to deliver scarce resources where they'll do the most good. You're insinuating that there's some sinister plot afoot to euthanize everyone under 60 & that's irresponsible fear-mongering. Find something useful to do.
2
@Mon Ray Your comment is ridiculously premature. Triage will not be based strictly on age, but on the underlying health of the patient. As to your writing of "cancelling" boomers you have adopted another void-of-thought, au courant meme. And exactly where did you get your degrees in epidemiology, virology and public health?
2
Mayor Diblasio. It's time for decisive action.
The NBA suspended it's season and you are allowing Broadway theaters to decide for themselves.
It's okay it for them to keep the actors away from fans after the performance at the stage doors but all of the members of the audience have to sit on top of other theatergoers as well as travel to get to the theater district and then home.
Shut them down. Keep New Yorkers and visitors safe!
66
Regarding NYC-based CUNY/SUNY schools: Why is the mayor/chancellor/governor allowing online teaching (faculty and students may work/learn remotely) but insisting that staff and administrators (most of whom commute into the city, often using various forms of public transportation) continue coming into the city to work?
Why not keep the dorms open, but shut the offices on the campuses down? We are being told to limit public transportation and practice social distancing, it's great that the CUNY/SUNY system is going online, now what about the rest of the workers who are being told they can't work remotely? I'm surprised this hasn't been addressed; if it has I would love to know more about it.
I have older relatives and friends (50+) who work in NYC-based CUNY/SUNY schools and I'm worried about them and their elderly parents/neighbors/immune-compromised colleagues, etc...Thank you.
24
Keeping open MSG? Thousands going to Billie Ellish on Sunday in an already older and not spotless facility. Attached to a train station. That is irresponsible and we certainly know the owners are not going to restrict it! There is not enough testing of the workers there to prevent the spread. Are you going to scan everyone before they enter? Every other major city and sports organization has put in mass crowd precautions. We must be responsible with social distancing!
64
@Meg Columbia-Walsh toooooootally agree!!!! My daughter is heart-broken, but we will not leave Montreal to take her to a concert in NYC. No way!
4
I'm certain many of us have already had it and treated it like what it is. A bad cold or mild flu. I understand that the fatality rate is higher. I believe it is higher from tornados, and the recent US fatalities resulting therefrom got buried in the news.
13
@Brooklyn yes, that’s quite possible, but is there a test to see if you have the antibodies? This why the people in new Rochelle are in a way lucky, when they come out of quarantine, they will have the antibodies.
3
@Lonnie Presence of antibodies simply means an individual was exposed at some point. It does not speak to whether an individual is actively shedding virus, or when an individual was exposed. To @Brooklyn's point, a large number of folks who are immunocompetent may have been exposed and transmitted the virus but were none the wiser because their immune response was sufficient to contain the virus with only minimal symptoms or discomfort
5
If we had a hurricane the city would close. Ditto for a blizzard. Life goes on, but in an epidemic, for some, life will not. Hong Kong has proven that containment and community wide testing works. The United States is acting like a third world country. No pain, no gain, Mr. Mayor.
120
@et.al.nyc
Hurricanes and blizzards last a day or so. The damage is done in a day. Viruses remain alive and are contagious for long periods. No way is this this same.
2
@et.al.nyc - Seattle will close all schools over 2" of snow but so far, most of our schools are still open. The University of Washington shut down after students signed a petition once a staff member tested positive.
6
"Mr. de Blasio has consistently said that he will not implement mass school closures unless the situation changes dramatically”
This is not what proactive and preventative action looks like. How dramatic do you need it to get? Schools should close now. Get food to families that need it. These two issues should be treated separately right now.
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@A Agreed. I think the mayor is considering the political cost of the possible backlash from millions of parents who have to work and don't have childcare. He may have to do the responsible thing and disregard the political cost. What an idea!!
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@A I Agree. Closed schools so that we can contain spreading within the school (i.e, kids, staff, teachers) and eventually to parents. Impacted parents could then pass the virus to their co-workers.
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The responsible course is to keep the children in school unless the threat is to them. You turn millions of kids loose on the city for several weeks and the injuries to them will far exceed anything from a virus. If the elderly and others with conditions need to avoid children, that is their issue. At last count, have there been any complications to children anywhere in the world?
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Some more suggestions part 2
Deliveries : there is no face to face contact when making home deliveries. You pay everything by credit card, when the delivery person arrives, he leaves it in front of door( have a shopping cart out there, you don’t want it on ground.) you collect it when they leave
Hospitals, every second hospital is only for regular emergencies, we don’t need every hospital in the city getting brought down by Corona virus, designated hospitals will be assigned, you go there when you feel you might have it, either go by ambulance, there should be people out front of the emergency room to steer you into quarantine rooms or tents.
Testing. It should be done in your car, to keep people from getting Corona while being tested for it. Orchard Beach in the Bronx has one of the biggest parking lots in the city, you could literally have 10 lines of cars , lined up to be tested.
I literary have a thousand ideas, I wish I could speak to the mayor or governor directly, we can slow this thing down to a crawl, while we protect the must vulnerable. The key is that when we see a real plan in place that’s when the tide turns and people begin to feel like we have a plan, we are going to beat this and New York City will lead the way.
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I don’t have a car. Many if not most people do not have cars. Then what?
There should be separate testing centers all over the city. You’re right - we need to protect the hospitals and our health workers. We need them! This is the real issue that is not being discussed enough. Without careful planning we could wipe out our entire health care system.
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@Lonnie What if someone doesn't have a car? Most people in NYC don't have cars...
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@BA it’s a giant parking lot, people can take a bus, walk, ride a bike . While standing on line everybody should be 10 feet apart. This is where the size of the parking lot helps.
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What we have is the so-called “number of cases,” not anything like the true, actual number of cases — which is unknown, but drastically higher than the so-called number. It is irresponsible to report the “number” without vividly stating this qualification every single time. What we have is the count in a place where people are not freely offered testing — where, in fact, restrictions on testing are both draconian and inconsistent.
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@Ellen K.
Or noting that a large number of asymptomatic people would also drastically lower the mortality rate for COVID-19.
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What is testing going to do? Do you get tested everyday? Every time someone sneezes across the room? Testing healthy people is a waste of resources. Test people at the hospital that have indications. People without symptoms running off to get tested to quell hysteria is no different than fighting at a Costco for toilet paper: a complete waste of resources.
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One of the most frustrating things about this epidemic is the lack of a regularized channel of official communication from city officials. Some days we can a press conference. Other days we get second hand reports from television interviews. Vague discussion about “possible restrictions” which are only negatively defined (not closing schools, not closing Broadway shows, etc.) only serve to increase anxiety without providing useful and actionable information—the type of information shown to increase ease and calm in a worried population. I even signed up for the text alerts the city is providing on COVID, and they are worthless platitudes about washing our hands. This is not enough.
I realize the mayor and governor are in a bind and facing many roadblocks from the federal government, but most of the problems with communicating to a worried populace rests in their hands. Without clarity, I am sure I will continue to see citizens passing rumors in the checkout lines at grocery stores, as their eyes dart around wondering if they too need 30 cans of beans, or a tub of disinfectant. The virus is bad, but the secondary effects from panic and misinformation are what I fear most.
Take care my fellow New Yorkers, and for those in quarantine I wish you rest and health.
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I would like to know why free standing testing centers aren't available to us? At least we would know whether to quarantine ourselves at home. Asymptomatic people are freely moving, untested and potentially infecting others.
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@bronxite: if you're asymptomatic why would you get a test? Do you think everyone should be tested? If so, how often? If all of these asymptomatic people are really infecting other people, many of whom are also asymptomatic, it becomes impossible to know who needs a test. Get tested if you're symptomatic, otherwise wash your hands, stay away from others as much as possible, eat right, exercise, and drink plenty of water and wait it out with everyone else. If everyone asymptomatic goes for testing, we will run out of tests.
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@RE : Asymptomatic people should be tested if they have a known exposure or have been to an outbreak area. Obviously, this doesn't make sense if there is a shortage of tests. But let's get enough tests so we can trace contacts and isolate the people who need to be isolated -- and that includes asymptomatic people!
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@Rose: the point I'm making is if there are that many asymptomatic people unknowingly circulating, we don't know when we've been exposed. That's how community spread happens; nobody spreads disease intentionally. Contacts are not traceable if you don't know they've happened. An asymptomatic person who has no idea he has been exposed touches a subway pole. There you go.
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Has the mayor not been reading about Italy? Does he not understand exponential growth? I love theater and the arts, but it’s not worth risking my health and everyone else’s health. I’d happily donate the price of a ticket instead which is what my husband plans to do with his NY Phil tix for this Saturday. I feel fortunate that we can afford that. Stay home and if you can afford it, donate.
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@ValerieE This is the key point, you arguably have the right to risk your own life, but then when you go home and touch elevator buttons or sneeze, you are potentially risking other people's lives which, of course, you don't have the right to do.
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As I mentioned on here yesterday, my tenant downstairs has been exposed and is experiencing symptoms. She tried to get tested and was turned away because she is not yet expressing pneumonia like symptoms. How can we get a handle on this if we are not testing. The only benefit I can see from the lack of tests, as far as Trump is concerned, is that our “numbers stay low”.
Where is the leadership at federal, state or local levels at this point?
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@ELBOWTOE
Thanks for this - hopefully at least state and local authorities can get moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, Delusional Donnie wants to bail out the fracking industry first.
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@ELBOWTOE
i read today in a European newspaper that with a testing rate of 5/million, the US is officially BOTTOM of the world's league table of coronavirus testing.
Bottom. The USA. Hard to credit...
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Why is she worrying about being tested? She is past that point. She stays clear of other people and other people stay away from her. Nothing else changes for her unless her condition worsens. She does not get different treatment if she gets a positive.
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It is extreme but we should lock the city down now.
No public transportation, no broadway shows, etc.
DeBlasio must do this to contain the virus otherwise hospitals will be overwhelmed.
Of course it will be an economic burden but the immediate health of people is at serious risk. And we will figure out the money situation.
All cities across the United States should do this this week. And frankly, the entire planet, but let’s at least get our city in order.
Please lock it down now.
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@MM how are critical workers going to get around if mass transit is shut down? E.g. healthcare workers? How do you intend to get food? Who is going work at the grocery store?
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@MM What's it like to have a paid sick day? Such luxury items are out of the reach of the many temp office workers.
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@MM If we do that people will die, being unable to reach a doctor or eat and with no income become homeless.
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I understand Broadway WANTS to stay open but at what cost? We still have a small shot at staying ahead of this thing... and the schools? The Mayor shuts down two schools in the Bronx AFTER a parent tests positive? Too late, Mr. Mayor. Too late. You should shutter the schools tomorrow and have a plan for teachers to teach their classes online -- totally feasible for the short term. Resume regular classes after Spring break.
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I have a friend that works on Broadway. Unless the government shuts them down in their contracts none of the workers get paid.
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@Ted - This would be an awesome time for Mike Bloomberg to step up and write a check for at least as much as he just spent campaigning. He could pay quite a few wages for a couple of weeks. There are a lot of billionaires in New York and this affects them as much if not more than us. I don't have lots of stocks to lose in the market as it continues to freefall.
Amazon already put some money up to cover lost revenue of all the neighborhood shops that are suffering since 15,000 employees were told to stay home.
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@ELBOWTOE I forbid my teenage daughter from going to the Billie Eilish concert at MSG on Sunday, and she was very angry. I said you will almost certainly be fine if you get sick, but we have some neighbors on our floor who are elderly and others who have serious ailments and if they catch it from you, they might not be.
No one wants to see Broadway workers miss a payday, or a number of them, but we also don't want the elderly and infirm to get sick and die because we are doing things we KNOW will spread the virus.
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What is wrong with performing arts venues? The symphony, the opera, theaters, etc. etc. Yes, there will be a lot of financial pain, but they should be cancelling everything!
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@SES - Correct. I cannot attend STYX at the Beacon on Sunday as I cannot be exposed but they have said nothing about Cancel/postpone yet. IF they postpone, nobody loses.. if they do not, I lose. Luckily Amtrak will let me cancel, but Ticketmaster? Not so much.
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@SES Even shy of forcing the theaters to close ... how about forcing them to grant refunds on request?
We have tickets for a special (and expensive!) family trip into a show this weekend, purchased way last year. With it now being clear that it would be stupid (and possibly suicide) for us to attend, we won't ... but for the theatre to refuse to refund our tickets (as they've done so far) is unconscionable profiteering!
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They did. Today.
Closing schools is the right move. Yes, maybe kids don't die but they have parents and grandparents. We are all connected. I can't see how we could get handle on this without closing schools. Schools are like cruise ships. Except, every night the passengers get off, make contact with numerous other people, then come back the next day. Insanity. And in our overcrowded schools, we don't even have enough hand sanitizer and no one is wearing a mask. Even if "experts" claim that masks are not protective for the well (I disagree, and yes I am a physician), you are likely to have mildly ill children who are nonetheless able to infect others. It would help if everyone were masked because then they would be too. I am talking surgical, not N95.
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