Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates July 6th

JULY 6th RESOURCES AND UPDATES:

 

Welcome to Phase Three. Starting today, New Yorkers can once again visit shops for “personal care services” such as manicures, pedicures, massages, tattoos and piercings. (Indoor dining at restaurants, has been postponed).

New York State will expand its testing criteria to all New Yorkers statewide. Any New Yorker can go to any of the State's 750+ testing sites and get a test at no cost.

Update on city policies: Buses are still boarded from the back until fare collection begins again in August. Alternate Side Parking is suspended citywide through to Sunday (7/12). The ULURP land use timetable is suspended for another five days, until Friday (7/10).

The City’s outdoor dining program will continue until at least Labor Day (9/7). A restaurant may self-certify to participate in outdoor dining on sidewalks (without the approval of their landlord or local Community Board), so long as they register with the Dept. of Transportation and commit to safety protocols. Learn more.

New York State will create an enforcement department to supplement the local enforcement of COVID-19 guidance and restrictions.

Restaurants can join together to apply to offer seating on current Open Streets (as well as recommend new Open Streets). Apply here.

Those with concerns that restaurants are not following the rules should file a complaint via 311.

The City budget restores $115.8 million in funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and the Work, Learn, Grow; Compass; Beacons; Cornerstones; and SONYC summer programs. However, the restored funding will cover just over 100,000 youth – but that’s 70,000 fewer than last year (and even last year, thousands who applied to SYEP did not get slots)

NYC & Company has released a Stay Well NYC Pledge, a set of recommended health and safety practices for businesses and consumers

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has released a survey in nine languages for New Yorkers 18 and older on the effects of the pandemic. The data will be free to view at SpeakUpOnCovid.org.

Six major retailers are requiring customers to wear face coverings while shopping at their stores nationwide. The retailers are: Costco, C-Town, Gristedes and D'Agostino, Stop & Shop and Whole Foods.

New York State employees who voluntarily travel to high-risk states will be ineligible for COVID-19 paid sick leave. Governor Cuomo signed a new executive order that makes New York employees who voluntarily travel to specified states after June 25 ineligible for this benefit.

The City Dept. of Transportation has released an online form for community-based organizations (like Business Improvement Districts or Merchants’ Associations) or groups of three or more restaurants on a block to offer seating on Open Streets as well as propose new Open Streets for seating. Learn more and apply here.

With the official end of the school year last week, the school food grab-and-go meal program will shift to its summer locations citywide. To find a location nearest you, visit www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/free-meals or text “food” to 877-877.

To see the last design of Milton Glaser, the designer who created the I (heart) New York logo, click here. He passed away over the weekend. He was working on a graphic design for the word “Together.”

The New York Public Library has announced they will begin grab-and-go service at the three Manhattan branch locations listed below starting Monday, July 13. To start, the first two branches will be open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 11 am – 6 pm; Wednesday from 12 – 7 pm; and Friday and Saturday: 11 am – 5 pm.

Patrons may start placing holds via the online catalog starting Monday, July 6 in advance of the reopening, or via phone starting July 13; upon arrival, they will be able to access a small area of each branch to pick up and return reserved materials while wearing masks and observing proper social distancing. (Research libraries, including the Fifth Avenue flagship, will remain closed; but researchers will soon be able to request scans of materials.)

Governor Cuomo is directing the New York State Police to establish a temporary Fireworks Enforcement Detail to stop illegal fireworks being brought to New York from Pennsylvania.

The Black Lives Matter mural on Centre Street in Foley Square is finished, the street is closed for at least a week, and it’s ready for visitors!  Please, come down and see the lettering (take a selfie, even!), and grab some takeout from a downtown or Chinatown restaurant.

The MTA is distributing 2 million single-use surgical masks and hand sanitizer at every station as well as to customers at station booths thanks to donations from the State of New York and City of New York. PPE vending machines have been deployed across 10 locations in the subway system. Customers should also practice social distancing where possible and will see yellow signs and floor markings in stations for assistance. Customers can always check service alerts by checking mta.info, signing up for MTA alerts, using the MYmta app or following them on Twitter @NYCTSubway, @NYCTBus, @LIRR, @MetroNorth and @MTA.

Apply for one of the 300 affordable apartments on Roosevelt Island by July 6.

A quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average. Hotels are asked to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests who have traveled from one of the impacted states. All travelers coming from states with significant rates of transmission of COVID-19 are required to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of their last contact within such designated state(s). Please find the Interim Guidance for Quarantine Restrictions on Travelers Arriving in New York by clicking here.

State outdoor pools across New York opened for swimming for the July 4 weekend. The standard operating schedule of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will be in effect. Pool-goers are reminded to practice social distancing, respect the rules, and do their part to keep the pool area safe for everyone. Pool capacity will be reduced and is expected to fill quickly. New Yorkers are urged to plan ahead by having alternate destinations ready. A list of State Parks with outdoor pools is available here.

The New York State Fair is canceled this year out of an abundance of caution. While disappointing for many reasons, the risk is too high to hold the Fair this summer. Casinos and movie theaters remain closed. The State will continue to review the science and facts on their safe reopening.

Education/Parenting

The State is planning for the fall school year. The New York State Department of Health, in consultation with the Reimagine Education Advisory Council and others, is finalizing guidance on the possible reopening of schools in September. Every school district throughout the State has been directed to develop reopening plans. At the moment, no decisions have been made on whether schools are reopening in the fall. NY will follow the data, and make a decision on the data.

The Mayor announced that schools will open in September. Masks, social distancing, hand washing will be required. Schools will deep clean. However, Governor Cuomo has the last word on school reopenings. All parents/guardians of students in grades 3-K – 12, and students in grades 6-12 should take the survey: schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020 or call 311. The survey is available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.

A group of educators and volunteers have launched Project Inspire, a free online program for kids in grades K-8 to develop their core writing skills and confidence in public speaking. The program runs from July 5 - August 16. Sign up here, and learn more.

The “Time in Children’s Arts Initiative” has announced a free online edition of their Summer in the City program for kids in grades 3K - 12. Learn more.

The Online Physical Education Network (OPEN) has prepared OPEN at Home Summer Camp, a free four-week home fitness program for kids, which starts today and ends on 7/24. Learn more.

The Manhattan Borough Arts Festival has gone virtual, with a multi-school performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in tribute to the resilience of New Yorkers these last few months.

Entertainment/Distractions

Whether you watched Hamilton on Disney+, or didn’t, or saw it on Broadway, Penguin Books is launching a read-along of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. For more information, including a schedule of pages to be read every day, click here.

For the schedule of the Metropolitan Opera’s nightly screening schedule from July 4 - July 12, click here.

For a video on movie backgrounds for villains, “Lair, Radical Homes and Hideouts for Villains,” from  the Miami Center for Architecture & Design (MCAD) and American Institute of Architects Miami, click here.

For the virtual Museum of Modern Art, click here. 

For The New Yorker, click here.

For Snap Judgments, a WNYC podcast, click here.

For the virtual Guggenheim, click here.

For baseball fans, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will be opening soon as part of Phase 4. Other museums will be opening too in those regions cleared for Phase 4.

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, August 30. The event will take place without an in-person audience

For those missing the Fourth of July parade this year, the Lower Manhattan Historical Association has created a highlight reel of the last four years of parades in Lower Manhattan.

For lots of science on COVID-19 and the fight against it and reaction to it, see the resources, including videos and articles from the New York Academy of Sciences here.

For a documentary on women who make film from the Frieze, click here.

You don’t need to bid to enjoy the photographs in the upcoming auction at Phillips. Click here.

For the Gagosian Gallery online exhibition of Alternate Meanings in Film and Video, click here.

For the International Children's Film Festival Fourth of July recommendations and links, click here.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

Many public assistance benefits come in at the beginning of the month. If you can, please try to avoid grocery shopping in the next few days and make space for our neighbors who are on SNAP and WIC to buy food. With children staying home, many families’ food supplies may have depleted more quickly, making grocery shopping at the start of the new month a necessity rather than a preference.

A group of education advocates have created sharemypebt.com, a site for those who have received a pandemic EBT benefit and would like to redistribute the amount on the card to food insecure families after they’ve used the card, as well as learn about benefits for using them at GrowNYC Greenmarkets.

“The Nursing Home Card Project” is an initiative to fight loneliness in nursing homes, which were allowed no visitors during the pandemic, by sending homemade cards to senior residents. Sign up to make and send cards at caringbycard.com.

Practice social distancing and other health directives including wearing a mask. Governor Cuomo reports that a study found that New York State is one of only three states currently on track to contain COVID. The two other states were New Jersey and Massachusetts, according to COVID Act Now. He urges New Yorkers not to  jeopardize this incredible progress.

THE CITY is asking folks who know any New York City residents who have died of COVID-19 to fill out a simple form to tell them about the lives of those we’ve lost. Their goal is to put as many names, faces and details to the numbers as possible. You’ll find more here — including the form.

Donate blood. The New York Blood Center says that levels of blood are dangerously low. To make an appointment to donate, visit nybc.org or call 1.800.933.2566. Appointments are strongly recommended.

If you have recovered from COVID-19, you may be able to save lives by contacting the state to donate blood. People who have recovered from the virus may have convalescent plasma in their blood, which has antibodies against the virus and could help with the development of a treatment. More information about how to donate is available here.

Support local businesses by buying gift cards. We have posted links to sites selling gift cards. Another site selling gift cards to restaurants, barber shops, and events like ghost hunts, and museums, see SupportLocal at https://supportlocal.usatoday.com/cities/

New York City Service is looking for volunteers to help those affected by COVID-19, click here.

New York State has provided a form for the donation of goods, services, or space. To access the form, click here.

The dedicated staff at the Stanley Isaacs Center, 415 E. 93 St., needs help supporting their older adult clients through meals and case management services. Interested in volunteering? Contact [email protected]

Complete your Census form.  Census responses can't be used for any purpose other than tallying up population-- it's the law. And no enumerators will be knocking on doors today. So, please, if you haven't yet done so, take the time to fill in your form at www.my2020census.gov.

FINANCIAL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES UPDATES

Emergency Grants available for small businesses that experienced material damage to their storefronts over the last few weeks. More information available here: NYC Small Business Emergency Grant Program.

If you are a small business with fewer than 100 employees looking to secure free face coverings for your employees, find a distribution site here. The SBS has 2.5 million masks to distribute

The NYC Test and Trace Corps ("Test & Trace"), led by NYC Health + Hospitals in partnership with DOHMH, and other City agencies, is a major component of the City's effort to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City currently seeks Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), including Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), to promote Test & Trace. This initiative will focus on ensuring that communities have direct access to COVID-19-related information and services that are accessible, culturally and linguistically responsive, and trauma- and resilience-informed. CBOs and FBOs situated in or serving communities most impacted by COVID-19 are encouraged to apply.

Activities will include conducting outreach and public education regarding testing and tracing, the benefits of wearing a mask, physical distancing, COVID-19 prevention, and safe re-opening practices. Proposals should demonstrate how your organization is able to effectively communicate to your targeted community reliable information about Test & Trace and the core public health guidance critical to stopping the continued spread of COVID-19. This Request for Proposals will accept responses until 12PM on Monday, July 13th, 2020. Please note that only CBOs chosen for award will be contacted by the City. The full Request for Proposals and link to apply can be found on the NYC Health + Hospitals website HERE or HERE.

Dance/NYC has announced a new “Disability. Dance. Artistry. Dance and Social Justice Fellowship Program,” which will award grants of $1000 to 25 dance workers with disabilities with work relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement for racial justice. The deadline to apply is June 12.

Outdoor Dining: Combing two popular programs, Open Streets and Open Restaurants, will expand seating options for restaurants on select restaurant corridors. The first tranche of corridors will focus on streets that are already participating in the Open Streets program and/or corridors with organizations that have worked with DOT on street closures, and will be open for street dining starting July 4th weekend. The second tranche will be operational starting Friday, July 17th will include additional applicants such as groups of restaurants that coordinate a single entity acting as a partner organization.  The hours of operation for this new expanded seating option for restaurants will be 5PM – 11PM on Fridays, and noon – 11PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Expanded seating will last until Labor Day. Find locations on DOT’s Open Restaurants Portal: www.nycopenrestaurants.info.

The City is distributing 2 million more face coverings to small businesses opening in Phase 2, and connecting business owners with a directory of wholesalers selling sneeze guards, PPE, and other equipment. Go to nyc.gov/business to find resources and guides. You can also call the Restart Hotline for business owners at 888-SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692), or contact my office for assistance.

The City’s Restaurant Revitalization Program will support unemployed and underemployed restaurant workers from the 27 communities hardest hit by COVID-19. The program will be funded with $3 million from NYC Opportunity, Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, and One Fair Wage. Find more information here.

Emergency Grants are available for small businesses who experienced material damage to their storefronts over the last few weeks. More information available here.

As part of their annual TD Ready Challenge, TD Bank has announced four kinds of grants for community nonprofits: Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities, and Better Health. Click on each title to learn more. Applications are due August 13.

Related: A group of NYC businesses have created Rebuild New York, an online platform for businesses citywide to discuss information and best practices for reopening.

The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) will work to ensure that the most up-to-date guidance and materials needed by small business owners for a safe phased-in reopening are readily available. The information will be housed on a centralized resource page with guidance and best practices for the restaurant industry across all five boroughs. SBS will also launch a reopening supplies marketplace for easy access to wholesalers selling PPE, gloves, sneeze guards and other equipment. Business owners can call a hotline at 1-888-SBS-4NYC to ask questions about this process.

Business guidance for Phase 2 of the state's reopening plan is available here.

Business guidance for Phase 3 of the state's reopening plan is available here.

The City released information for businesses and nonprofits ahead of Phase 3.

Reopening businesses must submit affirmations to confirm compliance with relevant reopening guidelines.

SBS Reopening Webinars

PPE for Small Businesses: NYC SBS coordinating with 70+ BIDs and Chambers of Commerce to provide 2 million pieces of PPE to small businesses citywide. Find a distribution partner near you at: Free Face Coverings for Small Businesses & Their Employees

If a store owner would like social distancing floor decals for inside the business (not on the sidewalks), please contact CB8 and we will send you some.

The City’s Department of Small Business Services has shared their new “Find a Job” page, which lists open employment listings from across NYC. Learn more and search the listings.

Both the City and State are hiring employees and supervisors for contact tracing: reaching out to the contacts of those diagnosed with COVID-19 to track the spread. Learn more here for the City (three types of contract tracer jobs along with many non-tracing jobs listed), and here for the State (contact tracers, team supervisors, and community support specialists).

LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS' TELE-TOWN HALLS

Coronavirus (COVID-19) FAQs & Resources

The State's Coronavirus Hotline is open 24 hours if you have any questions or concerns: 1-888-364-3065. **If you need help getting medical care, you can also call 311. New York City will provide care regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.

The NYP COVID Hotline 646-697-4000 can answer questions about COVID-19. This hotline is a public service to provide information only and not to diagnose, treat, or render a medical opinion. Their Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions document is available on the NYP Coronavirus website.

To get regular updates on the latest developments with coronavirus in New York City text COVID to 692-692. You will receive regular SMS texts with the latest news and developments. Please check nyc.gov/health/coronavirus for the latest updates

If you are experiencing stress or feel anxious, contact NYC Well at 888-NYC-WELL (888-692- 9355) or text WELL to 65173. NYC Well is a confidential help line that is staffed 24/7 by trained counselors who can provide brief supportive therapy, crisis counseling, and connections to behavioral health treatment, in more than 200 languages.

Additional resources:

CENSUS 2020

U.S. Census Bureau has made some necessary changes to help keep residents safe while still working to ensure a complete census count. This includes extending the national deadline for the count from July 31 to August 14 and postponing all door-to-door outreach campaigns until May. With the majority of our businesses and libraries closed across the state, this gives local communities more time to adjust their outreach plans and helps prevent our state from being put at an unfair disadvantage.

Fill out your Census at My2020Census.gov OR by phone in these languages: