Virus Takes Heavy Toll from Page 1 on Sunday
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2 | Thursday, April 2, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO New York: Virus takes heavy toll From page 1 on Sunday. The woman, who was pushed by a female patient, fell back and hit her head The virus is taking a heavy toll on the city’s on the floor. She died about three hours after police department, the nation’s biggest. the incident. Nearly 1,200 officers, more than 3 percent of The patient was issued with a summons. the force, have tested positive, Commission- White tents erected outside some city hos- er Dermot F. Shea said on Tuesday. pitals after 9/11 have reappeared, along with He added that about 15 percent of officers refrigerated trucks. The tents block views of were on sick leave, at least four times the the dead on stretchers being placed in normal proportion. Five police department trucks because hospital morgues are full. employees have died in the past week. On Sunday, Trump described the scene at With the exception of ambulances and Elmhurst Hospital in his native borough of police cars, vehicles have largely deserted Queens. the streets of all five boroughs in the city, “I’ve been watching that for the last especially Manhattan. week on television,” he said. “Body bags Normally-crowded subway cars are emp- all over, in hallways. I’ve been watching ty; some of them occupied only by the home- them bring in trailer trucks — freezer less, stretched out asleep. trucks, they’re freezer trucks, because All museums and 31 Broadway shows they can’t handle the bodies, there are so have closed, while the annual Easter display many of them. This is essentially in my of millions of flowers at Macy’s flagship community, in Queens — Queens, New department store on now-deserted 34th York. I’ve seen things that I’ve never seen Street has been canceled for the first time in before.” 70 years. Last week, the virus killed 13 patients at The annual auto show at Javits Conven- the hospital in one day. tion Center — now a field hospital with On Monday, the Federal Emergency Man- 1,000 beds for patients with non-coronavi- agement Agency said it was sending an esti- rus issues — has been called off for the first mated 85 refrigerated trucks to the city to time since World War II. collect the bodies of disease victims as All the city’s restaurants and bars are morgues struggle to keep up. closed, with many displaying “Takeout FEMA’s regional director, Thomas Von Only” signs. Essen, a former New York City Fire Depart- About 154,400 people work in bars, res- ment commissioner who was in office dur- taurants, cafes and on food trucks, earning a ing the 9/11 attacks, said there is a desperate total of $4.7 billion annually, according to a need for morgue space, particularly in study last year by the city’s comptroller’s Queens, office. It is the hardest-hit borough, with 12,756 Grocery stores are open. Signs stating cases reported on Monday. “No hoarding’’, “Only two to a customer’’ The Department of Defense Mortuary and “Use plastic gloves to touch produce’’ Affairs is sending 42 staff members to help remain on empty shelves. in the Manhattan medical examiner’s office. A man living near a medical center in Masks on the streets Brooklyn told the Politico website about a In Manhattan, which reported 6,060 con- refrigerated truck outside the facility. firmed cases on Monday, there are few Uber Marc Kozlow said: “We leave our win- or Lyft ride-hailing vehicles available, and dows open and we hear the hum of the fewer taxis. refrigerator going all night long. It’s disturb- On the streets, nearly everyone, including ing to know what’s in there.” a reduced number of joggers, is wearing a face mask. Those with or without masks Praise for governor shooed this reporter away as he approached Governor Cuomo, 62, another political for interviews. Clockwise from top: A man passes through a deserted Times Square in New York on Sunday. SETH WENIG / AP Governor Andrew leader born in Queens, has been described Daffodils are blooming in Manhattan’s Cuomo, right, visits a nearly completed makeshift hospital erected by the US Army Corps of Engineers at the Jacob Javits Con- as a “hero’’ by national and international Central Park, but the vendors selling ice vention Center on Friday. DARREN MCGEE / OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO VIA AP Refrigerated trucks are used as makeshift morgues media. cream, hot dogs and pretzels have vanished, at Bellevue Hospital on Tuesday. EDUARDO MUNOZ / REUTERS His morning news conferences each day, along with tourists, horse-drawn carriages broadcast live on radio and several televi- and pedicabs. sion stations in the city and elsewhere in the “People are scared to come outside,” Jus- Island and Westchester County will allow gloves, masks, gowns and other medical country, have become “mustsees” for those tin Rahim, a Central Park tour guide, told their students to graduate early so they can supplies from Shanghai landed in New York confined to their homes. Fox News. He said several of his pedicab help at inundated hospitals. on Sunday, the first of 22 scheduled flights The news conferences are a combination drivers — who rely on tourists for a living — Only essential workers are allowed to go that White House officials say will funnel of facts and morality lessons. Sometimes, had quit to drive for Uber’s food delivery ser- to their jobs in New York state. All others much-needed goods to the US by early this Cuomo cracks a joke, and often refers to his vice, adding: “It’s crazy. How am I going to must remain indoors to curb the spread of month. father, Mario, who served three terms as survive this?” the virus and to avoid hospitals becoming Lizzie Litzow, a spokeswoman for the Fed- governor, from 1983 to 1994. On the west side of the park, across the overwhelmed. eral Emergency Management Agency, said The governor’s action in fighting the virus street from Strawberry Fields — dedicated New York’s political leaders have warned the plane delivered 130,000 N95 masks, 1.8 has won praise, even from Trump, along to the memory of John Lennon — there are Trump and the public that the situation in million other masks and gowns, 10 million with criticism. Trump said this week that few lights on at night in the landmark Dako- the city will worsen this week, with mount- gloves and thousands of thermometers for Cuomo has “good grades’’ for fighting the ta apartment building where the former ing deaths. distribution in New York, New Jersey and pandemic, while he, the president, has Beatle lived, was shot and killed. “The virus continues its march across Connecticut. “great grades’’. “They (residents) have fled to the Hamp- the state,” Cuomo said at a news confer- De Blasio has warned of even more devas- On Monday, Trump said Cuomo would be tons or elsewhere,’’ said a doorman, who ence on Sunday. “I don’t see how you look tating days ahead. a stronger Democratic opponent in the presi- declined to give his name. at those numbers and conclude anything “I still fear the worst is not going to be dential election in November than Joe Biden. One man, who also spoke anonymously, less than thousands of people will pass April, but actually the beginning of May,” “I wouldn’t mind running against said he had been due to move into the build- away.” he said. “I guarantee you that April is Andrew. I’ve known Andrew for a long time. ing shortly. He paid $8 million for an apart- On Tuesday, a grimmer Cuomo said: going to be exceedingly tough, and we I wouldn’t mind that, but I’ll be honest, I ment at the rear, but is now going elsewhere. “I’m tired of being behind this virus. have to understand that any projection of think he’d be a better candidate than Sleepy “Our apartment isn’t ready, so I’m tak- We’ve been behind this virus since day things being all OK by Easter — there’s Joe,” Trump said. ing my family and heading for a rental one. We’ve been playing catch up, you just no way that’s true for New York City.” In a lengthy, flattering piece about Cuo- house in the Catskills,’’ he said, referring don’t win playing catch up. We have to get He was referring to Trump’s statements mo, Maureen Dowd, a writer for The New to an area nearly 220 kilometers north of ahead of it.’’ last week that he wanted the US economy York Times, stated, “To the surprise of many The Dakota. Cuomo reiterated that the state needs back up and running by Easter — April 12. It who did not associate the name ‘Andrew In Central Park’s East Meadow, a field hos- many more ventilators. He said it placed an would be a “beautiful time’’, Trump said. Cuomo’ with the word ‘empathy,’ the gover- pital opened on Tuesday. order for 17,000 from China for $25,000 On Sunday, the president said he real- nor has become a sort of national shrink, A team of 72 doctors, nurses and other each, but only expects to receive 2,500, ized this would not be possible, given the talking us through our fear, our loss, and our healthcare workers from Samaritan’s Purse, because California, Illinois and the Italian continuing spread of COVID-19. He growing stir-craziness.” an evangelical Christian disaster relief orga- government also ordered the same ventila- extended social distancing guidelines to Dowd asked him if was interested in run- nization, erected the facility, where they will tors.