Traffic Notice How You Can Help
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April 12, 2020 This information is provided by The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association. We are sharing it as a service to our members. If this notice does not interest you, please disregard it. You can also find these weekly newsletters online in PDF (printable) format at www.murrayhillnyc.org in the News section, look for Weekly Eblasts 2021. Please share this email with a friend, neighbor or colleague. You can sign up for these emails at www.murrayhillnyc.org, scroll down the Also Happening column. Editor Nancy Sheran can be contacted at [email protected]. Traffic notice Effective April 11, new toll rates are in effect at MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ nine NYC tolled crossings, including the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Learn more about the new rates and a new Tolls NY app at new.mta.info/agency/bridges-and-tunnels/tolls-2021. How you can help Blood Donations Are Urgently Needed The NYC blood supply is at a very low level. If you want to donate, a nearby blood center is: New York Blood Center - Grand Central (please make an appointment) 115 East 41st Street, 800-933-2566, nybloodcenter.org Bryant Park Corporation and 34th Street Partnership are currently hiring Public Programming Assistants for the 2021 Summer season. PPAs help produce a wide range of events in two of the city's most exciting districts. More information about the position, and how to apply, are available at 34thstreet.org/about- us?mc_cid=e3eaf85ad0&mc_eid=1165e24a4c#job-openings. 1 The White House’s new COVID-19 Community Corps is looking for local voices and trusted community leaders to encourage people to get vaccinated. Corps members get resources to help build vaccine confidence in their community, like vaccine fact sheets and information on how to talk to your networks about the importance of getting vaccinated. Health professionals, community organizations, faith leaders, businesses, civil rights organizations, sports leagues, and Americans from all walks of life are encouraged to join the corps at wecandothis.hhs.gov/covidcommunitycorps. The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is hiring! SYEP is the nation’s largest youth employment program, connecting NYC youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with career exploration opportunities and paid work experience each summer. Participants have the opportunity to explore their interests and career pathways, develop workplace skills and engage in learning experiences that help in developing their social, civic and leadership skills. By participating in structured project and work-based opportunities, NYC youth are better prepared for careers of the future. If you’re between the ages of 14-21 and are looking for a paid summer experience, check out @NYCYouth. Applications for the 2021 Summer Youth Employment Program are being accepted. Some students will have the chance to work with the NYPD. Visit nyc.gov/SYEP to apply. Visit SYEP on social media: twitter.com/NYPDCommAffairs, instagram.com/nypdcommaffairs, youtube.com/channel/UCUJAgVlP6H7KHJkHc60vAcA, facebook.com/NYPDCommAffairs. 2 Graffiti cleanup on April 10—Mission Accomplished! On April 10, 2021, The NYPD pitched in to clean up graffiti with the help of youth in the Explorers program and neighborhood volunteers. The Explorers program strengthens ties between young people and the NYPD through working on community projects. Please report graffiti along with the address where you see it to [email protected] and cc [email protected] so we have a record of it. If you can, also call 311 to report graffiti so that it gets into the City statistics. 3 4 CBS video on the graffiti cleanup https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/04/10/nypd-graffiti-cleanup-campaign/ NYC’s reopening New York City is in Phase 4 of the coronavirus reopening, but some activities are still on temporary PAUSE or are open with reduced capacity due to the high community rate of coronavirus infections. Learn more about the reopening phases, micro-cluster strategy, travel advisory, testing, etc. at forward.ny.gov. NYC coronavirus page www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/index.page New York City reopening business guidance www1.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/article/reopening- guide. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) covid-19 page cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- nCoV/index.html New York State reopening page, covid rates and zones, vaccination program, covid restrictions and guidance, travel advisory, etc. coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home. 5 Beginning mid-April, NYC Public School Athletic League (PSAL) will return for practice, and this will continue through the summer months. Games will be permitted in May, but no spectators will be allowed, and athletes will have to wear masks and undergo weekly testing. Learn more about COVID-19 and NYC’s reopening at murrayhillnyc.org, including Reopening Testing Vaccinations Neighborhood restaurants, food & spirits that are open for delivery & pickup Neighborhood retail, health care (including pets) & services that are open Neighborhood houses of worship, museums, educational and cultural institutions COVID-19 rate in zip code 10016 The positive Covid-19 rate for Murray Hill (zip code 10016) is lower than the city rate, but it is still too high. 6 The above data is from the NYC Department of Health website COVID-19 tracker www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page The view is the 7-day Percent Positive and Test Rate by ZIP code (for Zip code 10016). New York State COVID-19 tracker forward.ny.gov/percentage-positive-results-county- dashboard. IMPORTANT: There is still no cure for COVID-19, it will take months to administer the vaccines for herd immunity, and there is concern about highly contagious variants, in particular the UK and NYC variants. To stop the spread of COVID-19: • wear face coverings when you are with people who are not in the same household • maintain distance (6 feet between people who are not in the same household) • practice good hand hygiene • stay home if sick (seek care if you feel seriously ill) When community rates of infection are high, limit non-essential activities, travel and indoor gatherings with people who are not in your household. NYS travel advisory coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory. Vaccinations Vaccinations are free; public health officials recommend getting a vaccination as soon as you are eligible. All three of the vaccinations that are offered are effective at preventing serious cases of covid-19. The NYC Vaccine Finder site has been improved and it now tells you everywhere in NYC that vaccinations are available and the type of vaccination offered vaccinefinder.nyc.gov. 4/8/2021 (new) Walk-up vaccinations (no appointment necessary) for persons age 75+ [available at Ford Foundation Health Center, 321 E 42nd St] New York City is expanding its walk-up appointment pilot for New Yorkers over the age of 75 at city- run sites. If you are 75+, you can go to these vaccine sites and get vaccinated without an appointment. In addition, if you bring a companion who is an eligible New Yorker, they can get vaccinated at the same time. Additional, site-specific information can be found on nyc.gov/vaccinefinder. New Yorkers age 75 and older must show proof of age upon arrival at the 7 vaccination site. In order to be vaccinated, the person accompanying them must be eligible to receive vaccine due to age, employment, or other reason. As noted below, New Yorkers who are 16 and 17 must receive the Pfizer vaccine – please keep in mind that if Pfizer is not available at these vaccine sites, and you bring a companion who is 16 or 17, they will not be able to get vaccinated at the same time. The following is a walk-up vaccine site in Manhattan near Murray Hill. Ford Foundation Community Health Center/Clinic, 321 E 42nd Street, Manhattan, 10017, (Monday – Saturday, 9am – 5pm). See the MHNA website page Vaccinations for useful links and phone numbers on how to determine your eligibility and schedule an appointment. It is difficult to get an appointment for a vaccination in the neighborhood at this time, as the number of eligible people far exceeds the number of vaccines available. Pharmacies participating in the vaccinations are Walgreens/Duane Reade, RiteAid, CVS. You can also set up accounts on their websites, and request alerts. Some doctors’ offices are getting limited supplies of the vaccinations. If you prefer to be vaccinated by your primary care physician, contact your doctor. If you are a Veteran, 60+, and currently enrolled in VA Healthcare, the Manhattan VA Medical Center is administering vaccines. Eligible Veterans must schedule an appointment by calling 1-877-877-9267. CDC's Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html 3/8/2021 People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 2 weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or 2 weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson [J&J]/Janssen). Can You Catch the Coronavirus After Getting Vaccinated? April 5, 2021, aarp.org. by Michelle Crouch, AARP Odds are low, but some fully vaccinated people have been infected with the coronavirus...if you do get infected after your vaccination, your case is likely to be asymptomatic or mild, like a common cold. [Editor’s note: This happened at my mother’s senior residence. A resident tested positive after being fully vaccinated. She was asymptomatic. She has to quarantine until she has 2 consecutive negative covid tests. The lesson here is that we need to continue to take precautions until the community rate of infection declines.] NYC Adults Vaccinated in ZIP Code 10016. The percent of NYC adult residents partially and fully vaccinated by modified ZIP Code (data obtained on 4/10/2021).