Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter! My office will be working remotely due to COVID19. My staff can be reached through our office number at (718) 409-0109, or at [email protected]. We look forward to helping you! Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez UPDATES ON CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK As New York State continues to battle the coronavirus, we’re here to keep you updated on essential news and services. There are currently 319,000 confirmed cases. The Bronx has reported 38,973 as of Monday, May 4th. New Yorkers are urged to follow the Department of Health guidelines and to take caution around the people most likely to be infected: The elderly and those with preexisting conditions. We also encourage people to be mindful of our essential workforce that continue to work in the middle of a crisis. Please practice social distancing, wear masks and gloves, and wash your hands frequently whenever possible. We are here to help. Our Assembly office is working to provide free hand sanitizer for organizations in need and will continue to be a resource for all district residents. Please call 718-409-0109 or contact [email protected]. TO VIEW OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER AND POSY BUDGET NEWSLETTER, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Nathalia-Fernandez/press/ For now, please continue reading for updates on the State, City, and Federal response to this health crisis. From the Governor’s Office In Recent news, Governor Cuomo: • Announced 35 counties have been approved to resume elective outpatient treatments. The Governor previously announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term. The Bronx, however, is not included in this list due to high infection rate. • Announced New York State is now conducting an average of 30,000 diagnostic tests for COVID-19 per day. • Announced that New York's contact tracing pilot program, with leadership from Mayor Mike Bloomberg, will begin in the coming weeks. This nation-leading tracing program will focus on areas with the highest rates of infection and on regions where data shows could be the first to open. The program will operate through the next flu season, and it will be implemented in coordination with tri-state neighbors New Jersey and Connecticut. “Un-PAUSE” New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a phased plan to “Un-PAUSE” New York. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put forth guidance that states can begin to reopen if hospitalization rates have declined for 14 days. The State is closely monitoring the hospitalization rate, the infection rate, and the number of positive antibody tests, as well as the overall public health impact, and will make adjustments to the plan and other decisions based on these indicators. The Governor shared that New York will reopen in phases to ensure the safety of our residents. There will be two weeks in between phases in order to monitor the effects of reopening businesses and risk to public safety. Re-opening Downstate Counties Governor Cuomo addressed the importance of taking a regional approach to re- opening, especially for our downstate counties. The plan will entail coordinating the opening of transportation systems, parks, schools, beaches, and businesses, with special attention on summer activities for downstate, public housing, low-income communities, food banks, and child care. Supporting Domestic Violence Victims In the face of a dangerous uptick of domestic violence incidents, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the immediate modernization of the state's domestic violence hotline with a new text program and confidential online service to aid victims of abuse and provide potential lifesaving ways to get help. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary social distancing guidelines, domestic violence victims are even more vulnerable and unsafe while isolated at home without being able to get away from their abuser and there has been a reported uptick in the number of domestic violence cases in the state. Testing for Anti-Bodies Today Governor Andrew M. Cuomo shared the results of phase two of New York’s statewide antibody testing survey, which has now reached 7,500 people and counting. The preliminary results show 14.9% of the population have COVID-19 antibodies – 24.7% of New York City participants, and 15.1% of participants from Westchester and Rockland counties, tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. Nourish New York Governor Cuomo also announced the launch of the “Nourish New York” initiative to purchase food and products from Upstate farms and direct it to food banks across the state. Absentee Ballot Poll-sites will remain open for the upcoming June Primary, but all voters in New York will receive an absentee ballot application for the June 23 primary in the mail with postage to mail back. This will prevent crowding at poll sites and will allow New Yorkers to stay engaged in their communities. NY Pause Signed executive orders requiring all New Yorkers to wear a mask or a face covering when out in public and in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation. This will go into effect on Friday, April 17th. He also signed another executive order extending NY PAUSE until May 15th. All workers considered to be non-essential personnel are required to work from home. Please see HERE to see if your job is considered essential. From the Mayor’s Office GETFOOD The Mayor’s food delivery program is growing in capacity, but they still want to expand further. Our goal is to be able to deliver 1 million meals a day. To this end, the program is seeking nonprofits to increase capacity including up to 300 provider staff to manage distribution sites and commercial kitchen capacity to prepare and package meals, particularly with a focus on culturally sensitive meals. We have particular need for support in areas including Melrose, Washington Heights, Morris Park, Flushing, Sunset Park, and more. Please encourage nonprofits to visit NYC.gov/nonprofits for more information. MADE IN NYC: TEST KITS NYC is on track to produce 50,000 3D-printed swabs per week here! They are expecting the initial delivery of 30,000 by the end of this week. We are working with local partner Print Parts to develop them. The City is also working with Viral Transport Medium (VTM) to get them to hospitals as soon as possible. Tablets for Students with Disabilities in Non-Public Schools Students with disabilities in religious and independent non-public schools can now request tablets, which DOE has acquired for remote learning. DOE has identified approximately 35,000 eligible students. Grading Policy for Remote Learning Today, the Mayor and Chancellor Carranza announced an adjusted K-12 citywide grading policy that maintains a high bar for student achievement and gives flexibility and support for students grappling with COVID-19. Their goals for this new grading policy are to keep students engaged in remote learning, uphold course requirements and maintain high expectations, to provide support for every student not meeting standards, and to provide flexibility for students and families in need at a challenging, traumatic time. Fair Recovery Task Force Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the creation of a Fair Recovery Task Force, to be led by a diverse group of civic leaders. The goal is to spur a recovery that confronts deep inequities, reaches into every neighborhood, and leaves New York stronger than ever. Mayor de Blasio has asked the group to provide a preliminary roadmap to recovery by June 1st. Growing Number of Testing Sites As of today, there are now eight community testing sites operated by H+H across the City: • Belvis Health Center • Gotham Health Morrisania • Cumberland Health Center • Gotham Health East New York • Gouverneur Health Center • Sydenham Health Center • H&H Queens Hospital • Vanderbilt Health Center NYCHA Testing: In addition to the five community-based testing sites the Governor has already up and running, they will be adding six more sites over the next few days, and will give NYCHA residents the priority for testing at these new sites. For NYCHA Residents please be mindful of postings in buildings. Hand Sanitizer Distribution: Starting on Monday May 4, 2020, NYCHA will begin installing dispensers for hand sanitizer in all of our 69 senior developments. PPE for NYCHA Residents: The City has provided NYCHA staff with 60,000 masks & 10,000 pairs of gloves. Masks and gloves are being mailed by a vendor to every NYCHA household with the one mask and one pair of glove for each household member. Support to City Nursing Homes: • The City is increasing clinical personnel in nursing homes and increasing PPE shipments this week • The City has provided nursing homes with up-to-date guidance on isolation and testing procedures. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has continued to work with providers to implement this guidance and troubleshoot as necessary. • A new task force will work with approximately half of all nursing homes to collect data on staffing, PPE, decedent management, and any other needs. Ramadan To ensure members of the Muslim community have access to meals during Ramadan, NYC is prepared to serve over half a million meals via DOE grab-and-go sites and partnerships with CBOs. Halal meals are available at all 400+ grab-and-go sites and we are adding 25% capacity at 32 DOE sites in neighborhoods with high need during the month of Ramadan Cancelling May and June Events: Due to the continued need for people to stay home, all non-essential City permitted events in May and June are canceled (parades, concerts, rallies, large gatherings).