March 20, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that barber shops, hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors and other personal care providers will shutter across New York state from 8 p.m. Saturday. It comes as almost 4,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the city with 26 fatalities, Mayor Bill de Blasio… Read more »
March 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio demanded the federal government to step up its efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and send millions of medical supplies to New York City — the country’s hardest hit area — or lives will be unnecessarily lost. The number of COVID-19 cases drastically jumped to… Read more »
March 20, 2020 By Christian Murray State Sen. Mike Gianaris is calling for a 90-day suspension of residential and commercial rent for tenants and small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Under Gianaris’ proposal, residential and commercial tenants would have 90 days of rent forgiven if they lost their work or closed due to the… Read more »
March 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will release 40 inmates on Rikers Island who are vulnerable of complications associated with the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. The individuals have been chosen based on specific health vulnerabilities and their low-risk status, as non-threatening and unlikely to reoffend. The NYPD and… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The city has opened coronavirus tent testing sites outside two hospitals in Queens – NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (better known as Elmhurst Hospital) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens (often called Queens General Hospital)- in response to a surge in people contracting the virus. Coronavirus cases in Queens have soared… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo has introduced a number of new measures to help New Yorkers struggling to pay their credit card bills and make mortgage payments — and has taken action to increase the state’s hospital capacity as the coronavirus takes hold. Cuomo is offering relief to New Yorkers facing… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A number of local leaders have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump and some media pundits–such as Tucker Carlson– for labeling the coronavirus the “China virus.” They argue that the use of the term is racist and inflaming discriminatory attacks against New York’s Asian population. Trump has repeatedly used the… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray The State senate has passed legislation that will make sure that private sector workers receive paid leave if they are subject to a mandatory or precautionary quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bill also helps small businesses cover the tab— many struggling to stay afloat due to plummeting… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray The Queens District Attorney’s office plans to facilitate the arraignment of defendants via video conferencing in an attempt to keep employees and alleged criminals safe from COVID-19. Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, announced yesterday that her office has taken a number of steps to protect defendants, victims, witnesses and… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Prompted by the number of coronavirus cases across New York state surpassing 2,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all businesses to keep half their workforce home or working remotely. The executive order — which goes into effect Friday — is meant to reduce density of people and reduce the spread… Read more »