March 21, 2020
Dear, NY-09.
In the face of COVID-19 we are experiencing life in unprecedented ways. I cherish our beloved community and see the strength and beauty of what makes NY-09 what it is, our people.
Please note: that due to the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on our communities, my offices both in Brooklyn and in D.C. have temporarily closed. During this time, my team is teleworking, but we are taking constituent services virtually during business hours. Please contact us Monday-Friday; 9AM-5PM at (718) 287-1142 for all forthcoming constituent concerns.
On Tuesday, March 23 at 12pm, I will be hosting a telephone townhall with healthcare professionals focused on keeping our community healthy and informed. Please join us by dialing 866-757-0651 on Tuesday. Submit your questions ahead of time by emailing [email protected].
The updates below are not exhaustive and are accurate to the best of my team's knowledge at time of print. I encourage you to visit the websites and social media for each organization for answers to specific questions for the latest, most up-to-date information.
I stand with you during these challenging times and will continue to provide updates as I and my office are made aware of them. You can follow my social media accounts at @RepYvetteClarke for additional updates to the ones below.
In good health,
Yvette D. Clarke
Member of Congress
TIPS:
Coronavirus/COVID-19 symptoms can appear up to two weeks after exposure and can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The best way to stop the spread of Coronavirus is to stop the spread of germs. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol); don't shake hands when greeting others; avoid touching your face; disinfect surfaces, like countertops, sinks, dressers and desks. If you become sick, stay home to prevent the spread of germs to others, especially high-risk folks like seniors and those with chronic illnesses. For the latest information on COVID-19, check out the Centers for Disease Control's resources by visiting cdc.gov. Watch my short video for COVID-19 prevention tips.
You can also subscribe to NYC's Coronavirus text updates by texting "COVID" to 692-692 (NYC-NYC).
In our continuing effort to keep the public informed, please subscribe to New York State’s listserv for the most up to date facts on COVID-19: link: https://now.ny.gov/page/s/coronavirus-updates.
NYC & NYS Updates:
As New Yorkers have been strongly encouraged to stay inside during this time of social distancing and quarantining, alternate side parking regulations, ordinarily implemented to conduct street cleaning on city streets will be suspended until at least March 24. While alternate side parking rules are suspended, drivers will still have to pay the meters.
Effective March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is suspending in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This suspension of services will be effective until at least April 1. In the meantime, USCIS will provide limited emergency services. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office at (718) 287 1142 and ask for Mary Bishop, should you need assistance with your immigration paperwork.
While NYC schools will be closed until April 20 at the earliest, the Mayor’s Office announced that grab-and-go breakfast and lunch would be available at the entrance of every public school building from 7:30am to 1:30pm every day last week for any child under 18. After this week, the city will switch to centralized food hubs, such as during the Summer Meal Program.NYC schools will begin remote learning on Monday, March 23. Visit schools.nyc.gov for more info.
To protect the public health, NY bars and restaurants have closed to sit-down services and now only offer takeout. Barber shops, nail and hair salons, tattoo shops and similar services are also temporarily closed as well.
Optimum is offering Altice Advantage Internet free, where available, to any household in their service area that has a student in K-12 and/or college. Call 866.200.9522 to sign up today, or visit AlticeAdvantageInternet.com to learn more.
Spectrum is offering to install and supply 60 days of WiFi to homes of students (K-12 & college) in need. Note, this service area does not cover our entire district. Dial 844-488-8395 for more details.
The city is rapidly buying 25,000 laptop devices a day to send to households that lack connectivity, and Carranza (NYCDOE) said Apple was coordinating with the city on acquiring the appropriate technology — the city is hoping to get every student a device by the end of this week, he said.
Effective Monday, March 23, Regional Enrichment Centers will be available for the children of first responders, healthcare workers, transit workers and our most vulnerable populations, with more details to follow.
The Mayor also called on retired or non-practicing healthcare professionals to get signed up for the City's medical reserve at nyc.gov/helpnownyc So far over 1K have signed up! Please help us spread the word.
USPS Update:
The mail continues to operate largely uninterrupted, and there are no plans currently to change that.
Post Offices remain open as normal, and extra sanitary wipes have been put out. Please be sure to practice social distancing when visiting your local Post Office.
Customers may see delays in mail and packages destined to China as well as from China, as well as to and from European countries subject to restricted passenger airline travel.
According to the World Health Organization and CDC, the risk of spreading and catching the virus that causes COVID-19 through the mail remains low, and there is no current evidence that the virus is spreading through the mail.
FEDERAL ACTION & LETTERS:
I voted for the Coronavirus Supplemental Package to allocate $8.3 billion in discretionary spending to aid in the development of vaccines, research, equipment and state and local health budgets. Thankfully, this supplemental package passed both in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was signed into law by the President.The Centers for Disease Control is still determining how these funds will be allocated among CDC operations and to states, including New York. This money will support: Improved surveillance for coronavirus; Laboratory testing to detect positive cases; Contact tracing to identify additional positive cases; Infection control at the local level, including public awareness campaigns to prevent additional cases; $490 million to ensure Medicare payments for telehealth so patients can consult doctors remotely.
I am an original co-sponsor of the Families First Coronavrius Response Act to ensure:
Free testing for COVID-19
14 days of paid emergency sick leave
Additional funding for Medicaid
3 months of paid family and medical leave
Expanded unemployment insurance and food security
This bill was signed into law on March 18, 2020.
As we combat COVID-19 as a nation, the needs of hardworking American families should be top priority. Any stimulus package must prevent corporations that receive bailout from laying off their workers during this time of economic uncertainty, so I addressed my concerns through a letter to Speaker Pelosi. The federal government has a responsibility to do everything in its power to normalcy as effectively as possible. It would be unconscionable to bailout large corporations and then allow them to turn around and lay off workers.
I led a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to request that he extends the April 1 Census deadline. The nationwide impact of coronavirus makes filling out the 2020 Census even more challenging. Despite this pandemic, it’s crucial that our community is accurately counted. As representative of one of the hardest-to-count districts in America, it is crucial that our community has a fair opportunity to fill out the Census.
I joined Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and 106 of our colleagues in urging HUD and the Federal Housing Finance Agency to end foreclosure and eviction against American homeowners during this time because COVID-19 should not mean that they will lose their homes. It is unfair and unjust for anyone to face homelessness and housing insecurity during a global pandemic.
I am a co-signer of Congressmen Paul Tonko and Joe Kennedy’s letter to urge Leadership to include provisions to the stimulus package to address the mental health dimensions of this crisis. Including funding for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and National Child Traumatic Stress Network. In this time of fear and uncertainty, it is essential we safeguard not only the physical, but also the mental health of Americans.
Now more than ever, it’s crucial that we honor the sacrifices healthcare workers and working families are making during this pandemic. The IRS must provide hardworking Americans with tax relief in light of COVID-19. For this reason, I signed Congresswoman Kathleen Rice’s bipartisan NY Congressional Delegation letter urging the IRS to extend the tax filing deadlines without penalties immediately.
I am proud to join Congressman Adriano Espaillat and our colleagues in urging Governor Cuomo and the NYS Legislature to enact a 90-day moratorium to prevent landlords from evicting commercial renters (restaurants, bars, bodegas, etc.) unable to make rent payments during the COVID-19- outbreak. Small businesses are the backbone of my district and it’s unfathomable that commercial renters could face harsh consequences like eviction while our city combats a global pandemic.
Congressman Jerry McNerny, our Energy and Commerce colleagues and I asked Cox Communications, Altice USA, Frontier Communications, T-Mobile, Charter Communications, AT&T, CenturyLink, Verizon Communications and Comcast Cable Communications to outline any potential plans they are considering implementing to address connectivity challenges related to COVID-19, particularly for individuals who are impacted by the digital divide.
We know that our beloved seniors and individuals with chronic illnesses are at-risk, not to mention a recent uptick in cases of younger people being impacted and hospitalized. Together, we are putting the people first and are working with House leadership and the CDC to leverage strategies to ensure the health and well-being of our communities are high priority at this time.
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