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A Fitting Memorial

Now that COVID-19's worst seems to be over, a conversation has broken out in New York City about how to memorialize this terrifying episode.

Mayor de Blasio has suggested a parade. Others have proposed statues to honor victims and healthcare workers. The mayor's idea has been derided for running contrary to social distancing. Both approaches would cost money and trigger awkward debates over whom to honor, and how.

That doesn't mean they're not worth doing. There is, however, a better way to honor healthcare workers and victims: by creating local resources to make sure New York City never faces the abyss it confronted in early April.

[link removed][UNIQID] coming months and years, there will be more than one review of why COVID-19 was so deadly here, and those exercises will itemize the things New York City needs to do differently next time. We already know, however, what New York City needs to have—like, now: A stockpile millions and millions deep of personal protective equipment, along with hundreds of ventilators, a well-organized medical reserve, capacity within the city's growing biotech industry for the rapid development and production of tests for emerging diseases and more hospital beds than we currently have, so the healthcare system has more flexibility.

Modern healthcare and our just-in-time-delivery economy argue against excess capacity and emergency stores. The mindset is, if we ever need it, we can buy it or build it. We saw how comforting that approach was on the days when our hospitalization numbers climbed and climbed.

It's important to remember times when crisis brought our city closer together, and to acknowledge the human costs. Statues and parades do well to lift spirits and immortalize heroes. But the next time infectious disease stalks New York City, the stuff locked in storerooms could be the most powerful memorial to the scale of our loss to COVID-19 and the courage of the workers who battled against it.

Stay healthy,
Jarrett Murphy, executive editor
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Top Stories
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What Will COVID-19 Mean for Housing Development in NYC? ([link removed][UNIQID])
Affordable housing developers, tenant advocacy groups and real-estate operators are grappling with the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

Mayor Wants Freeze, But Rent Guidelines Board is Meeting Online ([link removed][UNIQID])
'Tenants have expressed concerns about their ability to participate in this year’s public process if hearings were to be held online.'

Local Manufacturing, Buffeted by Development, Gets COVID-19 Spotlight ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘This is something we now have that can never be taken away from us. This is something we make here that no one else in the world can deprive us of.’

WageWorks, MTA Dispute Over Refunds for Unused Pre-Paid Commuter Benefits ([link removed][UNIQID])
The MTA’s website says it does not provide refunds for MetroCards 'while the transit system continues to operate' and is unable to resolve issues with 'pre-tax MetroCards you received through programs like WageWorks.'

Unclear How Many NYS Prison Deaths Are Being Investigated ([link removed][UNIQID])
City Limits contacted the medical examiners or coroners in all 29 New York counties were DOCCS has facilities. Most who responded said they were not investigating any prison deaths.

City’s COVID-19 Job Shock Could Be Worse Than Official Estimates ([link removed][UNIQID])
Has the city already lost more than a million jobs?

For NY’s College Students, Remote Learning Brings Distraction and Uncertainty of What’s Next ([link removed][UNIQID])
College students say the switch to remote learning has been a hard adjustment. Some have considered taking a gap year if remote learning carries into future semesters, concerned with paying for standard tuition for online classes.

Undocumented, Essential and Sick: COVID-19 Comes to the Farm ([link removed][UNIQID])
First came the fever, then dark urine and diarrhea, then a cough ‘that wanted to tear my throat up.’ And then his roommate got sick, too.

Crossing a COVID Nation: Our Lost Highway ([link removed][UNIQID])
When the hospitals in NYC were overrun, the death toll was out of control, folks had lost their jobs, patients had to split ventilators due to a shortage, and he’d gone out and bought a gun, my partner gave me a sage ultimatum: Either come home now, or stay in Sante Fe 'til this is over.

Read our in-depth coverage of the crisis here. ([link removed][UNIQID])
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** Voices of New York
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Amplifying NYC's Ethnic and Community Press


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New York’s Ecuadorans Face ‘Double Crisis’ From COVID-19 ([link removed][UNIQID])
Ecuador has emerged as an epicenter for coronavirus, creating 'double anguish' for Ecuadorian immigrants in New York as they watch the virus ravage both their homes, El Diario reports.

NY’s Polish Business Owners Fight to Survive in COVID-19 ‘Ghost Town’ ([link removed][UNIQID])
'The city has practically turned into a ghost town. It is hard to say how long we will be able to function like that. I don’t even want to think now about closing down and firing workers. They are struggling too,' the owner of Cracovia Deli in Boro Park told Biały Orzeł.

Our reporters are doing everything they can to keep you informed. In this time of great uncertainty, you can depend on us to tell you the truth. But we need your help to keep going.

Not everyone can afford to invest in local journalism right now but we also can't afford to lose it. Can we count on you?

Yes, I'll become a sustaining member today to help get City Limits through this crisis. ([link removed][UNIQID])


** City Views
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Opinions on Policy and Politics

Opinion: COVID-19’s Toll Forces a Focus on NYC’s Underlying Health Risks ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘If we have imagined that the oncoming locomotive of COVID-19 has left us no time to bring these underlying conditions under better control, it is time to think again. ‘

Opinion: Mayor de Blasio, Release Juvenile Detainees ([link removed][UNIQID])
'We write to express our concern over the city’s failure to sufficiently address the health risks faced by our clients in detention, and we call upon the mayor to release all juvenile detainees immediately.'

Opinion: NYers With Addiction Face Serious COVID-19 Risks ([link removed][UNIQID])
'In times of heightened anxiety, many people who suffer from addiction are also more susceptible to relapses and overdose. Now more than ever, the state must help cover their costs to ensure facilities can handle the volume.'

Opinion: Don’t Cancel Rent Without Protecting Homeowners ([link removed][UNIQID])
‘We cannot advocate to ‘cancel rent’ as a singular measure without considering the unintended, yet foreseeable, harm to other marginalized groups.’

Opinion: Cuomo’s Next Task as a National Leader is to Spare Prisoners from COVID-19 ([link removed][UNIQID])
'COVID-19 creates the basis for a new standard of parole release that evaluates people for who they are today. This would prevent more death and suffering from this virus and the crisis of mass incarceration.'

Coronavirus Resources

From Aid to Z: The Basics on COVID-19 Assistance for Renters, Homeowners & Businesses ([link removed][UNIQID])
Some resources and clarifying information for residential and commercial tenants and homeowners. we are staying committed to our well-being while cooped up.’

• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ([link removed][UNIQID]) COVID-19 information page

• Latest case count and other information from the New York State Department of Health ([link removed][UNIQID])

• the U.S. Centers for Disease Control ([link removed][UNIQID]) on Coronavirus

• the World Health Organization ([link removed][UNIQID]) situation reports on COVID-19

Need help or info? Check out our resource library. ([link removed][UNIQID])
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