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Dear Neighbor,

As of Wednesday afternoon, New York City has seen 185,206 cases, 49,307 hospitalizations, and 20,316 deaths from coronavirus. Key indicators are trending downward, as of Monday, May 11, 35 people died, there were 7 new hospitalizations, and unfortunately, we saw an uptick of 586 new cases compared to the report of 401 the day before.

This is a stark reminder that in spite of the warm weather, we must remain disciplined in conforming to social distancing and wearing masks. To that end, following our advocacy along with fellow elected officials to increase access to face coverings throughout Manhattan, we will be distributing free face coverings (#face) on Roosevelt Island (#ri) , the Upper East Side (#ues) , and in East Harlem (#elbarrio) .

We've made testing a priority since the pandemic began and it is finally available more widely with home kits and labs (#lab) , urgent care (#urgent) centers, and at public sites throughout the borough (#manhattan) .

Governor Cuomo has extended the eviction moratorium (#eviction) through August 20th, begun opening select regions upstate, and set guidelines for opening the rest of the state (#reopen) .

Here in the city, we hosted a town hall with Congress Member Maloney and Small Business Services on how we can help (#business) , which you can watch online. Alternate side of the street parking will resume May 18 through the 24th (#parking) for a citywide sweep and be suspended again from May 25th through June 7th. If you need access to health care by phone (#medical) , you can now call our city's Heath and Hospitals at 844-NYC-4NYC.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member, District 5

P.S. For past updates visit BenKallos.com/Newsletters ([link removed])



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My office will be distributing FREE face coverings for those who need them most. Face coverings are available for essential workers and residents who need them to stay safe. Please be sure to RSVP to reserve your covering and skip the line.

: Friday, May 15th, 4PM - Foodtown, 686 Main Street, RSVP ([link removed])
: Monday, May 18th, 10:30AM - Carnegie Hill Neighbors (with Council Member Keith Powers), 1326 Madison Avenue, RSVP ([link removed])
: Monday, May 18th, 5PM - Lexington Houses, 1536 Lexington Avenue, RSVP ([link removed])
: Tuesday, May 19th, 4PM - Robins Plaza, 341 East 71st Street, RSVP ([link removed])

RSVP to reserve you covering and skip the line by calling 212-860-1950,
email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , or visit BenKallos.com/events ([link removed])
Weather Permitting, RSVP for Rain Date.
Supplies are limited. One per person. First come first served.


Testing for COVID-19 and antibodies are now widely available from labs with an order obtained through telemedicine, a doctor's visit and order, or for first responders.

[link removed] ([link removed]) is now offering Covid-19 PCR testing (COVID-19 swab test) through a hospital or healthcare provider or through an at-home kit for individuals who have Covid-19 symptoms or meet the testing criteria established by the CDC. An at-home COVID-19 test kit ([link removed]) to detect active infection is also now available.

[link removed] York City has partnered with BioReference ([link removed]) Labs to offer FREE antibody tests to 70,00 New Yorkers. This first survey will run through late May and will repeat in June with another 70,000 tests. The City will conduct 5,000 tests at each site per day, for a total of 1,000 tests per day. Results will be delivered to participants in 24-48 hours after the test is given. For those who DO NOT have internet access, please call 888-279-0967. For all others, please visitnyc.bioreference.com/antibodysurvey

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Walk-in urgent care centers are also providing tests including Northwell ([link removed]) and CityMD ([link removed]) .


Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer ([link removed]) has compiled a helpful list of places testing for Covid-19 and for the antibodies created once people come into contact with the virus and recuperate.
* Gouverneur/H&H, 227 Madison St., NY NY 10002 9 am - 3:30 pm M-F. (212) 238-7897
* Manhattanville Renaissance Health Center (antibody testing only), 21 Old Broadway, NY NY 10027. Make an appointment online ([link removed]) those without internet access can call (888) 279-0967.
* The Institute for Family Health/Family Health Center of Harlem, 1824 Madison Ave. (at 119 St), NY NY. Sat. and Sun. only. (844) NYC-4NYC
* H&H at Saint Nicholas Houses (swab only), 218 West 127 St. The site takes walk-ins, but NYCHA residents take priority. Call (844) NYC-4NYC for more information.
* Ryan Health Center, 2381 Frederick Douglass Blvd. (at 128 St) NY NY 10027. M-F, 9 am - 12 noon; 1 -4:40 pm. (888) 364-3065.
* Abyssinian Baptist Church (swab only), 132 West 138 St. Opens this week; appointment information pending.
* Convent Avenue Baptist Church (swab only), 420 West 145 St. Opens next week; appointment information pending.
* Mount Neboh Baptist Church (swab only), 1883 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. Opens next week; appointment information pending.
* Somos Community Center, 2360 Amsterdam Ave at 177 St. 12 noon - 4 pm M-F. (888) 364-3065
* Sydenham/H&H, 264 West 118 Street, NY NY 10026 9am-3:30pm M-F. (212) 932-6500
* Dyckman Clinica Las Americas, 25-99 Dyckman St (at Nagle), NY NY 10040 M-F 8:30 am. (844) NYC-4NYC



Governor Cuomo recently extended ([link removed]) the statewide moratorium on COVID-related residential and commercial evictions until August 20th. The state is also banning the issuance of late fees for missed rent payments during the moratorium, and allowing renters who face financial hardship due to COVID-19 to use their security and repay the amount over time.


On Tuesday, Governor Cuomo announced ([link removed]) that some regions in our state have met the requirements for reopening. Beginning on Friday May 15, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Mohawk Valley, which include Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira, can begin reopening. The Governor is requiring each region to establish a “control room” to coordinate and monitor the speed at which they reopen. It is still unclear when downstate sections of New York State like New York City, Long Island, and the Mid-Hudson Valley will begin reopening. Some of the low-risk activities that can resume statewide starting this coming Friday include landscaping, gardening, and recreational activities like tennis and drive-in movie theaters.

In the select regions where reopening has been permitted, residents will also be able to resume commercial activities including construction, manufacturing and wholesale supply, retail for curbside pickup, agriculture, forestry and fishing.

The seven key indicators that the Governor uses to determine when areas can begin reopening are:
* A 14-day decline in hospitalizations, or fewer than 15 a day.
* A 14-day decline in virus-related hospital deaths, or fewer than five a day.
* A steady rate of new hospitalizations below two per 100,000 residents a day.
* A hospital-bed vacancy rate of at least 30 percent.
* An availability rate for intensive care unit beds of at least 30 percent.
* At least 30 virus tests per 1,000 residents conducted a month.
* At least 30 working contact tracers per 100,000 residents.

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If you missed our Virtual Town Hall with Small Business Commissioner Jonnel Doris, it’s not too late to catch up on what was discussed, including everything from taxes to facilitating programs from the federal government. Watch the entire video conference featuring Congress Member Carolyn Maloney on YouTube.com ([link removed]) or at Facebook.com/BenKallos/Videos ([link removed])


Alternate Side Parking regulations have been suspended through May 17, 2020. It will resume May 18th through the 24th for a week-long cleaning sweep of the city. It will then be suspended again from May 25th through June 7th.

Parking meters and all other parking rules remain in effect throughout the City. The City may extend the suspension based on street cleanliness and workforce availability. Any New Yorker under isolation who has received a parking ticket can appeal to the Department of Finance and should provide medical documentation or testimony, which will be taken into consideration when their case is reviewed. To learn how to dispute a parking ticket, visit the Parking Ticket or Camera Violation Dispute ([link removed]) .



In order to expand access to care for New Yorkers who have symptoms or questions about Covid-19​, NYC Health + Hospitals continues to increase the capacity of its free Phone-a-Clinician Hotline at 844-NYC-4NYC to be able to handle 120,000 calls a month. With this expansion, Health + Hospitals will aim to provide 16,000 tele-visits to New Yorkers per week via the hotline, accounting for roughly 80 percent of the City’s ambulatory visits. NYC Health + Hospitals has also now completed 60,000 H+H Tele-health visits at more than 300 clinics citywide since the beginning of the crisis.

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