Dear John,

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the beautiful weekend, celebrating fathers in your lives and taking part, in person or remotely, in the Juneteenth celebrations and demonstrations for Black freedom. 

Phase 2 of our city’s reopening starts today. We have many things to be grateful for, including the immeasurable contributions of essential workers and the collective caution that enabled us to get here together. I got a haircut first thing this morning. And I can't wait to eat at an outdoor restaurant tonight (at the moment, I feel like I might never eat inside again). 

But there are also so many things for us to stay vigilant about. 

Many New Yorkers have already begun to let their guards down. All over the city, bars, stores and people themselves are bending or ignoring social distancing rules. I understand the impulse, and of course it’s no secret that I’ve been out marching in the streets almost every day for the past few weeks. Initial data has not shown a spike in cases connected to mass protests and the infection rate in New York is among the lowest in the country now. So far, it looks like being outside with masks on, even in a crowd, doesn’t have significant transmission risks.

But we are not out of the woods yet, far from it. Across the country, at least 20 states are seeing an increase in coronavirus cases, many in states that re-opened businesses too quickly. So while we all are looking forward to enjoying a little more flexibility, we have to be even more vigilant about mask-wearing, hand-washing, and physical distancing. 

Phase 2 brings the welcome re-opening of playgrounds, a relief for many families of young kids. The City will send social distancing ambassadors to help encourage compliance with social distancing. Ambassadors will have masks on hand, and will remind parents to keep kids apart as much as possible. Parks in our neighborhoods that have been closed for weeks (like Carroll Park and Washington Park, which we’ve been pushing to re-open for weeks) are thankfully now again.

Phase 2 also brings the much anticipated opening of restaurants to outdoor dining on sidewalks and parking spots. I’m looking forward to supporting local restaurants in our neighborhood and eating outside with my family. The streamlined application for restaurants and details about the requirements are available here. 

And Phase 2 brings the re-opening of in-person retail, barbershops and salons, and some offices (at 50% capacity), bringing as many as 300,000 workers back to work. Of course, without guidance about child care and summer day camps -- still lacking from NYC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene despite a letter and consistent outreach from my office and other Council Members -- it’s impossible for many parents to imagine going back to work. And we still need a better plan to avoid overcrowding subways and buses. 

I still believe we need a more ambitious approach, something like the NYC Public Health Corps I've been calling for, to support a more effective approach to collective social distancing and public health compliance. I'm worried by the low response rate of NYC's contact-tracing program. I believe that we should adopt voluntary use of a contact-tracing app, which could also help provide the kind of public health guidance we all need as things evolve (especially in case numbers start to rise again, and we need to move back to a more restrictive phase). 

In the meantime, we're all we’ve got. As we go back to activities that have not been possible for weeks, a “harm reduction” approach is needed to help us make choices that reduce risk for ourselves and people we come into contact with. My colleague Mark Levine has a helpful guide to help assess and reduce risk of exposure. If only our city and federal health officials were providing anything as useful. 

This new world is going to take shared problem-solving. So if you see things in our neighborhood that need attention, reach out to my office at [email protected] or 718-499-1090. We're eager to help with issues in our parks, on our streets, for newly re-opened businesses, however we can.

I’ve never felt as grateful for a haircut as I did this morning. As crazy as it sounds, I really feel like my old head has been returned to me. I’m going to try to bring that spirit of gratitude to our shared work in the days, weeks, and months ahead. 

Brad

City and State Updates

• Latest impacts: As of yesterday, there have been 209,313 cases in NYC. More than 54,345 people have been hospitalized. We have lost 17,596 people from the virus, and another 4,682 are presumed to have died from the virus as well. The infection rate has dropped, hospitalizations are way down, and we are on a good track to diminishing the spread of the virus, but New Yorkers are still dying on a daily basis. 

• Phase 2: Here is a summary of what each phase means for our economy, and here for reference are the metrics that health officials are looking at to decide when we can move into the next phases.  

• Helping businesses reopen: The City is distributing 2 million more face coverings to Phase 2 businesses, and connecting business owners with a directory of wholesalers selling sneeze guards, PPE, and other equipment. There are also reopening guides for Phase 2 industries, including Open Restaurants guidelines. Go to nyc.gov/business or nyc.gov/coronavirus to find these resources and guides or use the dedicated Restart Hotline for business owners: 888-SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692).

• Voting: Tomorrow is election day. Polls will be open from 6 am to 9 pm. Find your poll site here. If you are sending in an absentee ballot, do not forget to sign and date the back of the return envelope as instructed to ensure the ballot is counted. Ballots must be postmarked by June 23rd, so get it in the mail today if you can. 

• Reminder to fill out the Census: Brooklyn continues to be one of the most undercounted areas in the country, threatening future resources and representation for our communities. If you haven’t yet, please take 10 minutes to fill out your census here.

• Interest-free loans: We are still accepting applications for zero-interest loans to small businesses and independent contractors in District 39. Learn more and apply here.

unsubscribe
Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.