Dear John,

Today, at last, was my daughter Rosa’s first day of her senior year in high school. It’s an understatement to say that it’s not what she expected. An even bigger one to say that we’re immensely grateful to her teachers and school staff. And maybe the biggest one of all to say that Meg and I couldn’t be prouder of her, in dark times and bright ones.

Rosa’s first day in-person corresponds, sadly, with the last one in-person for a while at PS 131 (where students were finally able to use their yard again yesterday, thanks to the tireless work from my team, as part of our ongoing “outdoor learning” advocacy) and the West Brooklyn Community High School -- the two schools in our district (both are located in Borough Park) that are among the 100 that are closing today. I’m really saddened by it, because the staff in both schools have been working unbelievably hard to show up for their kids, and because they have not yet had any cases in either school.

Still, I believe the targeted closures starting today in nine zip codes (including 11219) are something we have to do.

These nine zip codes have the highest COVID-19 positivity rates in New York City, above (and some far above) the 3% threshold. It makes sense to take a data-driven, targeted approach to restrictions in areas where COVID-19 cases have been spiking. The significant expansion of testing (soon to be taking place in schools as well) is one critical element of a more effective response than we could achieve in the spring. If we don't act now, we'll likely need a much broader shutdown soon (after more preventable cases & deaths).

So I support the decision, painful as it is, to close public and private schools in these nine zip codes, including locally 11219 (Borough Park). Another 13 zip codes, including locally 11218 (Kensington/Windsor Terrace), are on a watch list. Hopefully, we can get and keep the rates down, and they can reopen soon. Zip codes are not a perfect geography of course, and it would be great if we could get an even more targeted approach. As school testing comes online in the coming days, it will help us get more precise.

If rates keep rising, we’ll have to do more. Honestly, I think that opening indoor dining the same week as schools was a mistake, and should be on hold, not just in those zip codes but citywide, along with gyms, and larger religious gatherings. It is hard to imagine that school closures will have the intended effect without also tackling the spread in these institutions and small businesses locally, which the Governor and Mayor are still disagreeing over. The ongoing lack of communication and alignment between city and state leaders has left small businesses, including many child care providers, facing confusion and uncertainty, in a time of so much stress already.

I don’t take any of these closures lightly. I know that many schools have worked hard to make reopening happen safely, many families are adapting to new realities, and many small businesses are struggling. Religious observance is fundamental to many people, and of course constitutionally protected. But being aggressive now is what we can do to prevent a second wave and, hopefully, avert the need for wider closures.

A broader collective failure has led us to this point. We must take the rise in cases seriously, and act as proactively as possible to prevent the need to move to a more widespread lockdown, which may again become necessary.

None of us ever want to go back to those traumatic months in March and April, with stay-at-home orders, sirens in the streets, and closures of all non-essential businesses. We’ve known since the spring that a second wave of this virus was possible, and that the challenge would come once the weather started getting colder and more activities, including school, were happening inside. We are facing that challenge now.

It’s going to take a collective effort to make sure that we can keep the virus rates low, far more diligent mask-wearing and distancing, and dedicated resources and partnerships with local community leaders. The challenge is not made easier by the hyper-polarization of our politics nor the failures that have diminished trust in city and state leadership. It will not be easy, but I still believe we can do it.

Brad

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Updated and Resources
Upcoming Events

Updates and Resources

Latest Virus Data: In NYC, there were 472 new cases identified yesterday. We have lost 23,861 people in NYC from the virus, including sadly 9 in the last few days, and 251,591 total cases have been identified in the city since the start of the pandemic. The citywide 7-day rolling average of positive test rates was 1.65% today and still alarmingly high in the hotspot zip codes.
Last Week To Register to Vote: The deadline to register to vote in New York is this Friday, October 9. Visit voting.nyc for guidance on how to register. If you think you are registered, check your registration to make sure nothing has changed. Absentee ballots are being mailed out, you can request yours here.
Get Tested: You can get a free test with quick turn around at any Health and Hospitals site, look up a site here.
Participatory Budgeting: Submit your ideas for how to help our neighborhoods recover and rebuild from this crisis. The projects that feel most urgent this year may be different, but we are glad to still have the opportunity to work together on this most democratic of processes to make collective decisions about how to invest in our neighborhoods.
Complete the Census: If you have not yet, please complete the Census at my2020census.gov and tell your friends and family. If you want to volunteer to call or text New Yorkers to encourage them to fill it out, visit here.
Debt Suspension Renewed: Attorney General Tish James yesterday renewed the suspension of the state’s collection of student and medical debt again until November 3rd. The order also halts the accrual of interest and the collection of fees on outstanding debt. For more information, call 800-771-7755 or visit the AG’s website.
Utility Moratorium Extended: The statewide moratoria for all gas, electric, water and telephone utility shut offs will continue uninterrupted for another thirty days, until November 3rd. Consumers falling behind on their electric, gas, water or telephone bills are strongly encouraged to contact their utility NOW  and “self-certify” to receive an additional 180 days of protection from service terminations.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, October 13 from 7 to 8:30 PM: Participatory Budgeting Neighborhood Assembly. Register here.

We will be gathering on Zoom next week to talk about ideas for how to spend our district’s participatory budgeting dollars to help our neighborhoods recover from this crisis. Come learn about participatory budgeting and discuss ideas with your neighbors.