[[link removed]]Dear John,



The votes are still being counted in the presidential and local elections, but we are beginning to get a clearer picture of where things stand. One thing that couldn’t be clearer: the pandemic is very much still here.

The US hit 100,000 daily cases yesterday, the highest single day ever. The fall wave we worried about is here, new cases in NYC have been above the threshold of 550 per day for nearly a week. Our 7-day average positivity rate citywide is hovering around 1.7 or 1.8 percent. New isolated infections of members of school communities in our area have also been reported, and while there’s no evidence yet of cases spreading inside schools, it is still a reminder of just how cautious and diligent we must continue to be. (You can look up testing and cases in your school here [[link removed]] .)

In only the latest whiplash in school policy, parents now have just until November 15 to decide whether to opt in to in person learning for the rest of the 2020-21 school year. To change your learning mode, fill out the survey here [[link removed]] . It would have been far wiser and kinder to make the opt-in period in January, when we would have a better sense of how things are going after the height of flu season. But instead parents are facing difficult choices between options that each carry risks, for physical and mental health and educational progress, with too little time and too little information. Our public educators, who have been abandoned by government at all levels, are still doing an amazing job of making schools (both online and in person) welcoming, supportive, and safe places of learning, under impossible circumstances right now, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

New York is doing better than many other places right now. With nearly every state in the country meeting the Governor’s metrics to require two weeks of mandatory quarantine upon travel to New York, new rules [[link removed]] require travelers to quarantine for three days and test negative on the fourth in order to leave quarantine. The rules are even further relaxed for those traveling to neighboring states for less than 24 hours, but that doesn’t mean we should relax our social distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing precautions. Around the world, added restrictions for businesses and travel are growing again, as the spread continues into the winter.

One thing is very certain, we have to get a handle on the virus and begin to rebuild a more fair and more sustainable economy, no matter what happens with the election. The first steps towards that lie with each of us, doing our part to maintain our distance even as the weather gets colder and we get lonelier. The next steps for local and federal government should be clear too: federal aid is likely not coming soon, so Albany must act to raise progressive revenue to help keep people in their homes, feed excluded workers, keep the subway running, and save small businesses. Our city must do a better and more fair job allocating the resources we do have, to invest in the things that will keep us healthy and safe now and generate jobs and housing for the future.

This is not an easy time, take care of one another, stay safe, stay healthy.

Brad

In this email:

*
Latest
Virus
Data:
In
NYC,
there
were
795
new
cases
identified
yesterday.
We
have
lost
24,034
people
in
NYC
from
the
virus,
including
sadly
13
in
the
last
few
days,
and
271,112
total
cases
have
been
identified
in
the
city
since
the
start
of
the
pandemic.
The
citywide
7-day
rolling
average
of
positive
test
rates
is
1.81%.


*
Get
Tested:
Testing
is
widely
available
(and
free)
to
all
New
Yorkers.
You
can
make
an
appointment
to
get
a
rapid
test
[[link removed]]
(results
back
in
24
hours)
or
walk
in
to
a
testing
site
[[link removed]]
around
the
city.


*
Schools
Opt-In
:
Families
have
until
November
15
to
opt-in
to
in
person/blended
learning.
Fill
out
the
survey
here
[[link removed]]
if
you
want
to
change
your
learning
mode.


*
January
Regents
Cancelled
:
The
State
Education
Commissioner
announced
[[link removed]]
today
that
the
January
Regents
exams
will
be
cancelled,
though
no
information
is
available
yet
about
the
June
and
Augusts
tests.


*
Evictions
Update:
Thanks
to
yet
another
confusing,
last
minute
executive
order,
some
New
York
tenants
will
have
an
additional
60
days
to
respond
to
non-payment
cases
filed
against
them
(extended
from
the
usual
window
of
10
days).
This
small
change
may
help
thousands
stay
in
their
homes,
but
is
also
indicative
of
the
patchwork-nature
of
the
eviction
protections
that
are
strung
together
right
now.
More
details
and
context
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Participatory
Budgeting:
This
is
the
last
week
to
submit
ideas
for
participatory
budgeting
(do
so
here!
[[link removed]]
).
Our
budget
delegates,
who
will
research
proposals,
negotiate
with
agencies,
and
shepherd
ideas
to
the
district-wide
ballot
are
meeting
next
week
to
get
oriented
and
begin
the
next
stage
of
that
process.
It’s
not
too
late
to
volunteer,
RSVP
for
Monday’s
orientation
at
7:30
PM
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Support
Local
Businesses:
The
Park
Slope
BID
launched
a
new
holiday
gift
card
[[link removed]]
program
to
support
businesses
in
Park
Slope
and
Gowanus
to
keep
holiday
shopping
local.



456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]

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