Dear Neighbor,
I hope that everyone is digging out from the snow alright! The final storm numbers in New York City are topping out at over 17 inches in Central Park, making this one of the biggest storms in the last five years! (As we dig out over the course of the next few days, we have some resources you can use at the end of this email in mind.)
Watching the snow outside my window was another good reminder of how much gratitude we owe to essential workers who cannot work from home. I am incredibly thankful for the DSNY workers who have been working on 12 hour shifts since Sunday night to keep our streets clear. And I was deeply relieved when the governor announced -- in response to our advocacy -- that local governments can now open up vaccine eligibility to all essential workers, including food-delivery workers, taxi drivers, and restaurant workers.
Unfortunately, it has become very clear (as we feared it would) that the vaccination of New Yorkers hasn’t been an equitable endeavor thus far. White New Yorkers are 32% of the population, but 48% of those who have been vaccinated. Black New Yorkers are 24% of the population, but just 11% of the vaccinated. This compounds the cruel inequity of a pandemic in which Black and Latino New Yorkers have died at twice the rate of white ones.
Here’s some of what we must do to expand vaccine distribution while correcting these unacceptable racial disparities:
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The City is beginning to set aside vaccine appointments in 33 highly-impacted areas (where Covid-19 death rates and poverty rates are highest) for residents of those neighborhoods (including family members of those who are eligible, in addition to the eligible person themselves).
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Vaccinations should also start to take place in key locations where people in hard-hit communities are already receiving services, in partnerships with human service providers who are trusted in the communities they serve and able to provide culturally competent outreach.
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The Biden Administration has announced that COVID-19 vaccines could be available at local pharmacies in the coming weeks.
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So far, appointments are all by registration; for neighborhood-based programs, I believe that walk-ins will be necessary as well to serve people from those communities (which unfortunately can mean long lines, but provides a way around clunky online systems).
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As I called for at the Council’s oversight hearing last month, the City needs to ramp up vaccine outreach and support, in all the many languages spoken in our city, both through trusted community-based organizations (as was done for NYC Census outreach), and through large-scale door-knocking and phone-banking operations. This outreach should begin with seniors, and provide back-up support for those who struggle with the online systems until they have received both doses. (We continue to pilot some of this work through the Neighbor Network, which we hope to expand in the coming weeks).
Our office is continuing to provide vaccine support to seniors from our district, or others who struggle with internet access or technology, including those who speak Bangla (and you can reach out to Fawziyah at [email protected]) or Russian (which you can reach out to Nicole for at [email protected]) .
All of that requires expanded vaccine supply, of course. New York City continues to run out of doses nearly every week. The Biden Administration is ramping up supply, but we are still far from the level we need, especially given the new variants that are spreading.
And that means that we need to stay vigilant, as hard as that is during winter darkness. Just this week, NYC Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi and mayoral candidate Andrew Yang tested positive for Covid-19, and of course so many others, as the positivity rate -- while down slightly from recent highs -- remains above 8%.
As I’ve said before, I don’t believe it makes sense yet to restore indoor dining (though I am very glad that restaurant workers, many of whom are working in kitchens, serving outdoor tables, or working delivery) are now eligible, and servers will at least be eligible to be vaccinated before they return to serving customers indoors.
We won’t be back to indoor dining safely by Valentines Day. But if we stay vigilant, if supply expands, and if we work tirelessly to both rapidly expand vaccine distribution and make it equitable, we could set ourselves on course for one of the most joyous spring and summer seasons of our lifetimes.
For now, stay warm, and stay safe,
Brad
Updates and Resources:
Digging out from the snow
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Alternate side parking is suspended through Saturday the 6th to facilitate snow removal operations. Remember DSNY is hard at work, so you may experience a delay in trash and recycling pick up.
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If you need an emergency food delivery please call 311 or go to their website here to be connected to the NYCFood team
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It is heat season until May 31st so all apartments are required to have hot water at all times, and the inside temperature must be 68 degrees between 6am and 10pm if the outside temperature is below 55 degrees. And between 10pm and 6am the inside temperature must be 62 degrees. If you experience a loss of heat or hot water for ANY reason please immediately report it to 311 and feel free to reach out to our office as well.
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Homeowners (as well as business owners) are required to provide a clear walkway for pedestrians that is at least 4 feet wide. It is also required to dig out fire hydrants as well as corners and pedestrian ramps. If you see a sidewalk that is unshoveled please report that to 311 and contact our office
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Code blue is still in affect, so please be sure if you see a homeless New Yorker indeed of assistance please call 311.
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Continue to use caution when using the roads!
Covid-19 updates and resources
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Latest Virus Data: In NYC, 4,618 new COVID cases were reported February 2nd, for a total of 617,406 cases since the start of the pandemic. We have lost 27,298 people in NYC from the virus, including sadly 88 reported on February 1st. The number of new cases and the positivity rate have been declining slightly for the past week, but the citywide 7-day rolling average of positive test rates is 8.09%. City data here.
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Vaccine Data: As of today, 1,395,050 vaccine doses have been delivered to New York City, and 837, 292 (60%) have been administered (618,308 first doses, 143,244 second doses). For more information on vaccine eligibility, locations, and data, visit the NYC Vaccine Command Center’s Website. (And you can review our office’s Vaccine FAQ here).
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Beware of COVID Vaccine Scams: Please ignore any individual or organization claiming to be able to provide a vaccine in exchange for payment. No vaccine distributors will ask you for Social Security, credit card, or bank account information. The vaccine is completely free, regardless of whether you have health insurance. If you suspect any fraudulent activity relating to COVID-19, please call the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Action Center Hotline at 718-250-2340.
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Get Tested: Even with these new vaccines in circulation it is still so important to keep up our social distancing, wear masks, and get tested. For information about testing sites around the city, visit New York City’s Covid-19 testing website.
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Change to Partial Unemployment Benefits: Part-time workers can now base their unemployment claims on the hours they work in a week and not the number of days. You will receive benefits as long as you work fewer than 30 hours and earn no more than $504 in total pay a week. You can read more about it here. If you have any issues contacting the DoL regarding unemployment benefits, please reach out to you State Representative (and we are happy to point you in their direction)
- Brooklyn Relief Kitchen needs PPE and Donations: The Brooklyn Relief Kitchen which has been working hard to feed Brooklynites who have been struggling needs PPE, especially face masks and gloves. They are also collecting non-perishable food items and Fresh Direct Bags! You can drop those off Tuesday-Saturday 10am-2pm in from the Old First Church at 7th Ave. You can also directly donate funds here.
- Self Sign Up for Senior Calls From the Neighbor Network: If you are a senior or you know one who is interested in receiving free friendly calls you can sign up to receive calls from the Neighbor Network! Seniors will be matched with a community member during the COVID-18 crisis to help community members connect over the phone in this very isolating time! You can sign yourself or someone else up here or call 914.573.5526.
Education updates & resources
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Middle School and High School Admissions Resources:
- School Experience Survey: Let DOE know what you think of school this year! DOE is collecting feedback from families, students and teachers about remote learning, communication, technology use and in person health, safety, and instruction for those students and teachers who attended school or worked in-person at any point this school year. The feedback will help school administrators and the NYC DOE plan for the rest of the school year. Students and families can fill out the survey here by 2/5.
- Pre-K Applications Open on 2/24: The deadline to apply is April 7th. During the application period you can apply online or by phone.
- Sign up for the pre-K admissions email list to get updates, tips, and reminders throughout the process.
- Through the admissions process you'll use MySchools.nyc to learn about pre-K programs, apply, get your offer, and learn about waitlists. Before the application opens you can set up you MySchools account and start exploring Pre-K options in MySchools' online searchable, Pre-K Directory.
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Pre-K Tours: The Little Brooklyn Pre-K Center is holding tours for the 2021 school year for children born in 2017. Sign up here for the location of your choice (each has multiple tour dates still available):
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Music, Multiculturalism and This Moment: Please join MS 51 and newly appointed Principal Neal Singh for a conversation on Music, Multiculturalism and This Moment on Thursday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m. Featuring journalist/music critic Larry Blumenfeld, musician and MS 51 composer-in-residence Jen Shyu, and MS 51 choir director Mimi Broderick. Brought to you by the 51 Parents Association. To join please visit here: https://eventbrite.com/e/ms51-present
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Black Lives Matter Week of Action Parent and Educator Advocacy: Panel Saturday 2/6, 11am - 1 pm: “You Matter Kids Summit” - Join for a day of Joy and Affirmation. There will be group activities, breakouts, trivia, and a dance party for ages 5 through 10. Virtual Link shared after Registration
Other updates
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We are still collecting Fresh Direct Bags for redistribution to food pantries and mutual aid groups: You can drop your Fresh Direct bags (folded, please) at any of the locations and times below:
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Kensington: 3 Avenue C, Saturdays at 4 PM
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Park Slope: 256 13th St, M-F, 8 AM to 6 PM
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Carroll Gardens: 71 3rd Pl, M-F, 8 AM to 6 PM
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Cobble Hill: 359 Henry St, Mon-Wed, 9 AM to 6 PM
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Primary Deadlines: The deadline to register for a political party to vote in NYC June’s primary election on February 14th. You can do so online here
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