March 30, 2020, By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for a rent freeze for over two million New Yorkers to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic. The freeze would apply to the 2.3 million people living in the city’s one million rent-stabilized units. Many residents have suffered economic hardship under the… Read more »
March 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio has repeatedly said that he has no plans of releasing a neighborhood breakdown of coronavirus cases, despite numerous requests from reporters and the public. The mayor has only released borough breakdowns of the number of cases each day as the pandemic worsens and has said… Read more »
March 27, 2020 By Michael Dorgan New Yorkers plan to show their support and gratitude tonight for essential staff and health care workers who have been in the front line in the battle against COVID-19. People across the city are being asked to collectively clap for two-minutes at 7 p.m either outside their homes, at… Read more »
March 27, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The city is shutting down most building sites to curb the spread of coronavirus and protect construction workers from getting infected. Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared that non-essential construction will end today, effectively bringing the private construction sector to a halt, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on WNYC Friday…. Read more »
March 26, 2020 By Christian Murray The MTA has cut service as ridership has reached historic lows as most people– with the exception of essential workers– are staying home. MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye announced Tuesday that the agency was implementing the MTA Essential Service Plan, a reduced schedule that is in line with… Read more »
March 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will release 300 more inmates from Rikers Island amid fears of the coronavirus spreading across the sprawling jail facility. The move comes after the mayor announced last week that 40 inmates from Rikers Island were set to be released on Friday. On Sunday he announced a… Read more »
By Yoav Gonen, THE CITY This story was originally published on 3/25/20 by THE CITY The city’s public Elmhurst Hospital in Queens has been overrun with seriously ill coronavirus patients — including 13 who died in a 24-hour span, officials said Wednesday. A spokesperson for the city public hospital systems said Elmhurst is “at the… Read more »
March 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City parks and playgrounds will continue to remain open — as long as people adhere to social distancing rules and avoid group sports, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today. Cuomo asked the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio to come up with a plan to patrol city… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin The rate of new coronavirus cases is doubling every three days in New York State and the apex of the crisis is expected to hit in about two-to-three weeks, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The State has failed to slow the spread of the virus, despite a near shutdown… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A new hotline to report hate crimes and xenophobic-based incidents has been set up in the wake of the coronavirus spread and anti-Asian rhetoric. It comes after an uptick in the number of bigoted attacks against Asian Americans, according to Attorney General Letitia James, who announced the service Monday…. Read more »