Dear Community,
As we adjust to this new reality, I want to honor the work each of you are doing to create a safer and healthier New York. As the number of cases continues to rise across New York State, we must all recommit ourselves to social distancing––
for the healthcare workers on the front lines, the essential workers in
our transit system and grocery stores who show up each day despite the
risks, and all those who are most vulnerable.
New
York State is working quickly to expand hospital capacity and to
distribute equipment to medical professionals across the State. The
State is working closely with the Greater New York Hospital Association
and the Healthcare Association of New York State to distribute supplies
to hospitals with the greatest need. As I shared yesterday, the State is
giving 169,000 N-95 masks, 430,850 surgical masks, 176,750 gloves,
72,561 gowns and 39,364 face shields to New York City Hospitals. They
are also distributing 16,988 N-95 masks, 301,595 surgical masks, 17,675
gloves, 72,561 gowns and 3,926 face shields to Westchester Hospitals.
Note, this is in addition to the 1 million N-95 masks New York State
purchased and distributed to New York City last week.
Update on Federal Action: Last week, the House of
Representatives and Senate passed legislation that President Trump
signed into law, creating a limited paid leave program and expanding
unemployment insurance and food assistance programs.
- Direct cash payments to taxpayers totaling $1,200, with an
additional $500 per child. These payments would phase out for taxpayers
who had an adjusted gross income of $75,000 on their 2018 tax return,
phasing out entirely at $99,000.
- $350 billion in loans to small businesses that would be forgivable if spent on payroll, paid leave, rent, or debt payments.
- $500 billion in assistance from the U.S. Treasury for large
businesses in severely distressed sectors of the economy. Democratic
Senators raised concerns that this was essentially a blank check for the
administration, with limited reporting.
- $75 billion in funding for healthcare providers.
Democrats in the House have proposed an alternative approach,
the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act. According to
reports, this proposal includes:
- Direct cash payments to Americans.
- $150 billion in loans for corporations.
- A prohibition on companies using taxpayer money for stock buybacks.
- Boosts to unemployment insurance and earned income tax credits.
- A requirement that the airline industry offset its carbon emissions.
- Reports relating to pay equity and diversity on corporate boards receiving funds.
- Elimination of the U.S. Postal Service’s debt.
- Funding for election reforms and a national mandate for same-day
registration, no-excuse absentee balloting, and at least 15 days of
early voting.
Finance Update: Today, The Department of
Financial Services issued an emergency regulation as required by
Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order that grants 90 day mortgage forbearance
to all residents who have experienced financial hardship as a result of
the coronavirus epidemic. In addition, all banks must eliminate all
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) fees, overdraft fees, and credit card
late payment fees for New Yorkers who are impacted by COVID-19. You can
access more information
here.
Update on New York City Jails: Today,
Mayor de Blasio announced that New York City will release 300 currently incarcerated individuals from Rikers Island.
All of these individuals were convicted of a non-violent felony or
misdemeanor and have less than a year left in their sentences. None of
them were convicted of domestic violence or sex crimes. The Mayor also
announced that he is working with the Governor to release additional
individuals at Rikers who are over the age of 70 or have underlying
health conditions. As the State Senator who represents Rikers Island, I
urge the Mayor and the Governor to work quickly to release with
supervision those who are most vulnerable in our jails, including by
suspending incarceration for technical parole violations, and releasing
elderly people and those with underlying conditions wherever possible.
Update on Unemployment Insurance: As a reminder, the
New York State Department of Labor has extended their telephone service
through Saturdays. You may now call their line from 7:30am-8:00pm on
Saturdays for assistance. Applicants should receive their first check
within a week of completing their claim. Individuals who select direct
deposit will receive their payment faster than those who select the
check or debit card option. You can access more information
here.
Transportation Update: The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the “NY Essential Service Plan”
which ensures that essential staff are able to get to work via public
transit while transitioning to a reduced schedule. This plan retains 75%
of normal buses and subway services. You can access more information
here.
Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road are asking all customers to use
contactless methods to purchase tickets. Customers can purchase tickets
through the MTA eTix app or at a Ticket Vending Machine. In person
ticket offices have all closed until further notice. Citibike announced
that they will be offering a free 30 day membership for all essential
staff.
Parking Update: Alternate side parking will be suspended until March 31st. This will be reevaluated on a weekly basis.
Update for Pregnant New Yorkers: Health &
Hospitals, New York City’s public hospital system, will allow anyone
giving birth to have a partner with them in the delivery room. However,
their partner will be required to wear a surgical mask and go through a
clearance procedure to ensure they do not have symptoms of COVID-19.
NYC Parks Update: New York City Parks remain open,
but it is important that all New Yorkers practice social distancing when
using public parks, and remain 6 feet away from anyone they do not live
with.
Adult Care Facility Update: The New York State
Department of Health released new guidance for Adult Healthcare
Facilities (ACF) for staffing practices. For more information for those
who work at ACFs, you can email
covidadultcareinfo@health.ny.gov.
Tax Update: The New York City Department of Finance
is offering several programs to support homeowners with their property
taxes. You can find more information
here.
Hospice Guidance Update: The New York State
Department of Health released new guidance for screening patients and
staff at Home Healthcare Agencies and Hospice Providers which can be
found here.
Resources for Small Businesses:
- U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Relief: Nonprofits
and businesses in New York State are eligible for low interest SBA
Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Loans can be used to pay fixed debts,
payroll, accounts payable, or other bills that a business or nonprofit
cannot pay due to a disaster. Learn more and apply here.
- Westchester Nonprofits: United Way is providing coronavirus relief grants up to $50,000 to Westchester Nonprofits. Learn more and apply here.
- New York City Employee Retention Grant Program: Businesses
with fewer than 5 employees can apply for a grant to cover 40% of
payroll costs for two months to help retain employees. Nonprofits are
also eligible. Learn more and apply here.
- NYC Small Business Continuity Loan Fund: Businesses
with fewer than 100 employees who have seen a sale decrease by 25% or
more are eligible for zero interest loans up to $75,000 to help retain
employees and keep their business running. Applications are not open
yet, but you can learn more and fill out the pre-application here.
- New York City Office of Nightlife is gathering
information about how COVID-19 closures and event cancellations are
impacting your businesses and livelihood. The data will guide New York
City policy-makers and help the Office best address your challenges in
the weeks and months to come. You can fill out the survey and find more
information here.
- FAQ for Business Owners from New York City Small Business Services
Ways to Lend a Helping Hand:
- Donate or Sell Supplies: EDC launched a new
website this weekend for local businesses that want to support the
COVID-19 emergency response effort by providing or manufacturing
supplies. Learn more at the new website: COVID-19 Emergency Supply Sourcing & Manufacturing.
- Donate Space: New York City is still identifying
new hospital capacity. They are particularly interested in private
spaces that may not be yet on their radar. If you have space to offer,
please fill out this space survey here: NYC Share Your Space Survey.
- Medical Professionals: New York State is looking
for qualified health, mental health, and related professionals to
supplement our health care capacity. Take the Health and Professionals
survey here.
- Recruiting Drivers: New York City is looking for
TLC-licensed drivers to help with important work related to COVID-19,
such as delivering food to older adults who can’t leave their homes.
This work will be paid $15/hour plus reimbursement for gas and tolls.
Drivers will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. The initial
need for drivers will be small, but we expect it to increase as we
expand our programs. Sign-up here, at DeliveryTLC.
- Donate Blood: The New York Blood Center is currently having trouble meeting patient needs. You can learn more and sign up to donate here.
- To see how you can get involved for New York State, click here.
- For how to help in New York City, click here.
As of this today, March 24rd, 2020, there are twenty five
thousand six hundred and sixty-five (25,665) confirmed cases of the
Novel Coronavirus in New York State. Of the confirmed cases:
(12,339) are located in New York City
(2,894) are located in Westchester County
(2,442) are located in Nassau County
(1,458) are located in Suffolk County
(592) are located in Rockland County
(127) are located in Albany
(389) are located in Orange County
(100) are located in Dutchess County
(87) are located in Erie County
(76) are located in Monroe County
(53) are located in Saratoga County
(52) are located in Onondaga County
(45) are located in Putnam County
(44) is located in Schenectady County
(35) are located in Ulster County
(29) is located in Rensselaer County
(23) is located in Sullivan County
(15) are located in Tompkins County
(10) are located in Columbia County
(10) are located in Niagara County
(7) is located in Broome County
(7) are located in Oneida County
(6) are located in Wayne County
(6) is located in Clinton County
(6) is in Ontario County
(4) are located in Greene County
(4) is located in Herkimer County
(4) in Madison County
(4) are located in Wyoming County
(4) are located in Steuben County
(3) in Essex County
(3) located in Washington County
(3) in Chenango County
(3) are located in Montgomery County
(3) is located in Delaware County
(3) are located Washington County
(3) are located in Livingston County
(2) in Warren County
(2) are located in Cortland County
(2) are located in Allegany County
(2) are in Hamilton County
(2) are located in Jefferson County
(2) are located in Cayuga County
(2) are located in Hamilton County
(1) in Fulton County
(1) in Genesee County
(1) is located in Oswego County
(1) is located in Otsego County
(1) is located in Schoharie County
(1) is located in St. Lawrence County
(1) is located in Tioga County
The New York City borough breakdown is as follows:
(1,829) in the Bronx
(2,572) in Manhattan
(3,494) in Brooklyn
(3,621) in Queens
(817) in Staten Island.
Note, the New York City numbers do not align with state-wide numbers due to different release times.
It is important to remember that although the number of
positive cases are increasing, this number is reflective of the State's
increased testing capacity.
This is an evolving situation. For updated information on the
Coronavirus (in multiple languages) from trusted sources for your
designated area, please visit:
You can also always call the New York State Novel
Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 or the New York City Hotline at
1-844-NYC-4NYC with any questions.
While you are at home, don’t forget to fill out the Census! For more information, and to complete the census, you can click
here.
As you continue to take care of your loved ones and
neighbors, I urge you to make time to focus on yourself too – remember
to take breaks and to breathe.
Stay strong.
With Gratitude,
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi
