By Ilana Siyance
New York City currently has a tally of 13 confirmed cases of the novel and notorious coronavirus. On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that number can easily jump to “hundreds of cases” in the coming weeks, and he urged people who are sick to stay off the subways. “As best practice, if you are sick [in any capacity], stay off public transport,” de Blasio said. “If you are sick, you shouldn’t be going to a public event. You shouldn’t be going to work. You shouldn’t be going on the subway,” the mayor told reporters.
As reported by the NY Post, the mayor’s hope to contain the spread of the virus via an effort to keep mass transit safe for the healthy, also included advice on personal hygiene. The mayor recommended people not touch their faces to reduce risk of infection. He even demonstrated how to cough into your elbow to avoid spreading germs.
He also spoke about the possibility of school closures. “We’re dealing with a disease that is not fully understood. [But] I will say definitively, everything we’ve seen so far, this is a disease that for a healthy child presents minimal risk,” said de Blasio. “Parents want to see the schools keep going as long as it’s safe, want to see their kids getting educated, and we do have a tremendous interest in avoiding the disruption of the city unless there’s a very specific reason to act otherwise.” When asked how many cases it would take to close the school, he responded “There’s no simple algorithm. When we get to the point where anything needs to be adjusted, we will.”
The mayor said that, notwithstanding, city schools would be cancelling all international trips “out of an abundance of caution”. He also noted that “nonessential” international travel would also be on hold for all workers employed by the city of NY.
Speaking at a city emergency-management office in Downtown Brooklyn, the mayor went on to announced financial help for small local businesses hurt by panic surrounding the coronavirus. As per the Post, he said businesses that employ less than 100 workers, and can document a 25 percent loss in sales because of the virus, may apply for interest-free loans of up to $75,000. Similarly, businesses with less than five employees can apply for grants of up to $6,000.
The 13 confirmed cases of the virus include the infected lawyer Lawrence Garbuz, who works in Midtown Manhattan but lives in New Rochelle in Westchester County, as per the Post. In his address, the mayor said there are 19 more people in mandatory isolation, with another 2,176 in voluntary isolation, a number that “has gone down substantially.” The mayor also pinpointed two NYC locations where an infected health-care worker in New Jersey traveled recently: A Westin hotel in Midtown, Manhattan, and Brooklyn’s King David Center nursing and rehab facility in Gravesend. “A 32-year-old New Jersey health-care provider saw 11 patients [at the Brooklyn facility] while symptomatic but wore a mask. All 11 patients are asymptomatic,” de Blasio said. The worker “also attended small medical conference in Midtown,” the mayor said, naming the Westin. “All attendees are symptomatic and family is asymptomatic.”
On Sunday, the nursing home commented to The Post, saying that the infected worker is a physician’s assistant and, “The CDC is satisfied with our protocols and procedures.”
A representative for Westin said it is complying with the CDC’s recommendations.
