By: Ariella Haviv

Seems that the Center for Disease Control & Prevention guidelines for isolation and social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic is not exactly being adhered to scrupulously by some self-entitled New York business owners.

On Sunday, a former southerner who came to New York City to make his fortune selling high end men’s clothing on the upper east side named Eliot Rabin, has taken it upon himself to defy the uniform decision of authorities for all non-essential businesses to shutter in order to prevent the rapid spread of the deadly virus. Thus far, the COVID-19 infection has claimed the lives of over 12,000 New York City residents.

Rabin, 78 is the owner of the men’s apparel store named Peter Eliot. Speaking to the New York Post, Rabin declared, “I’m opening my doors come hell or high water.”

The bombastic haberdasher also told the Post: “If I do get in trouble, it will be for the right reasons. What are they going to do? Yell and scream at me? Fine me $500? It would be worth it, for me to be able to open my mouth and say this is not equitable. If they try to arrest me, I’ll say, ‘Am I in a police state now?’ They’re not going to arrest me.”

If the name Eliot Rabin rings a bill, this men’s clothing entrepreneur had thrown his hat into the ring of local politics in 2018 when he decided to run against veteran NYC Rep. Carolyn Maloney for the 12th congressional district. Rabin fell in defeat to the popular incumbent. According to sources who were familiar with this failed campaign for elected office, Rabin came into the race without a war chest of any kind.

The source told the Jewish Voice that, “Rabin did not have any money whatsoever to spend on his race for congress. Maloney is a strong incumbent who has spent many terms in Congress and if someone is going to come along and run against her, they had best have money to spend since they have no name recognition in local politics.” The source added, “What was even stranger is that Rabin actually thought he was not only going to unseat Maloney but that he was going to run for US Senate from New York, without any money either. Frankly, I think this guy is highly delusional.”

According to witnesses who attended a candidates’ debate between Rabin and Maloney, they found the exchange quite odd. Said one audience member, “I had thought Rabin was going to attack Maloney’s record, and I thought he would come in on the attack as most challengers do, but it was beyond strange. He just kept lavishing praise of Rep. Maloney and saying such absolutely wonderful things about her and her record in Congress. If I did not know any better, I would have thought that he represented Maloney’s public relations team rather than being her opponent.”

Rabin has erroneously claimed that he no choice but to terminate 12 employees of this alleged 21-member staff due to the rules imposed by the city concerning the closing of all non-essential businesses in order to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Sources close to the shop, spoke to the Jewish Voice on the condition of anonymity and said that Rabin had fired the 12 employees long before the coronavirus reared its ugly head. The source said, “Rabin had fired those employees when he closed his store on Madison Avenue over a year ago. What he is saying now is patently false.”

Rabin reopened his Upper East Side store on Wednesday and while foot traffic is fairly slow, the business owner told the Post that he hopes to provide “emotional essential support” to those who remain in the city and have not fled for the affluent suburbs. According to the Post report, Rabin thinks that the sting can be removed from the Coronavirus by serving his customers alcohol. Rabin told the Post that he offers his clientele “internal vaccinations: Chivas Regal, Kentucky bourbon — have a nip and you’ll feel better.

Moreover, it has been reported that Rabin does not require his customers to wear a mask while in his store and proudly boasts that he does not wear one either.

“We’ve applied for every loan, every break … to no avail. We got bubkes,” he told the Post. He also mused, “Why is a liquor store essential and I’m not?” Rabin told The Post.

“I’m fighting for the soul of my company and my people. I’m doing what I think is right to protect my business and employees from this disaster,” Rabin said, adding that none of his employees are put in danger while working. “I spray my Lysol like I spray my Chanel cologne.”

Some people however are appalled at what they term “Rabin’s arrogance and insouciance as it pertains to the health and well being of his employees and patrons.”

A retired administrator at the New York City Health + Hospitals organization said, “If the city applied such rules that would prevent non-essential businesses from remaining open for customers to walk in, there are excellent reasons for it. These rules are to protect everyone, be they asymptomatic or not from contracting this deadly virus. Why Mr. Rabin thinks that he is the exception to the rule in beyond me. I think it is highly irresponsible for him to interact with customers, employees and other staff in such close proximity during these dangerous times”.

By: Edward Norassian

New Jersey isn’t ready to reopen yet, according to Governor Phil Murphy – but it is getting closer.

The state posted an additional 3,457 new positive results, for a total of 105,523, the governor’s office said. Cases have risen by less than 10% for 19 straight days; in mid-March, the daily increase was 20% to 82%. Ventilator use continued to trend down, with 1,442 in use as of April 24.

“New Jersey, which trails only New York in terms of the U.S. states hardest-hit by Covid-19, has now lost a “staggering” 5,863 residents, Murphy said, more than those lost in World War I, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. He urged residents to adhere to stay-at-home orders, saying it’s working to slow the spread,” said Crain’s New York Business.

“We cannot let a beautiful spring day like this allow us to slip in any way,” Murphy said Saturday at a press briefing. “The 5,863 deaths must be our inspiration so we do not lose another 5,863.”

“As we look at the curve of new COVID-19 cases — again, these are positive tests – we see continued flattening,” Murphy said in a statement. “We cannot ease up one bit on our social distancing. Again, let’s leave this on here for a second and remind everybody.” The curve of infections is “undeniably flattening and that’s in the face of a lot more testing.”

He was quick to point out that with 105,523 cases “we don’t know what the denominator is, we don’t know how many people are infected in this but we guarantee you, that’s not the number. We know that’s the number of positive tests, but what exactly that denominator is, people around the world literally are trying to wargame that. We need to see more progress and more slowing before we can begin implementing any effort to get ourselves on the road to the new normal that awaits our state on the other side of this pandemic.”

Progress has been slow, but it is happening, the governor pointed out. “For the 24 hours preceding 10:00 p.m. last night, our hospitals reported 686 discharges. Notably, if you look at the three-day average, we still see discharges exceeding admittances, and this is another important measure for hospital readiness and the availability of beds who need them. Again, those curves are all going largely in the right direction. We need them to go down aggressively, and that is what we will need to see, and God willing, will see sooner than later.”

By: Joelle Lefkowitz

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has no plans to shut down because of the pandemic – and that commitment is being mirrored by other port authorities around the world.

“Whether by air, land, rail or sea,” the local port authority declares, “we are dedicated to getting critical healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers where they need to be to address those most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and to keep the supply chains open to ensure goods and supplies keep flowing throughout the region.”

Its counterparts around the globe feel the same way.

At least 20 port authorities across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America signed joined together in signing a declaration in which they promise to remain in operation in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Begun by officials in Singapore, the declaration calls for ports “to boost collaboration so that operations are undisturbed, according to a statement on April 24. Members of the Port Authorities Roundtable that signed the declaration include Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Rotterdam, Tokyo and Los Angeles,” according to Crain’s New York Business.

Restrictions on crews “are among the unprecedented challenges wrought by the virus, which has ground major economies to a halt. At risk is the flow of goods such as food, medicine and energy via commercial shipping, which accounts for about 80% of global trade,” Crain’s added.

The port authorities committed to working together to ensure merchant ships can still berth at ports to carry out cargo operations and keep the global supply chain going, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Friday.

MPA chief executive Quah Ley Hoon said the industry is facing new challenges in this unprecedented period, making the joint pact all the more important. “Shipping is chartering into many unknowns and new challenges (during the coronavirus pandemic). Port authorities have to take enhanced precautions for their ports and on ships, as well as manage the stress faced by our seafarers and maritime personnel.”

She added, “We came out of the session gaining more valuable knowledge to ensure that necessities and essential medical supplies continue to be transported seamlessly across the world and into our respective countries.”

The NY-NJ authority is coordinating with federal, state and local partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other emergency and public health agencies to address public health and safety concerns.

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity.

By: Mike Mustiglione

With the coronavirus pandemic raging there has been no shortage of heartbreaking stories. One of the latest involves the deaths of an older married couple — Maria and Miguel Hernandez – which happened just three days apart.

The couple’s son, Jose, is left to pick up the pieces of his life and the $10,000 tab for his parents’ funeral and wake.

“I’m trying to stay strong, but it’s tough,” the son, Jose Hernandez, 36, said in an interview with NJ.com.

“Hernandez had told each parent — Miguel, 77, and Maria, 80 — that the other was going to survive for fear that the truth would crush them in their final hours. “They were always together, always,” reported the New York Post. “The son and his parents lived in side-by-side apartments in Elizabeth after emigrating from El Salvador in the mid-’80s. The dad, a retired warehouse and factory worker, got sick first with a persistent cough. Then the mother, a former housekeeper and babysitter, became ill.”

His parents were “loving, humble, hard-working people their entire lives,” Jose told NJ.com. “I hope I can surpass any expectations they may have had of me.” A GoFundMe has reportedly been set up to pay for a $2,500 burial plot and funeral services

Sadly, personal tragedy has not been in short supply during the crisis. New Yorkers have been saddened by the reported suicide of a 23 year old rookie EMT who had been on the job for less than 12 weeks. The EMT, John Mondello, had reportedly been toiling on the front lines of New York City’s hottest hotspots.

The youngster was found dead from a gunshot wound discharged from a weapon, registered to his retired NYPD father, according to the Daily Mail.

“The young EMT was on the Tactical Response Group running non-stop to areas with the busiest emergency call volume in the city. A few weeks ago he told colleagues that he did not like the job and that the death toll from the coronavirus was weighing heavily on him,” the news site noted.

New Jersey residents were also reeling just a couple of weeks ago by the story of a local woman, Jessica Ingaglio, who lost her 70-year-old mother to the coronavirus hours after her 33-year-old sister Amanda was found dead at her home.

“Ingaglio said her sister, who had diabetes, was incoherent and lethargic. She called an ambulance for Amanda and warned the EMTs that their mother and father both tested positive — and that her sister may have been exposed,” reported NBC News. “Amanda refused to go to the hospital, the responding EMTs said.”

By: Randy Klagsmeier

Several laid-off waiters claim they are still waiting – not tables, but for their bosses to pay them.

In fact, the wait staff at New York City’s popular dining spot Nello are saying that they have not received tips that had been left for them before the pandemic hit.

The charge by the restaurant’s bartenders and waiters is that owner Thomas Makkos has stiffed them out of three paychecks. Together, they reportedly total in as much as $4,000 in pooled tips.

A trio of employees told the New York Post that “they’ve called Makkos’ office repeatedly. They said he told them the checks had been mailed out but nobody has received them. Nello let most of its 30 workers go March 19 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo told restaurants to close. It has been operating with a skeletal staff of four since then with only delivery and takeout available. The laid-off employees’ last checks were issued to them on Feb. 19.”

The claims stand in stark contrast to the upper-than-upscale reputation of the eatery, which boasts: “Where art, fashion, politics, entertainment, aristocracy, and finance converge to create a world of urbane sophistication, genuine leisure and cosmopolitan chic on Madison Avenue. Our casual elegance, northern Italian cuisine, and accommodating staff have brought famed clientele to our private dining room for over 25 years.”

“I am just really taken aback that someone with his money would treat us like this in the middle of the pandemic,” Anthony Vacca, 32, a Nello bartender, told the Post in an interview. “Some people have families to feed and they need that money.” A colleague added, “I’m running out of money and my anxiety is through the roof. The brazenness of [Makkos] not responding to us and not paying us is bizarre. There are other employees I know who are down to their last $100.”

The claims are, unfortunately, not unique, as restaurants around the country – in fact, around the globe – also suffer. “Local governments have shut down or severely limited restaurant operations in many cities and states,” reported foodandwine.com. “Even for those businesses whose operations aren’t limited by legislation, or weren’t several days ago, financial realities have dictated complete closures or shifts to takeout and delivery.”

Nor does the gradual reopening of various states necessarily mean a restaurant resurgence. “When restaurants are allowed to reopen, it won’t be the dining scene Charlotte is used to. There will be capacity limits, spaced-out tables, and masks covering the smiles of servers and hostesses. Some restaurants may stick to takeout for a while. Others may close altogether,” reported charlotteagenda.com.