Flushing school sends students’ inspirational
letters to seniors in assisted living facilities
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JUNE 26-JULY 2, 2020 29
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELLDOMENECH
As New York City entered
Phase 2 of reopening on
Monday after coronavirus,
Mayor Bill de Blasio is placing
the onus of enforcing
outdoor dining guidelines
and social distancing rules
on patrons.
“We are trusting the people
of this city to do the right
thing, to keep each other
safe and overwhelmingly
that trust has been rewarded
time and time again in this
crisis,” de Blasio told reporters
during his June 22 press
conference at City Hall.
“There’ll always be some
people who take advantage
and we’ll deal with that.”
“Obviously, anybody
who thinks that they see
something dangerous or unhealthy
can always call 311,”
he added.
Restaurants offering outdoor
dining must keep tables
six feet apart. Diners must
wear some form of facecovering
when trying to get
to a table or while waiting
to be seated. If a restaurant
can not place tables six feet
apart, they must separate tables
with a physical barrier
that is at least five feet tall.
Under New York state
guidelines, a maximum of 10
people can sit at one outdoor
table and all those seated
must be part of the same
party or household.
On sidewalks, tables and
chairs cannot exceed the
length of the restaurant or
business, cannot be near a
bus stop, and cannot block a
doorway. Restaurants must
ensure that there are at least
three feet of clear space on
either side of the outdoor
dining area as well. The
same rules apply for roadway
seating. Restaurants
and business must also keep
their roadway seating at
least 15 feet away from a fire
hydrant and 8 feet away from
a crosswalk.
There is also the issue
of permits. For restaurants
and businesses that offered
outdoor dining before the
pandemic, the rules have
not changed. But newcomers
must submit an online
application in which they
self-certify that they will
adhere to social distancing
regulations. Over 3,000 restaurants
have applied and
been approved for outdoor
dining service, according to
City Hall.
Both the Commission of
the Department of Transportation
Polly Trottenberg
and Commissioner for Small
Business Services Jonnel
Doris, present during the
press conference, supported
the mayor’s reactive rather
than proactive approach to
guideline enforcement despite
reports of confusion
with restaurant owners.
“We are very much hoping,
as the mayor said, to use
education and really work
with restaurants, the hospitality
association and local
BIDs, and SBS will be at the
forefront of that education,”
said Trottenberg.
Doris added that the SBS
hotline 888-727-4692 was still
the best way for restaurant
and small business owners
to ask questions and clarify
any doubts they had about
outdoor dining rules.
BY ANASTASIA ECONOMIDES
For some, stocking up on
toilet paper made them feel secure
during stay-at-home orders
amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
For others, it was buying pasta
and bottled water, or ordering
takeout to help struggling local
eateries. But for those who are
considered to be of especially
high risk and have been on
strict lockdown since the pandemic
started, a heartfelt letter
is all that’s needed.
Meryl Mittleberg, a vocational
coordinator for the Lowell
School — a special education
day school in Flushing — came
up with an altruistic idea
that would benefit everyone
involved.
The assignment was simple:
Write down how you feel about
these trying times, and what
you look forward to when life resumes
and COVID-19 is no longer
a threat. The writings would
then be given to isolated seniors
in assisted living facilities.
Older students had an opportunity
to write the letters
in class in March, right before
distance learning was
implemented.
Mittleberg, who has been
with the school for 10 years
wearing many hats, serving
currently as the theater director,
did not expect approximately
300 letters written by students
in grades 5 through 12 filled
with “touching and tear-jerking
words.” The letters ranged
in length from a paragraph to
several pages long.
“They realize something’s
bigger than themselves,” said
Mittleberg, who thought of her
late mother when coming up
with the initiative. “Those who
are isolated would probably love
to receive letters from kids. And
the students are lonely, too.
By putting their feelings down
into words, they are helping
themselves.”
The Lowell School serves
students who have various
learning differences from elementary
to high school levels
across the five boroughs and
Nassau County. For them, the
pandemic is the most daunting
experience of their lifetimes.
Yet themes of positivity and
gratitude are reflected throughout
the writings. Rayden, a
ninth-grade student, wrote
about getting up early just to
see the sun rise. “It reminds me
that each day is new and there
is always something good about
that.”
Thomas, a seventh-grader,
expressed longing for what so
many take for granted. “I am
staying with my grandmother
right now because my mother
and father work in hospitals.
Now all we do is FaceTime each
other. I miss them.”
Angeliki, an 11th-grader,
pointed out that a busy world
has stopped in its tracks. “Everyone
was in their own bubble
doing their own thing, and now
we are truly seeing people for
people.”
And there was astute observation.
Mittleberg recalled
a letter written by Leandro, a
seventh-grader that said, “My
family went to Texas on vacation,
but when we got there,
coronavirus came and all
they wanted to do was buy toilet
paper. I hope you have toilet
paper.”
To date, Mittleberg has sent
the compiled letters to 25 facilities
that go beyond the boroughs,
including some in New Jersey,
Connecticut and California.
“Even though we’re in the
process of reopening, people in
nursing homes will always enjoy
them,” she said.
Mittleberg said she will continue
offering up the writings
to anyone who accepts them,
and has heard positive feedback
from recipients.
“Some of our residents keep
the letters on them when they
are out of their rooms in their
walkers,” said Nazima Pasha,
an activities leader for Flushing
House, a retirement home.
“Thank you so much to you and
your staff for this … it has lifted
their spirits in this much-needed
time.”
Mayor ‘trusts’ NYC restaurant, business owners to
enforce outdoor dining rules
Photo by Todd Maisel
/QNS.COM
