CITY REPORTS AN UPTICK IN COVID-19
CASES IN QUEENS NEIGHBORHOODS
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELLDOMENECH
The city is keeping an eye
on six neighborhoods with
recent upticks in COVID-19
cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
last week.
The neighborhoods – Kew
Gardens, Far Rockaway, Borough
Park, Midwood, Flatbush
and Williamsburg – are
all located in Brooklyn and
Queens.
Midwood, Sunset Park,
Williamsburg and Far Rockaway
saw upticks of the virus
in August and earlier
this month. Experts linked
some of new cases in Sunset
Park to a large wedding in
the neighborhood’s Orthodox
community.
“You are going to see a lot
of activity in the community
to remind people of the basics,”
de Blasio said. “Wear a
mask, socially distance, wash
your hands and stay home if
you are sick.”
This week, the city’s Test
and Trace Corp. will flood the
neighborhoods with robocalls
and WhatsApp messages to
remind residents to get tested
or stay home if sick. Test and
Trace Corp. members will also
reach out to different houses
of worship in the neighborhoods
TIMESLEDGER | 4 QNS.COM | OCT. 2-OCT. 8, 2020
to remind congregants
to avoid indoor and outdoor
gatherings and will distribute
free palm cards, masks,
gloves and hand sanitizer to
businesses.
The city will also take out
more ads in community newspapers
circulated in the six
neighborhoods to again remind
residents to always wear
their masks when outdoors,
wash their hands frequently,
get tested and stay socially
distanced, according to De
Blasio’s top health adviser Dr.
Dave Chokshi.
Chokshi added that new
testing “resources” will be
available in at-risk neighborhoods
at both urgent cares and
community provider offices.
Trucks blasting audio recordings
of the “four core” messages
will also drive through the
neighborhoods to help spread
the word on what New Yorkers
can do to keep COVID at bay.
Mayor de Blasio nor Dr.
Chokshi did not reveal the
number of new cases, rates
of positive tests or if upticks
had been linked to large
gatherings.
“I would say we look at a
whole panoply of different indicators
in some instances it’s
because we see the proportion
of cases going up, in others it’s
because of the percentages of
test positivity that are going up
in specific neighborhoods and
we take all of those and create,
you know, a comprehensive
picture of where we need to
be focused with respect to our
hyperlocal efforts,” Chokshi
told reporters.
REUTERS/Cooper Neill
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