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April 10-16, 2020 Including The Brooklyn Paper
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TRASHY
Littered face masks, disposable
gloves plaguing Brooklyn streets
Streets are being littered with used gloves and face masks. Photo courtesy of William Tainowitz
BY JESSICA PARKS
As state regulators crack
down on plastic bags, a new
type of trash is taking over
city streets: disposable gloves
and face masks, which have
been in heavy use as residents
of all fi ve boroughs try
to decrease their risk of contracting
COVID-19.
“I was shocked at the
amount of gloves and masks
that was all over the streets,
on stoops, on railings,” said
Bernadette Morrissey, a Madison
resident and vice-president
of the Madison-Marine-
Homecrest Civic Association.
The new-age litter emerges
in contrast to a universal germaphobia
imposed on New
Yorkers, who have been advised
to keep a physical distance
of six feet from one another
and to sanitize after
touching publicly-used objects
like doorknobs and railings.
Some residents worry
the scattered protective gear
could be contaminated.
“Do they not realize that’s
not helping the situation?”
Morrissey asked. “What if
there is the virus on those
gloves and somebody is going
Continued on page 16
Vol. 75 No. 15 UPDATED EVERYO DNALYIN AET A BTR AOIORKPLOYRNTPVAOPIECRE.COM
COVID-19 ravages
across Brooklyn
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Hospital resources are being
stretched thin, unemployment
rates have skyrocketed,
and small businesses are continuing
to grapple with the
economic impact of the coronavirus
pandemic.
In Brooklyn alone, more
than 21,000 people have tested
positive for the virus. Of those
961 have died, according to
city statistics.
In the meantime, a thousands
upon thousands of
Brooklynites are fi ling for
unemployment benefi ts. A
staggering 43,558 borough
residents alone fi led for unemployment
benefi ts during the
seven-day period that ended
on March 28, dramatically
eclipsing the 1,603 claims fi led
in the borough during the
same week in 2019 — and offi
cials fear that the “economic
crisis” will only worsen in the
weeks ahead.
Still, there is hope.
In his daily coronavirus
briefi ng on April 8, Governor
Andrew Cuomo said that, due
to social distancing and the
other measures put in place by
the state, New York is starting
to see the curve bend in the
number of coronavirus cases
when compared to previous
projections.
While the COVID-19 curve
in New York is beginning to
fl atten, Cuomo says residents
shouldn’t stop what they’re doing
just yet.
“What we have done and
what we are doing is working
Governor Andrew Cuomo urges
New Yorkers to remain indoors.
Photo by Mike Groll
and making a difference,” said
the governor, who added that,
since the state went on PAUSE
and began to enforce social
distancing, hospital capacity
has increased 50 percent.
If the number of cases continues
to decrease, Cuomo
said, the hospital system
should begin to stabilize. In
the meantime, hospitals are
starting to release more patients
than they are taking in,
said Cuomo.
However, it is not the time
to be lax, Cuomo said.
“We still have more to do,”
he said. “We’re not out of the
woods yet.”
April 7 saw the highest
daily count of coronavirus-related
deaths so far with 779 total.
April 6 saw 731 total deaths
while April 5 saw 599.
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