oped BTR letters & comments
MTA plan
interrupted
Seeing is
believing
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR MARCH 6-12, 2020 13
What you need
to know about
the coronavirus
BY CONGRESSWOMAN
CAROLYN B. MALONEY
With so much misinformation
out there about the
2019 Novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19), I wanted to share
some facts and resources
with you. Obviously, the sudden
outbreak of this virus
and its rapid transmission
are concerning; however, I
think the best policy is to be
well informed.
Below, I’ve included information
about best-practices
for keeping you and your
loved ones healthy.
Currently, the CDC is conducting
all testing, but U.S.
health offi cials are working
around the clock to get the
approvals they need to safely
roll out a test that hospitals
and state health authorities
can use to diagnose the coronavirus.
This will streamline
the process and result
in quicker detection, so that
people can get the treatment
that they need in as timely a
manner as possible.
The CDC is preparing for
all scenarios, including ones
in which the virus spreads
widely. It is important to remember
that the current risk
to the American public remains
low. The public health
response seeks to ensure that
this risk stays low and to prevent
sustained spread of coronavirus
in this country.
Our national and community
response must be science
focused and not one of
knee-jerk reactions and prejudice
against any community
or group. Being Chinese
or Asian American does not
increase the chance of getting
or spreading COVID-19.
People - including those of
Asian descent - who have not
recently traveled to China or
been in contact with a person
who has a confi rmed or suspected
case of COVID-19 are
not at greater risk of acquiring
and spreading COVID-19
than any one else.
Remember, if you ever
have any questions or need
help with a federal agency,
you can contact me through
my website or call my offi ce
at (212) 860-0606.
Prevention
What You Should Do
Avoid close contact with
people who are sick; while
sick, limit contact with others
as much as possible;
avoid touching your eyes,
nose, and mouth; stay home
when you are sick; cover
your cough or sneeze with
a tissue, then throw the tissue
in the trash; clean and
disinfect frequently touched
objects and surfaces using a
regular household cleaning
spray or wipe; follow CDC’s
recommendations for using
a facemask; CDC does not
recommend that people who
are well wear a facemask to
protect themselves from respiratory
diseases, including
COVID-19; facemasks
should be used by people who
show symptoms of COVID-19
to help prevent the spread
of the disease to others. The
use of facemasks is also crucial
for health workers and
people who are taking care
of someone in close settings
(at home or in a healthcare
facility); wash your hands often
with soap and water for at
least 20 seconds, especially
after going to the bathroom;
before eating; and after blowing
your nose, coughing, or
sneezing; if soap and water
are not readily available, use
an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
with at least 60% alcohol;
always wash hands with
soap and water if hands are
visibly dirty.; and it is currently
fl u season, so please
get your fl u vaccine if you
haven’t already.
What You Should Not Do
Do not travel to China;
do not use facemasks unless
you have symptoms. CDC
does not recommend the use
of facemasks for the general
public to prevent the spread
of coronavirus; do not show
prejudice to people of Asian
descent, because of fear of
this new virus; and do not assume
that someone of Asian
descent is more likely to have
coronavirus.
Dear editor,
Friday, February 21 was
the last day at work for outgoing
NYC Transit Authority
president Andy Byford. It
will be interesting to see if interim
NYC Transit Authority
president Sarah Feinberg and
her permanent successor will
be successful in preserving
both funding and implementation
of projects and programs
championed by Byford’s Fast
Forward: The Plan to Modernize
NYC Transit subway and
bus system.
Let’s hope that $19 billion
worth of funding support in
the current $51 billion MTA
2020 - 2024 Five Year Capital
Plan remains in place. We
will have to wait and see if the
$19 billion balance of funding
needed to complete this plan
will be approved in the next
MTA 2025 - 2029 Five Year Capital
Plan.
Dear editor,
Re: “No such thing as a
free lunch,” Larry Penner,
2/28/2020 letter. Before
Penner simply dismisses the
idea of a free transit system,
why doesn’t he provide a true
fi gure for the cost of collecting
transit revenues?
The cost of station agents,
revenue collection agents,
their supervisors.
The cost of the customer
service personnel at transit
headquarters that issue
refunds when metrocards
malfunction. The cost of
maintaining turnstiles, fare
collection machines. The electricity
involved? The space involved?
The salaries, benefi ts,
pensions, and contribution to
welfare funds of the aformentioned
personnel?
When and if Penner
chooses to provide these details
is when and if I’ll believe
“there in’t no such thing as a
free lunch.”
Nat Weiner
Bloomberg’s
tuition plan
Dear editor,
I am lucky. I just spent four
years studying at the College
of Mount St. Vincent, and am
ready to graduate in May.
Throughout my college
years, I’ve seen a lot of my
peers stop going to school because
the price tag was just
too high. The lucky ones were
able to continue at community
colleges. Others dropped
out altogether. Even worse,
some of them are paying back
loans for a degree that they
never earned. This crisis can’t
continue--we need a president
who understands the current
economic realities of attending
college and wants to turn
this terrible situation around.
Mike Bloomberg is the
only candidate with a plan
that will reform the student
loan process, make a fouryear
education affordable for
middle-class families, and
perhaps most importantly,
expand workforce development
programs for people who
want to take a different path
to a career. If Mike’s elected,
he’ll reduce the cap on federal
undergraduate studentloan
payments, which could
be game-changing for many
of my peers. He’ll double the
maximum size of Pell Grants,
which, unlike a loan, don’t
need to be paid back. I just
qualifi ed this year for a Pell
Grant, which made a signifi -
cant difference in the tuition
bill I received from Mount St.
Vincent. And Mike’s plan to
make two-year public college
tuition free for all will open
doors to everyone.
Mike’s plan for higher education
is the only one that effectively
addresses both the
cost of attending school and
improving the quality of the
education students like me receive.
Like Mike said, “every
child deserves an equal opportunity
to get a high-quality
education – and I know we can
deliver it.”
Christina Rasmussen
There will be some clues
of what the future holds when
the MTA releases the updated
MTA 2020 - 2040 Twenty Year
Long Range Capital Needs
Plan. It was suppose to be released
in December 2019. Why
has the MTA delayed release
for two months? Are they
waiting for it to be approved
by Governor Cuomo before
making it public?
Larry Penner
as stated
This week’s As Stated
delves into two serious matters:
Senator Gustavo Rivera’s
explanation of his “no” vote on
the Governor’s Coronavirus
Legislation and a Bail Reform
advocate who’s critical of the
possible changes being considered
to the controversial law.
Senator Gustavo Rivera
on his Monday’s vote against the
governor’s Coronavirus Bill.....
“The, the legislation we voted
on Monday, March 3 was an
attempt by the Executive to exploit
an incredibly sensitive situation
for our state to further
expand its authority and powers.
The legislature was forced
to cave to the Governor’s power
grabbing demand without
proper vetting and debate under
the guise of simple emergency
funding to respond to a
public health need.
“As Chair of the Senate
Health Committee, I concur
that New York must be ahead
of the curve and prepare New
Yorkers optimally to face this
public health emergency. I did
not vote in favor of the bill because
of the unnecessary stipulations
of expanded authority
attached to the funding allocation.
Rushing a vote like the
one from last night when the
legislature is in Albany almost
every day during budget negotiations
is just plain wrong.”
Statement by Stanley Fritz,
NYS Political Director of
Public Action criticizing Governor
Cuomo for signaling rollbacks
to bail reform..... “For decades,
countless New Yorkers
were victims of an unequal justice
system that locked up innocent
people who were too poor
to pay bail, while the wealthy
were able to walk free. Recent
reforms, which the Governor
signed into law after years of
debate, broke from this history
to make our state safer, fairer
and more just.
“Yet, instead of recognizing
that the reforms are already
working, with tens of thousands
of New Yorkers spared
the catastrophic harms of
pre-trial jailing, the state’s socalled
‘progressive’ Governor
is shamefully capitulating to
cynical fear-mongering.
“Protecting these reforms
is a matter of life and death.
This is our moment to show
the country what real progress
look like, not to cower before an
ugly legacy of white supremacy
in our justice system.”