5 BRONX WEEKLY March 29, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Coronavirus Impact - News You Need To Know
SMALL BUSINESS AID
The Bronx Small Business Development
Center at Lehman College is working
remotely to provide local businesses
impacted by the coronavirus outbreak
with fi nancial aid loans and grants.
The center is processing U.S. Small
Business Administration disaster recovery
loans and is working with the
NYC Department of Small Business
Services to help qualify businesses for
low-interest loans and employee retention
grants.
The loans may be used to pay fi xed
debts, payroll, accounts payable and
other bills that can’t be paid because
of the disaster’s impact. The interest
rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses
without credit available elsewhere;
businesses with credit available elsewhere
are not eligible. The interest rate
for non-profi ts is 2.75 percent. More information
can be found at www.nyssbdc.
org.
Interested business owners may call
(718) 960-8806, email bronx.sbdc@lehman.
cuny.edu for more information.
ART GALLERY CLOSED
The Lehman Art Gallery is closed
to visitors due to the coronavirus outbreak,
but the entire Young Gifted and
Black catalog is available for browsing
online on its website. The works
explore themes of race, class, politics
and human dignity via various mediums,
including painting, drawing,
portraiture, sculpting, multimedia,
metaworks and new materials.
“We value our close ties to this community,
where we regularly partner
with four senior centers and more than
a dozen of the borough’s schools,” said
Lehman Art Gallery director Bartholomew
Bland.
“While we are closed, we want to
stay connected to the people who regularly
engage with our programming
at the Gallery, and we look forward to
thinking of new ways of practicing ‘creative
distancing’ that will keep us in
touch,” he said.
The Gallery has an ongoing Instagram
challenge. Lehman Remote Draw
asks students, faculty, staff, visitors and
gallery artists to share their own drawings
or other graphical depictions of
one of the campus’s most recognizable
public art pieces, Olmec, The King.
The three-ton sculpture, a replica of
“The King,” was the fi rst of its type to
be unearthed in San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán,
Veracruz, Mexico, in 1964. Olmec
heads are representative of the pre-Mayan
Olmec civilization which excelled
in science, mathematics, astronomy, architecture,
and especially sculpture.
The sculpture was a gift from Mexico
to Lehman College, CUNY to celebrate
the fi rst anniversary of the CUNY
Institute of Mexican Studies. Tag the
Gallery @lc_art_gallery to be featured.
ART GALLERY ONLINE
Lehman College Art Gallery’s mission
continues during these diffi cult
times. Enjoy some of their remote programs
while the gallery is closed. Find
them on social media @lc_art_gallery
and learn more about the current exhibition,
history of the gallery and public
art on Lehman College Campus and in
the Bronx .
NYC PARKS COVID-19 UPDATE
NYC parks and playgrounds remain
open to provide New Yorkers of all ages
with solitary, active recreational opportunities.
While in parks and playgrounds,
it is critical to practice social
distancing among people who do
not live in the same household. NYPD
and Parks Enforcement Patrol offi cers
are monitoring activities, and NYC
Parks is installing new signage to warn
adults/parents/guardians and children
to maintain social distancing. Over the
next week, NYC Parks will evaluate
compliance and adopt more stringent
rules if needed.
NYC Parks has already banned
team sports and suspended all permits
for organized sports and large gatherings,
and installed advisory signage at
all athletic fi elds and courts. The city
has increased the presence of NYPD
and Parks Enforcement Patrol offi cers
to enforce social distancing. The city
is closely coordinating with the state to
evaluate these efforts and will consider
expanded restrictions as necessary.
In addition, Parks has closed all nature
centers and recreation centers,
and many concessions, including ice
rinks, amusement parks, carousels,
tennis facilities and public courts. All
Shape Up NYC fi tness classes, Urban
Park Ranger tours, and outdoor events
including the annual Street Games festival
have been cancelled until further
notice. For all updates on park service
changes and closures, go to: https://
www.nycgovparks.org/about/healthand
safety-guide/coronavirus.
NEW NYS RULES
Every New Yorker must stay at home
from work, unless they are an essential
worker. Exemptions from the order will
include shipping, media, warehousing,
grocery and food production, pharmacies,
healthcare providers, utilities,
banks and related fi nancial institutions.
All non-essential businesses that
are normally open to the public must remain
closed. Bars and restaurants may
provide takeout.
Also, all non-essential gatherings of
any size for any reason are banned.
For more information on this executive
order from the Governor, visit the
NYS Department of Health website.
WHEDco’s RESPONSE
TO COVID-19
WHEDco remains committed to supporting
its south Bronx community
during and certainly in the aftermath
of the COVID-19 crisis.
Following the city’s guidance and
in an effort to support the health and
wellbeing of the individuals and families
WHEDco serves, the staff, and the
overall community, that have made the
diffi cult decision to close temporarily
the Early Childhood Discovery Center,
Afterschool Programs and the Bronx
Music Heritage Center. They have also
reduced in-person interactions with
clients participating in its programs
and transitioned to providing services
to meet clients’ needs through other
means.
ALERTS SPEAK
ALL LANGUAGES
Notify NYC alerts are now available
in other languages.
To update your preferred language,
visit www.NYC.gov/notifynyc and modify
your account settings.
To refer your friends and family to
this service please visit https://a858-
nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/Home/ReferAFriend.
Please contact NotifyNYC@oem.nyc.
gov with questions or concerns.
SOCIAL SECURITY COVID-19 UPDATE
“I want you to hear directly from
me how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting
our services. The fi rst thing you
should know is that we continue to pay
benefi ts. Be aware that scammers may
try to trick you into thinking the pandemic
is stopping your Social Security
payments but that is not true. Don’t
be fooled, said Andrew Saul, Commissioner
of Social Security.
“To protect you and help stop the
spread of this coronavirus, we cannot
accept visitors in our offi ces at this
time. There are several other ways you
can get help. Many services are available
online at www.socialsecurity.gov.
If you have a critical need that you cannot
address online, we can help you
over the phone.
“Please visit our COVID-19 web
page at www.socialsecurity.gov/coronavirus/
to fi nd out what services we
are continuing and which ones we are
suspending, how to contact us, and important
information about deadlines we
are extending to ease the burden on you
and medical providers during this pandemic.”
FERRY SERVICE SCHEDULE
The NYC Ferry will remain open but
will operate on a modifi ed schedule until
further notice. Starting Monday, March
23, weekend schedules will remain the
same, while weekday schedules will be
operating with a reduced frequency to
account for lower ridership.
Riders are strongly encouraged to
download the NYC Ferry mobile app
and activate push notifi cations to receive
the latest status of the system as
well as to avoid using paper tickets to
reduce contact points for crew.
BODEGA DELIVERY APP
To help New Yorkers get groceries
during these diffi cult times a new free
mobile application has been launched.
My Bodega Online will help bodega
owners manage online orders and dispatch
deliveries in 10 minutes.
The app, My Bodega Online, has
been developed locally with the help of
the Bodega and Small Business Association
of New York and JungleWork, a
primer on-demand technology service
provider.
Bodega owners can register for free
by visiting the website: www.mybodega.
online The public can download
the My Bodega Online mobile app from
Google Play or the App Store or by visiting
www.mybodega.online.
COMMMUNITY
BOARD 12 ACCESS
Community Board 12 staff are teleworking
from their homes.
All concerns regarding complaints
should be called into 311 and then you
can follow-up with by providing the
311-tracking number via the phone
numbers or email printed below.
George Torres – (718) 944-3307 or
gtorres@cb.nyc.gov
Ursula Greene – (718) 944-3305 or
ugreene@cb.nyc.gov
RIDING OUT THE STORM...Paddy’s on the Bay, on Pennyfi eld Avenue, is sealed tight waiting
for the coronavirus pandemic to subside.
/www.socialsecurity.gov
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.nyss-bdc.org
/www.nyss-bdc.org
/www.nyss-bdc.org
link
link
link
/coronavirus
/coronavirus
/coronavirus
/coronavirus
/notifynyc
/Re-ferAFriend.Please
/Re-ferAFriend.Please
/Re-ferAFriend.Please
/Re-ferAFriend.Please
link
/www.BXTimes.com
/to
/to
/to
/www.mybo-dega.online
/www.mybo-dega.online
/www.mybo-dega.online
/www.mybodega.online
link
link
/www.BXTimes.com
/cuny.edu
/notifynyc
/a858-
/www.socialsecurity.gov
/www.socialsecurity.gov
/www.mybodega.online
link
link
link