EDITORIAL
Peter Tu is urging calm after word spread
through Flushing that two women were
hospitalized with symptoms of novel coronavirus
Sunday. As the executive director
of the Flushing Chinese Business Association,
Tu said the news had an immediate effect across
his bustling neighborhood.
“I heard businessmen are losing more than 30
percent,” he said. “That’s the situation now and
people are much more worried about how the
coronavirus is going to be.”
The city Health Department said the two individuals,
each over 60 years old who had recently
traveled to mainland China, where the outbreak
began, had reported symptoms of coronavirus
that includes fever, coughing and shortness of
breath. The first person was admitted to Flushing
Hospital Medical Center and the second
one was hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian
Queens and elected officials urged their constituents
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.16 COM | FEB. 7-FEB. 13, 2020
Unwanted animals deserve better
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to remain calm.
“Nobody should be panicking,” Congresswoman
Grace Meng said. “People should go
about their daily routine but be vigilant and
prudent.” Meng has been in constant contact
with the Centers for Disease Control and the city
and state health departments to help monitor developments.
During his press briefing Sunday, Mayor Bill
de Blasio told New Yorkers that the city “has the
strongest public health apparatus in the nation.”
The DOH is updating Councilman Peter Koo daily
to keep him apprised of any new updates so
that information is relayed to community-based
organizations like senior centers and healthcare
providers.
The arrival of coronavirus has been labeled
an eventuality considering that our city is a hub
of travel. The Centers for Disease Control activated
an entry screening program at JFK International
Airport for passengers arriving from
the city of Wuhan, China, where the outbreak
began, but so far no passenger has required further
evaluation.
The bottom line is this: There is no reason for
residents of Flushing or the rest of the borough
to overreact or discriminate against the Asian
community.
We’ve been through these emergencies in the
past with the SARS outbreak in 2002, the swine
f lu epidemic of 2009, and the Ebola crisis in 2014.
Panic and fear broke out here but each time the
city’s public health apparatus proved itself to be
the strongest in the nation.
Many have taken to wearing masks in Flushing as a precaution against the coronavirus. Photo by Dean Moses
READERS WRITE
On Jan. 31, it happened again.
Someone did the unthinkable in
leaving a domesticated bird (a
parrot) to fend for himself (clipped
wings and all) on a cold, drizzling
day.T
here were reports in the
neighborhood of someone dumping
the bird in a filthy cage, opening
the door, and then just driving
away. Word spread quickly
through social media. The parrot
left his cage, climbed and hopped
onto the branches of the nearest
tree until he was approximately
35 feet high on a thin branch.
A domesticated bird that finds
itself outside will always fly (or
climb) to a high point, to get altitude
and deal with the terrifying
disorientation it is experiencing
in this alien situation. An extraordinary
pair of rescuers worked
all afternoon and into the night.
They kept working and were able
to bring him down safely.
What a cruel, stupid, disgraceful
thing to do to an animal that
had learned to trust people — he
turned out to be friendly, tame
and completely socialized and
was happy to be placed in a warm
car. T
his is a tropical bird that was
left in 35 degree weather — so
many places would have been better
to “unload him” or “dispose”
of him. The owner could have left
him outside of a vet’s office, at a
firehouse or police station, or
even a supermarket. But abandoning
him on a deserted street along
a golf course was inhumane.
There’s this consideration: a
tame, trained, beautiful parrot
in the Pet Trade is worth about
$2,000 and this one was tossed
away like garbage.
The message is simple: abandoning
any animal to fend for itself
against the elements should
be considered criminal behavior.
If the temperature was a few degrees
colder, the parrot would
have frozen to death, or become
a meal for the migratory hawks
that inhabit the golf course in
winter. This parrott was lucky to
be rescued by two knowledgeable,
responsible people.
Anyone seen “dumping” any
animal in this neighborhood will
be reported and prosecuted; even
a partial plate number will be recorded.
And remember, there are many
people who will “foster” or care
for an “unwanted” or “home situation
changed” animal that finds
itself homeless. Think before you
act, as there’s never a reason to do
something like this to an animal.
Mary Anne McGowan
Baysiode
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