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April 10-16, 2020
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Lev Garfein, Herschel Garfein, and Mark Nathanson performing for their neighbors. Photo by Ben Verde
QUARANTUNES
Stoop musicians serenade streets of
Park Slope during self-isolation
BY BEN VERDE
A trio of Park Slope musicians
has turned their stoop
into a stage, entertaining
their cooped up neighbors
with soothing folk tunes
while they hide out in quarantine.
“It keeps us all sane,” said
Herschel Garfein, who plays
ukulele and serves as the
band’s lead vocalist.
With his son Lev Garfein
on the fi ddle, and their neighbor
Mark Nathanson on the
accordion, the nameless trio
has been playing together on
the stoop near Third Street
and Sixth Avenue for about
seven years — but the recent
coronavirus outbreak
has turned their hobby into
a source of joy for their confi
ned neighbors.
“People tend to like it, it
cheers them up,” said the
younger Garfein.
The trio always makes
sure to practice proper social
distancing while jamming
out, donning masks
and keeping six feet apart,
while running through hits
such as “Tennessee Waltz”
and a folksy rendition of the
late Bill Withers’ “Lean on
Me.”
Over the weekend, around
a half-dozen passers-by gathered
around the amateur
rockers, spacing six feet
apart while singing along
and sporadically breaking
into solitary dances.
“You guys are the best
part of my day,” one neighbor
called out as she walked past
the miniature concert.
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
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,
Governor Andrew Cuomo urges
New Yorkers to remain indoors.
Photo by Mike Groll
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.
In all, New York State has
lost more than 6,000 people —
eclipsing 2,753, the number of
lives claimed during the 9-11
terrorist attacks. As a result,
Cuomo has ordered that all
fl ags be fl own half-mast for
those who have died of coronavirus.
A large portion of those
deaths have affected the city’s
black and Hispanic communities,
according to new data
from the state Health Department.
In New York City alone,
34 percent of COVID-19 deaths
have been within the Hispanic
community, while 28 percent
of citywide deaths have been
within the black community.
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