QC12242020 - Page 8

8 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 24, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM QNS’ top web stories of the year BY JACOB KAYE jkaye@schnepsmedia.com @QNS Th is past year was dominated by one thing: COVID-19. Stories about the spread of the virus in the borough, the actions taken by leaders to limit its spread and the countless ways in which it aff ected the every day lives Queens residents were read on QNS.com millions of times. Here are the top 10 most read stories on QNS.com in 2020. 1. Free resources and subscriptions for remote learning and home schooling due to coronavirus By Donna Duarte-Ladd, Olga Uzunova and Katarina Avendaño, March 16, 2020 Th e day this story was published, March 16, 2020, was the fi rst day New York City schools closed down to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It was early days of the pandemic and readers wanted to know how to keep their students engaged during what was a very uncertain time. In this story, readers could access resources and subscriptions that off ered students lessons on history, math, art, reading and much more. 2. Coronavirus count: Queens leads New York City in virus cases By Robert Pozarycki, March 24, 2020 Just as soon as the COVID-19 crisis began, Queens was leading the city in confi rmed cases. Th rough no fault of their own, Queens residents were quickly living in the world’s epicenter of the pandemic. At the time this story was published, there were over 3,800 confi rmed COVID- 19 cases in Queens. Overall, there were 13,119 in the city. 3. New York state on PAUSE: Cuomo enacts ‘Matilda’s Law’ in response to ongoing spread of COVID-19 By Emily Davenport, March 20, 2020 Aft er debating the scale of a shutdown for some time, on March 20, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo put the state on PAUSE, or Policies that Assure Uniform Safety for Everyone. For the fi rst time during the pandemic, non-essential gatherings in New York were canceled. On the day the PAUSE was announced, New York state had 7,102 cases of coronavirus, with 1,255 people hospitalized. Th irtyfi ve people died that day from the virus. 4. Here are 10 things to do while in quarantine this weekend By Alex Mitchell, March 20, 2020 On the day Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York City would be shut down, people began to imagine their lives in quarantine. By now, it’s almost guaranteed most Queens residents have completed every item on this list, which includes redecorating your home, video conferencing with friends and family and binge-watching the day away. 5. Hospital workers in Brooklyn who treated city’s fi rst coronavirus fatality went into isolation By Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, March 14, 2020 Th e fi rst known person to die from complications related to COVID-19 in New York City was an 82-year-old woman from Ridgewood. Days later, the frontline medical workers who treated her were sent into isolation. Th e woman’s diagnosis wasn’t known until she had already been brought into the hospital, possibly exposing the EMS personnel in the ambulance that took her to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, as well as those in the hospital’s emergency room. 6. New York State Liquor Authority charges Richmond Hill bar with violating emergency shutdown order By Robert Pozarycki, March 20, 2020 One of the fi rst eateries to lose its liquor license aft er fl outing rules put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 was Richmond Hill bar New Oriental Guyana Restaurant Inc., located at 115-22 Liberty Ave. While many restaurants and bars would go on to have their liquor licenses suspended, New Oriental Guyana Restaurant was one of the fi rst. Several days aft er Governor Andrew Cuomo passed an executive order forcing restaurants and bars to close their doors to indoor dining, the Richmond Hill bar was found to have continued operations as normal. Th e bar packed in customers and closed their gates to appear closed. 7. Coronavirus count: Queens leads with 4,667 cases as NYC total soars to more than 15,000 By Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, March 25, 2020 Th e day aft er Queens had become the epicenter of the COVID-19 in the city, state and country, the number of COVID- 19 patients in the borough continued to rise. On March 25, 2020, there were 4,667 known coronavirus cases in Queens. Th ere were 4,407 cases in Brooklyn, 3,013 cases in Manhattan, 2505 in the Bronx and 999 in Staten Island. 8. Queens politicians condemn New York Post image of Flushing amid coronavirus case in Manhattan By Carlotta Mohamed, March 2, 2020 Much to the ire of local elected offi - cials, Th e New York Post used a photo of an Asian man in Flushing to illustrate its story about the fi rst case of COVID-19 in New York City. In the early months of 2020, hate crimes against Asians in New York were on the rise and believed to be related to the entirely false perception that they were more likely to spread COVID-19. According to lawmakers like state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, the Post story did little to combat this dangerous narrative. “Posting a picture of an Asian man in Flushing, Queens, while reporting about a confi rmed case in Manhattan is troubling,” Stavisky said at the time. “Th is does nothing but further the misconceptions that are hurting many people and businesses in my district.” 9. Student households can sign up for free Wi-Fi via Spectrum while DOE works to deliver 25,000 iPads next week By Angélica Acevedo, March 17, 2020 Th e transition to remote learning was and remains diffi cult for students and families without access to the electronic devices needed for a virtual classroom. In mid-March, days aft er schools closed for the fi rst time, the Department of Education began to distribute around 25,000 iPads to students in need of online access. At the time, about 300,000 students were without online devices. To help ease the transition to remote learning, internet provider Spectrum announced it would be off ering student households up to 60 days of free service. 10. When Americans can expect their coronavirus relief checks By Carlotta Mohamed, April 6, 2020 As unemployment spiked in Queens and across the country in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were – and many remain – in dire need of fi nancial relief. In early April, it was announced that taxpayers would receive a payment up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, passed by Congress. Readers of QNS.com wanted to know where their money was and when it would get to them. “People in Queens and across the nation are hurting, and this fi nancial assistance will provide important short-term relief to families and workers,” Congresswoman Grace Meng said. “I will monitor these timelines to ensure that constituents receive their payments.” With the purchase of glasses, contact lens e l. 2 Boxes of Lenses Frames & Lenses DESIGNER FRAMES PLUS FREE 2ND PAIR * $200 minimum purchase on first pair of designer frames. Second pair frame from select group with Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Offer ends 1/31/21 offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Offer ends: 1/31/21 ��brand clear sphericalLenses/*Contact lens fitting additional. Not valid for Toric lenses. 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