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Queens BP calls for creation of NYC Offi ce of COVID Recovery
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards on Thursday, Jan.
13, called for the establishment
of an NYC Offi ce of COVID Recovery
to create a more streamlined and centralized
approach toward fi ghting the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The NYC Offi ce of COVID Recovery
would strengthen and expand the
city’s COVID-19 testing apparatus;
improve language access for city residents;
foster communication between
city agencies and elected offi cials; and
partner with community-based organizations
to distribute vaccine incentives
and more, according to Richards.
The agency would also oversee the Test
& Trace Corps, which is currently operated
by NYC Health + Hospitals.
“As omicron surges and COVID-19
cases continue to rise nearly two years
aft er the start of this unprecedented
pandemic, which has killed more than
10,000 of our Queens residents and
devastated our borough’s economy,
we understand that we need to take
control of our response to COVID-19,”
Richards said during a virtual media
roundtable. “COVID-19 won’t be just
a memory anytime soon; we need to
brace ourselves and organize for our
new normal going forward.”
According to Richards, the NYC
Offi ce of COVID Recovery would alleviate
unnecessary administrative
burdens from both the NYC Department
of Health and the NYC Health +
Hospitals system.
“Over the past two years, it has felt
like the ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Squid
Games’ when it comes to organizing
our response, whether it’s interagency
or working through elected
offi cials,” Richards said. “If we are
going to beat COVID-19 once and for
all, we want the public to get shots in
their arms, we want people to social
distance and wear their mask, but we
also need a government that would
function at the highest level.”
In terms of leadership for the offi ce,
the borough president said that a commissioner
should be appointed to be
held accountable for responses, and a
dedicated liaison for each borough to
work with elected offi cials and community
organizations.
“We are going two years in and we
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards on Jan. 13 called for the establishment of an NYC Offi ce of COVID
Recovery to create a more streamlined and centralized approach toward fi ghting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
shouldn’t be making the same junior
or rookie errors into 2022. We anticipate
and want this offi ce to strengthen
and be proactive in its approach when
it comes to testing apparatus,” Richards
said.
While Queens Borough Hall is continuing
to advocate for testing sites to
be equitably distributed across the
borough, Richards said they’re making
some progress in some areas that
didn’t have a single vaccination site
and are working to identify testing
gaps in other locations.
“We need a more coordinated response
where the city actually looks
at gaps. I couldn’t understand why College
Point and Forest Hills didn’t have
a testing site set up by H+H,” Richards
said. “Even though our jobs as elected
offi cials is certainly to point those gaps
out, I believe it’s the city’s responsibility
to also be proactive in these spaces
and fi nding locations as well.”
Richards said he is working with
Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-
Powers, who has been on the front
lines fi ghting for vaccine and testing
access for her district since she was
elected to offi ce last year, to introduce
legislation to codify the NYC Offi ce of
COVID Recovery.
“Some will ask, how long will this
offi ce exist? I don’t see us getting out
of the woods anytime soon, but certainly
looking at a sunset option as
we see the numbers really decrease
would be something that we put in
the bill as it’s draft ed,” Richards said.
As testing sites have been popping
up across the borough, Richards
stressed the importance of adults and
children between the ages of 5 to 11 to
get vaccinated.
Recently, Queens became the fi rst
county in New York state to have more
than 2 million residents receive their
fi rst dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. On
Jan. 12, the city Health Department’s
data showed that 90% of Queens adults
have received at least one dose of the
vaccine.
According to Richards, it’s another
major milestone for Queens, “showing
the borough’s strength, resilience, resolve
and a collective comeback” amid
the pandemic.
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