6 DECEMBER 24, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
A look at the COVID-19 timeline in Queens
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,
Queens residents have
shown their resilience, perseverance
and strength in the battle
against the coronavirus that has taken
countless lives, and impacted the borough’s
economic, social and political
landscape.
As COVID-19 swept across the globe,
it had fi nally made its way to New York
City in early spring. In Queens, the
fi rst confi rmed case of the virus was
reported in Far Rockaway on March
7.
Senator James Sanders Jr. announced
that a 33-year-old male Uber
driver had contracted pneumonia and
was taken to Far Rockaway’s St. John’s
Espiscopal Hospital, where he was held
in isolation and closely monitored.
The announcement came as Gov.
Andrew Cuomo declared a state of
emergency, as the number of COVID-
19 cases had continued to grow statewide.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio
warned that “community spread” was
the biggest threat and urged New
Yorkers to avoid congested spaces and
to stay home if they’re feeling sick.
“This virus is going to give us a real
battle. But this virus is no match for
the people of New York City,” de Blasio
said. “This city is strong. We will get
through this together.”
It was the beginning of a nightmare
that led to a citywide shutdown to curb
the spread of the virus. On March 16,
Cuomo had ordered bars and restaurants
to shut down, and by March
18, schools were closed. On March
21, he implemented a “stay at home”
executive order for all non-essential
workers.
Businesses in Queens, such as hair
salons, barber shops, gyms and entertainment
venues closed their doors.
Restaurant owners were allowed to
remain open for pickup and take-out
services only.
By March 23, the mayor’s offi ce reported
there were 13,119 coronavirus
patients citywide. Queens had the most
cases of any borough, with 3,848.
As the pandemic raged on, hospitals
throughout Queens were becoming
flooded with COVID-19 patients in
their emergency rooms.
For three weeks in March, NYC
Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst in Corona
had become the epicenter of the public
health crisis. In one 24-hour period, 13
patients died and within days refrigerated
trucks were parked outside the
facility to handle the dead.
According to Mitchell Katz, president
and CEO of Health + Hospitals,
Elmhurst Hospital was considered
a safe place where immigrants and
People wait in line to be tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while wearing protective gear outside
Elmhurst Hospital Center on March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Stefan Jeremiah
uninsured people go to receive
treatment.
Additionally, Katz had said the high
concentration of COVID-19 cases in
Queens stemmed from many families
living together in close quarters.
“While we are practicing social
distancing as a city, you may have
multiple families living in a very
small apartment,” Katz said. “And so,
it’s easy to understand why there’s a lot
of transmission of COVID occurring.”
A report from the Citizens’ Committee
for Children of New York (CCC),
found that those living in areas in
higher rates of overcrowded rental
housing — more than one person
per room — such as Jackson Heights
(where 25.7 percent of rental units are
overcrowded), and Elmhurst/Corona
(25.3 percent) had high rates of positive
COVID-19 tests.
The study found that predominantly
Black or Latino communities
in Queens were aff ected by the virus;
more than half of residents in the
western Queens area are Latino, and
more than half of residents in southeast
Queens are Black.
The study also unveiled that one
in fi ve residents in Jackson Heights,
Elmhurst and Corona work in hospitality,
accommodations and restaurants,
while one in fi ve workers in Jamaica,
St. Albans and Queens Village work
in health care — making all of these
residents more vulnerable to catch
COVID-19.
As COVID was reaching its peak,
hospitals were becoming overburdened
with patients and lack of resources
— a shortage of personal protective
equipment (PPE), ventilators,
medical supplies, and staff members
were becoming sick with the virus.
To help the city’s straining healthcare
system, hundreds of retired
nurses, students and graduates were
deployed for duty. Additionally, nurses
from other states traveled to New
York City to work in the hospitals.
In recognition of their tireless dedication
to help treat COVID-19 patients,
Queens’ healthcare professionals,
among other frontline essential workers,
were referred to as “heroes.”
The community had shown their
appreciation through deliveries of
donated meals, letters and residents
cheering on essential workers daily
at 7 p.m. blasting inspirational music
while banging pots and pans.
In Bayside, residents stood outside
their homes or on the street at a social
distance showing support for local
fi rst responders.
“My son is in law enforcement and
he’s out there every day, and we have
friends that are healthcare workers
out there during this pandemic,” said
Rita Kashdan, a board member of the
Bayside Hills Civic Association. “It’s a
very diffi cult situation right now.”
Since hospital staff were working
around the clock, “Fuel the Frontlines,”
a Queens-based initiative to
feed hospital workers in Queens, had
prepared 250 pre-cooked meals that
were delivered over the course of a
week that began March 29.
The joint initiative was organized
by the Queens borough president’s offi
ce, Entrepreneur Space, and Queens
Night Market. Across the borough,
community volunteers were delivering
boxes of food to hospitals.
It came during a challenging time
when Queens hospitals, most notably
Elmhurst Hospital, were facing
a surge in the amount of COVID-19
cases coming through their doors. By
using local businesses, the initiatives
helped small business owners who
were struggling to stay afl oat during
the pandemic.
Meanwhile, hundreds of food insecure
families in Queens were lining
up outside food pantries, as unemployment
rates had soared.
La Jornada Food Pantry, located at
133-36 Roosevelt Ave., which had been
feeding thousands of Queens families
for years, was put into overdrive
since the pandemic hit the borough
in March.
Other grassroots organizations
helping fi ght food insecurity include
The Connected Chef, Queens Together,
Catering for the Homeless, Hungry
Monk and Woodbine.
Catholic Charities Brooklyn and
Queens hosted emergency food popup
events in low-income neighborhoods,
while Queens County Farm had partnered
with Queens College Knights
Table Food Pantry, to help feed students
and their families.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
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