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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 6,
No.
23, June 6, 2020
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"I could tell from the way this was being handled that I was their first case."
- Ian Danic, describing his bout with Covid-19
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information,
click here.
COVID-19 CASES IN NEW YORK CITY: As of June 5 at 4:04 p.m.
1,076,471 tested * 202,829 confirmed cases * 21,782 deaths
Go to
www.DowntownPostNYC.com for breaking news and for updated information on facility closures related to COVID-19
MASTHEAD PHOTO: Fueled by anger and angst over recent political events and economics, the 2017 Whitney Biennial surveyed the current state of American art, showcasing the work of 63 artists. On the sixth floor of the museum, paintings by Henry Taylor depicted the racial tensions between the police and the communities they serve. The painting in this photograph shows Philando Castile, a 32-year-old African American man, who, on July 6, 2016, was stopped while driving and fatally shot by Jeronimo Yanez, a police officer from St. Anthony, Minnesota. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer 2017)
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I remember the paper daffodil very well. Jimmy and I made it out of construction paper in school. It was one of those projects that passed for "art class" in a suburban Philadelphia elementary school in 1954. We were given three pieces of construction paper - purple, green and yellow - , scissors and glue. The purple construction paper was the background on top of which we were to paste a stem and leaves. We were shown how to curl the leaves around our fingers before pasting them on the stem. Then we cut out petals from the yellow paper, curling them delicately. At last we cut out the trumpet of the flower from the yellow paper, wrapping and gluing it into a round shape with small fringes on one end and a pedestal of little feet on the other end. We glued that to the stem and covered the feet with the petals so they wouldn't show.
Jimmy and I didn't think much of this project but we had fun doing it. When we finished, we wrote our initials at the bottom of the paper, where artists would sign their work. "JB & TL," we wrote. Jimmy graciously said that I could take the daffodil home since we only had one daffodil. I gave it to my mother.
"What's this mean?" she asked when she saw the initials. "JB & TL?"
"It means that Jimmy and I made the daffodil together," I replied. "Jimmy is my friend."
Not long after that our teacher announced that there would be a dance at school. I had never been to a dance. I said to my mother, "I hope Jimmy will invite me!"
"He won't invite you," she said authoritatively. I asked her why.
I don't remember what words she used but the gist of them was this. Jimmy was a Negro and I was white. That was why. I had never thought about this before. It hadn't occurred to me.
My mother was right. Jimmy didn't invite me. Jimmy and I lived within three blocks of each other but we never visited each other's homes. Jimmy lived with his older brother, Kevin, and his mother, who supported the family by taking in wash. I knew exactly where they lived.
Around a year later, my parents bought a house in a different community and we moved. I never saw Jimmy again, though I thought about him from time to time and wondered how he was.
Recently, I tried to look him up. I discovered that Kevin had died 13 years ago. I found a picture of his mother's house, exactly as I remembered it, but I could find no trace of Jimmy. Maybe he's dead. He might be.
Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Editor
Downtown Post NYC's website (www.DowntownPostNYC.com) is updated daily. That's the place to check for urgent messages, breaking news and reminders of interesting events in and around Lower Manhattan. So be sure to look at the website every day, especially if you want to know about breaking news.
Downtown Post NYC on Facebook: On its Facebook page, Downtown Post NYC has been providing information about the time of Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily press briefings and how to access them. DPNYC has also been highlighting some of Gov. Cuomo's announcements concerning COVID-19 statistics, reopening of various parts of the state for business and executive orders. Go to Downtown Post NYC's Facebook page by
clicking here.
HOW TO SUPPORT DOWNTOWN POST NYC: I made Downtown Post NYC free to subscribers so that no one who was interested in reading it would be excluded because of cost. Downtown Post NYC is largely supported by advertising revenue. In addition, some people have made contributions, which are much appreciated. For more information about how to contribute or advertise, email
[email protected].
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 STRICKEN BY THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS, IAN DANIC
RECOUNTS HIS JOURNEY FROM DIAGNOSIS TO RECOVERY
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Guy Tomassi and Ian Danic at Restaurant Craving Buffalo on the night that outdoor cafés reopened in Western New York. June 4, 2020
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In early March, 2020, Ian Danic, formerly of New York City but now a resident of Buffalo, New York, had been traveling a lot on business. Over a two-week period, he had been through eight airports in five states. He had also spent two days in Westchester County where, as it turned out, Covid-19 first surfaced in New York State.
So Danic was not entirely surprised when he felt unwell around midnight on Friday, March 13. He later said that he felt scratchiness in his throat. When he woke up the next day, he had bronchitis-like symptoms in his chest and felt terrible. He was coughing and coughing but nothing was coming up. He continued to feel terrible on March 14. He slept all day. "I knew there was something wrong," he recalled. "I had a suspicion right away that I had 'the bug.'"
When he thought about where he could have been exposed to it, he remembered that on March 10, when flying home to Buffalo from New York City, there had been a three-hour delay in leaving LaGuardia airport and "a guy immediately behind me kept coughing." That went on for around five hours.
For various reasons, Danic, 59 years old, falls into the high-risk category for contracting Covid-19 and being slammed by it. He has a number of underlying health conditions, any one of which could spell trouble.
By Sunday, March 15, his fever had spiked to almost 102 degrees F. He called the New York State Covid-19 hotline. "It sounds like you have it," the woman he spoke to told him. "You have all the symptoms."
But there were no tests available in Buffalo or near Buffalo. To get tested, Danic would have had to go to New York City or to Westchester County, which he wasn't about to do. The woman on the C-19 hotline suggested that Danic contact his doctor.
First thing on March 16, Danic called his doctor's office and was told to come in for a test. A few hours later he was told not to come in. Then he was told to contact the Erie County Department of Health and someone would come to his house to test him. Next, his doctor called.
"I could tell by the way this was being handled that I was their first case," Danic remarked.
But New York State moved swiftly. By Tuesday, March 17, the Erie County Department of
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The drive-in testing site
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Health had set up a drive-in testing facility. It was 11 miles away from Danic's home.
It wasn't possible just to drive in. The Erie County Department of Health contacted him, asking him about his symptoms, what kind of car he would be driving and the year it was made. After qualifying for testing, Danic high-tailed it to the testing site. Although he had had night sweats for three nights in a row - March 15, 16 and 17 - by this time, his fever had abated.
The testing facility was discreetly located inside a fire station. Danic's appointment was in the window from 10 a.m. to noon. He arrived at 10 a.m. and was the third in line. The test took less than five minutes. He was instructed not to get out of his car.
"The facility was only open for two days," Danic later recalled. "They ran out of tests." This was March 17 - early days both for understanding the scope of the pandemic and how to diagnose and treat it. After Danic was tested, Erie County tightened up the requirements for getting tested and only took people who were really sick and health care workers.
Danic drove himself home and went back to bed. "I tried to work," he said, "but I couldn't concentrate." This went on for days. On March 21, he received a phone call from the Erie County Department of Health telling him that he was positive for the Covid-19 virus. They wanted to know his travel history and with whom he had been in contact.
No remedy was proposed other than isolation. Danic had not seen anyone for 12 days. He did have food in the house but wasn't able to eat much. He had a terrible headache.
By March 22, although he still felt sluggish and unable to read a book, in some ways he felt better. The pain in his chest was diminishing and his coughing had became sporadic instead of constant.
"I'm OK with being alone," he later said. "I was never scared. Eighty percent of the people who get Covid-19 have mild symptoms. I'm a pretty strong guy."
On March 31, Danic posted a notice on Facebook Messenger. "I am better!!!" he announced. "Back at work."
It had been three weeks from first to last.
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
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Bits & Bytes
SOUTH ST. SEAPORT MUSEUM'S PIONEER WILL BE SIDELINED THIS SUMMER; COVID-19 SCUTTLES DOWNTOWN BOATHOUSE KAYAKING
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| The subway entrance under the Municipal Building. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
New York City to partially reopen on Monday, June 8: Hit hardest by Covid-19, New York City is the last place in New York State to begin reopening. This will happen on Monday, June 8 when an estimated 200,000 people will return to work in construction, wholesale, manufacturing, agriculture and retail (with safety procedures in place).
Many people will be riding subways and buses. To keep the system safe, subway cars, buses, Access-A-Ride vehicles, and all 472 subway stations will be cleaned at least once a day. Subways are now being sterilized with ultra-violet light and cleaning robots are being deployed. Other measures include expanding touch-free turnstiles, replacing air filters on subway cars, installing sanitizer dispensers in stations and cars, distributing bottles of sanitizers and handing out two million masks in the first week.
Commuters are advised to wear a mask and avoid speaking around others. Although it will be difficult to keep six feet of distancing space, cities like Seoul and Taipei have found transmission can remain low as long as riders wear masks, avoid speaking, and keep from touching their faces or other passengers. Everyone is advised to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at the beginning and end of each trip.
During Phase I reopening, buses will continue to be boarded from the back door, and will remain free.
People who are not returning to work are asked to avoid subways and buses during rush hours in order to leave as much space as possible for those who must ride.
Downtown Boathouse will not open this summer: Since 1994, the Downtown Boathouse on Pier 26 in Hudson River Park has provided free kayaking to hundreds of thousands New Yorkers. However, this summer the Downtown Boathouse will probably not be able to open.
"In order to ensure adequate social distancing and appropriate public hygiene when launching and landing lots of kayakers, both space and sanitation are required," explained Graeme Birchall, who is on the board of directors of the Downtown Boathouse. "It is not easy to ensure appropriate social distancing when launching a beginner kayaker from a dock because too much close hand-holding is required."
The Downtown Boathouse is staffed by volunteers, which is what has enabled it to offer kayaking at no charge. Birchall said that it wouldn't be feasible to ask volunteers to grapple with the protective gear, equipment sanitation and social distancing that would be necessary to allow the Boathouse to open this season.
Pioneer will not sail this season: The South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner Pioneer will not be sailing New York harbor this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and its impact. In addition, Pioneer has been undergoing repairs.
A spokesperson for the museum stated, "We look forward to a full sailing season in 2021, utilizing her as an education vessel for thousands of students and restarting her volunteer sail training program. A decision will be made at a later date about the possibility of sails on the tugboat W. O. Decker, adhering to forthcoming guidelines from City and State governmental partners."
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Sailing New York Harbor aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer. She will not be sailing the harbor this season. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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ASSISTANCE WITH
Disaster Loans & Grants
Unemployment Assistance - available for W2 and Schedule C clients
Mandated additional sick pay and associated tax credit
Paycheck Protection Program; Extended tax loss carry-backs
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Downtown Post Food and Dining
POPULAR FOOD FESTIVAL, DINE AROUND DOWNTOWN, WILL HAVE
A CHEF-LED, COOK-AT-HOME EDITION THIS YEAR STARTING JUNE 11
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| In 1837, the Swiss-born Delmonico brothers opened the first fine dining restaurant in the United States. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer 2014) |
For almost two decades, Dine Around Downtown has been an eagerly awaited lunchtime food festival produced by the Downtown Alliance that allowed thousands of people to stroll from booth to booth, sampling offerings from an ever larger number of Lower Manhattan restaurants. However, this year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic that forced restaurants to close and furlough or lay off their staffs, the Alliance has created a Cooking at Home edition that will raise money for the local restaurant community.
Rocco DiSpirito, celebrity chef and cookbook author, will act as host to three Lower Manhattan chefs as they demonstrate easy-to-replicate dishes from their restaurants.
The series will launch on June 11 with recipes from Delmonico's, America's first fine-dining restaurant, located since 1837 at the intersection of Beaver, William and South William Streets in the Financial District. Executive chef Billy Oliva will demonstrate how to make a pan-roasted ribeye steak accompanied by roasted corn and shrimp salad. Next, on June 25, Michele Iuliano, co-owner and chef of Gnoccheria at 100 Broad St. will show participants how to make fresh hand-rolled gnocchi with three sauces: pesto, sorrentina and quatro formaggi. Finally, on July 9, Einat Admony, chef and co-owner of Taïm at 75 Maiden Lane, will call on her upbringing in Israel as she makes eggplant sabich salad and cauliflower shwarma. All of these events start at 4 p.m.
The series is free to join via Zoom but registration is required and limited. If they wish, participants can donate to a fund of the restaurants' choice, which will support their staff and/or local food supply charities.
This project, created by the non-profit Alliance for Downtown New York, is one of many things that the Alliance is doing to support businesses that have been adversely impacted by the spread of Covid-19.
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Downtown bulletin board
BATTERY PARK CITY BLOOD DRIVE; SMALL BUSINESS REOPENING HOTLINE; HOW TO REPORT POLICE ABUSE; VOTING BY MAIL
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| The New York State primary election takes place on June 23. Avoid standing in line at the polls. Vote by mail. Because of Covid-19, everyone is eligible to receive an absentee ballot. Apply for one now by clicking here. (Photo: ©Terese Loeb Kreuzer 2016) |
How to report police abuse: If you witness police abuse in person or see footage on social media, you can file a complaint with the City's Civilian Complaint Review Board at
nyc.gov/ccrbcomplaint or (800) 341-CCRB.
New York State Attorney General James, who is conducting an investigation of the George Floyd protests, asks that any information, including visuals, be shared with her office as they proceed with that investigation. Email:
[email protected]v.
Dental offices can open: On May 31, 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York dentists can reopen statewide on June 1. Dentists' offices will be subject to state guidance on best practices for safety and social distancing.
Small business reopening hotline: The City's Dept. of Small Business Services has opened a hotline for reopening advice and resources: (888) SBS-4NYC (727-4692), and has released an industry guide to Reopening NYC Businesses. To see it,
click here.
Register to vote: June 23, 2020 is the date for the New York State primary election.
In order to vote for a candidate in the primary election, you must be registered to the political party for whose candidate you wish to vote. People who are registered as Independents can't vote in the primary election. Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an Executive Order to ensure New Yorkers can vote by absentee ballot in the June 23rd elections.
Click here to find your poll site and/or to register to vote by mail.
Click here to register to vote.
For answers to frequently asked questions,
click here.
Voting by mail in New York State: To apply for an absentee ballot, click on the link below and type in your name, address and date of birth. Check the "temporary illness" box to indicate that the coronavirus is the reason you're applying.
The early voting period begins on June 13 and ends on June 21.
https://tinyurl.com/ybhmy5eq
Summer day camps statewide can open on June 29th. The state will make a decision on sleep-away camps in the coming weeks.
New York State loan program for small businesses: New York State has launched a $100+ million loan program for small businesses. The loan program will focus on supporting small businesses that were less likely to receive federal loans, especially women and minority-owned businesses, and very small businesses with 20 or fewer employees. For more information,
click here.
Health insurance in New York State: You can still enroll for health insurance on the New York health plan marketplace. If you lost your job or health coverage, or are uninsured, you can enroll in a plan today at
nystateofhealth.ny.gov. You may also qualify for health care coverage from Medicaid or Child Health Plus through the marketplace.
New York City needs blood donors: The New York City Blood Center has sent out an SOS that states that "the need for blood has rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels but the blood supply is dangerously low. Donors can call 800-933-2566 for information or schedule an appointment online." The New York City Blood Center is one of the largest independent, community-based, non-profit blood centers in the United States. For more information,
click here.
Blood drive in Battery Park City: On June 8th, there will be a blood drive in Battery Park City. It will take place at 6 River Terrace between noon and 6 p.m. There were openings for around 150 people to donate, however all the slots are currently full. It's possible that there will be cancellations. To check the availability of an open slot,
click here. To check your eligibility to donate blood,
click here.
United States Census 2020 is hiring: The 2020 U.S. Census will require a massive effort to document everyone in the country. The U.S. government is hiring census workers with a promise of "great pay, flexible hours, weekly pay and paid training." The jobs include census taker, recruiting assistant, office clerk, and supervisory staff. Applications can be made online at
2020census.gov/jobs. For more information, call 855-JOB-2020.
Most of the Downtown Post NYC bulletin board listings are now on the Downtown Post NYC website. To see the bulletin board listings,
click here.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RELATING TO NYC'S CURFEW,
EFFECTIVE THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 7 FROM 8 P.M. TO 5 A.M. DAILY
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| An NYPD helicopter hovering over Lower Manhattan. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer 2020) |
Through June 7, 2020, a curfew will be observed in New York City between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Here are some questions and answers pertaining to the curfew:
I am an essential worker. Can I travel to my job?
Yes, workers who are performing essential work are permitted to travel to/from work and to be in public while performing their job duties. Essential work is work that is permitted under Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) guidance.
I am a health care worker. Can I go to work?
Yes. Health care workers are essential under ESDC guidance.
I work for the City. Can I go to work during the curfew?
Yes.
I am a member of the press. Can I be in public during the curfew?
Yes, if you are performing your job. News media are essential under
ESDC guidance.
Can restaurants make deliveries during the curfew?
Yes. Food deliveries are essential under the ESDC guidance.
Can my 24-hour grocery store stay open?
Can my 24-hour grocery store receive deliveries during the curfew?
Yes. Essential businesses may remain open. The curfew only bars people who are not performing essential work from being in public from 8pm to 5am.
Will public transportation and for-hire vehicles be available during the curfew?
Yes. Transportation infrastructure such as bus, rail, and for-hire vehicles are essential under the ESDC guidance.
I am an essential worker. Can I stop by the deli/grocery/etc. to pick up food during my meal break?
Yes. If you are an essential worker and your meal break falls at some point between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., you can pick up food from an essential business that sells food such as a restaurant or grocery store.
I am an essential worker who just got off work. Can I travel anywhere other than my home?
During the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., you are only permitted to travel from your home to your place of work and back home. However, if necessary, you may also stop to obtain medical supplies/prescriptions before and/or after work.
I am an essential worker going to/from work. What sort of ID must I show if I am stopped?
There are no specific requirements for ID. A work ID, a business card, any other official documents, or even a work uniform will suffice to show that you are an essential worker.
I work in a non-essential industry/business. Can I travel to/from my workplace? Can I perform my work in public?
No.
I need medical attention during the curfew. May I leave to seek treatment?
Yes. You can and should seek medical treatment or supplies during the curfew.
I need emergency medical treatment during the curfew, what should I do?
Call 911. EMTs and first responders will continue to operate as usual.
Can I take my dog outside to use the bathroom?
Yes, but only in the immediate vicinity of your residence. Dogs should be exercised outside of curfew hours.
What happens if I violate this curfew?
We fully expect that all New Yorkers will cooperate in the interest of public safety.
For the very few individuals that refuse to cooperate and do not fall within the exempted categories, they will be given every opportunity to return home. Only if an individual continuously refuses to do so will additional enforcement action be considered, including but not limited to fines.
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Downtown Post NYC is emailed to subscribers twice a week.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
We welcome comments, questions and letters to the editor. Send them to
[email protected]
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.
© 2020
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