For the last 2 months, the City of New York has been facing the most challenging health crisis since the days of the Spanish flu at the beginning of the 20th
century. Our government has had to rapidly adapt and prepare for this crisis, making decisions that have life and death consequences for New Yorkers of all walks of life.
Although, we have been hard at work to respond to the novel coronavirus plague, we have yet to respond as strong and as ambitiously as I know we have the potential to be. Specifically, we have to do better by the people living in underserved and immigrant communities, such as those living in the neighborhoods of Northern Manhattan, the South Bronx, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and Corona, among others, and who bear the brunt of the Novel Coronavirus impact. These are New Yorkers, that even though are among the most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus pandemic due to the disadvantages created by poor and hard living conditions, often times work as essential workers or cannot otherwise afford to work from home.
Recent data has shown that certain zip codes located in deprived areas of the City have higher rates of confirmed COVID19 cases. The hardworking New Yorkers who live in these areas deserve to receive the same care and attention as those that live in wealthier neighborhoods. Therefore, we must work on a plan to help isolate COVID19 infected New Yorkers who live in dense and crowded conditions by providing temporary locations to prevent further contagion. I have brought this suggestion to the attention of both Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio and I hope they take leadership on this issue. The only defense we currently have against this virus is diagnosis and self-isolation. If we continue to fail on these fronts, the pipeline to our hospitals ICU rooms will continue unabated.
In order to properly isolate New Yorkers who represent an imminent risk of contagion to family members and others around them, I suggest the City look into temporary relocation sites. The Armory Track at 168th
street and the United Palace, both of which are located in Washington Heights, have the capacity to properly house hundreds of New Yorkers. The dorms at City College and Columbia University should also be used as temporary housing for New Yorkers who are confirmed to have the novel coronavirus.
As an entire nation pays attention to our response to this pandemic and look for guidance in our actions, we'll be remembered for how fairly we treated our most vulnerable New Yorkers.
