Policy

NYC schools will close tomorrow as Cuomo warns of a partial lockdown

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

November 18, 2020

NYC schools will close tomorrow as Cuomo warns of a partial lockdown

In his press conference this afternoon, Governor Cuomo announced that all of New York City would become an orange zone if its city-wide positivity rate hits 3 percent. Under this micro-cluster strategy, indoor dining and high-risk non-essential businesses like gyms and personal care services would close. Schools would also close, but during the governor's press conference, New York City Chancellor Richard A. Carranza sent an email to principals that schools would close and go to virtual learning as of tomorrow, as the New York Times first reported.
READ MORE

Policy

Landmarks designates first historic district in East Flatbush

Photo courtesy of Landmarks Preservation Commission

November 17, 2020

Landmarks designates first historic district in East Flatbush

By Devin Gannon

East Flatbush now has its first historic district. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to landmark a section of the Brooklyn neighborhood on East 25th Street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D, home to 56 cohesive limestone and brownstone properties. As 6sqft previously reported, local residents led the landmarking effort of the block, which has been named the "greenest block in Brooklyn" by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden four times.
Find out more

Policy

NYC releases map of positive COVID cases by ZIP code

Courtesy of the NYC Department of Health

November 13, 2020

NYC releases map of positive COVID cases by ZIP code

By Devin Gannon

New York City's health department this week released real-time data on new coronavirus cases by ZIP code and borough for the first time. An interactive map and a table show the percent of people who tested positive by ZIP code for the most recent seven days of available data and the rate of people tested during the last week. The detailed data comes as the city faces a surge of new cases of the virus in every borough, with an 89 percent increase in cases citywide compared to two weeks prior.
Learn more here

Policy

New York will close restaurants and gyms at 10pm, limits gatherings to 10 people

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim via Flickr cc

November 11, 2020

New York will close restaurants and gyms at 10pm, limits gatherings to 10 people

By Dana Schulz

With the COVID positivity rate rising across the state, and with neighboring states of Connecticut and New Jersey seeing major spikes, Governor Cuomo today put in place new restrictions to curb the spread. Restaurants and bars will have to close at 10pm; after that time they can offer curbside takeout and delivery for food only. Gyms will also have to close at 1opm. And both indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people. These are the three main spreaders that were identified by state contact-tracers. The rules go into effect at 1opm this Friday, November 13th.
READ MORE

Policy

Can NYC stave off a second COVID wave? Positivity rate nears 3%

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

November 10, 2020

Can NYC stave off a second COVID wave? Positivity rate nears 3%

By Dana Schulz

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. For the sixth straight day, New York City's COVID positivity rate has been above 2 percent, today hitting 2.88 percent. Though this is lower than surrounding states (New Jersey has recently hit 8 percent), Mayor de Blasio's education plan has set a threshold of 3 percent for keeping schools open. And according to the city's data, the number of new daily infections has nearly doubled since August from roughly 300 to a whopping 976 last Wednesday. Yesterday, Mayor de Blasio said the city was "getting dangerously close" to a second wave, setting off an alarm among New Yorkers, and today he said, "this is our last chance to stop [it]."
READ MORE

New Jersey adds new COVID restrictions as infection rate climbs

View of Jersey City, photo by Gautam Krishnan on Unsplash

November 9, 2020

New Jersey adds new COVID restrictions as infection rate climbs

By Dana Schulz

With infection rates throughout the Garden State continuing to climb, Governor Phil Murphy has been hinting for the past week at new restrictions, and today they came. Aside from prohibiting all indoor interstate games for youth and high school sports, the rules focus on indoor dining, including stopping restaurants, bars, and casinos from serving food or drink between 10pm and 5am and prohibiting barside seating. Murphy's announcement came as New Jersey saw its fifth-straight day of 2,000+ cases, with 3,207 cases reported on Saturday, the highest since the height of the pandemic on April 27.
READ MORE

Policy

Here’s what New Yorkers can expect from Joe Biden’s COVID-19 plan

Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

November 9, 2020

Here’s what New Yorkers can expect from Joe Biden’s COVID-19 plan

By Dana Schulz

Even before he was officially declared President-elect, Joe Biden began briefings about the pandemic, and since Saturday's celebrations, his comprehensive, federally led strategy to combat COVID-19 finally feels within reach. Today, President-elect Biden announced the 13 members of his COVID-19 advisory board, made up of public health experts, scientists, and doctors. This group will help Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and him carry out their plan to not only beat the virus, but to prepare for future global health threats. Ahead, we take a closer look at the intricacies of the strategy and how it will benefit the entire nation, as well as New Yorkers, from a nation-wide mask mandate to an increase in testing centers to the establishment of a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force.
READ MORE

New York will deploy additional National Guard and NYPD to enforce COVID rules at airports

Photo by Kevin Dellandrea on Unsplash

November 6, 2020

New York will deploy additional National Guard and NYPD to enforce COVID rules at airports

By Dana Schulz

With the pandemic roaring around the nation and in nearby New Jersey and Connecticut, Governor Cuomo today announced that he'd be deploying additional National Guard and NYPD members to state airports to enforce the state's COVID entry requirements as the holidays approach. In a conference call this morning with reporters, the governor said, "You should not land if you do not have proof of a negative test," referring to the new travel rule that he announced on Monday, which says that most travelers who were in another state for more than 24 hours must obtain a test within three days of departure from that state.
READ MORE

Travelers to New York must test negative for COVID-19 to avoid quarantine

Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

November 2, 2020

Travelers to New York must test negative for COVID-19 to avoid quarantine

By Devin Gannon

Most travelers to New York must get tested for the coronavirus before and after arriving in the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday. The new rule replaces the travel advisory put in place in June that required a 14-day quarantine for travelers coming to New York from places with significant community spread. Under the new guidelines, which will go into effect on Wednesday, visitors will be able to "test out" of the mandatory quarantine if both COVID-19 tests come back negative.
Get the details

Policy

Face masks, health screenings now required at all NJ workplaces

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

October 29, 2020

Face masks, health screenings now required at all NJ workplaces

By Devin Gannon

As New Jersey continues to see an uptick in coronavirus cases across the state, Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday mandated new health and safety rules for all workplaces. Starting November 5, workers at private and public sector companies must wear face masks, maintain at least six feet from one another, and undergo daily health screenings. Murphy's executive order comes as the state continues to fight against the spread of COVID-19. Last Saturday, nearly 2,000 new cases were reported statewide, the most recorded since May.
Learn more

Policy

Newark rolls back reopening after resurgence of COVID-19 cases

By Devin Gannon

Starting Tuesday, New Jersey's largest city will implement new coronavirus restrictions after reporting an uptick in coronavirus cases. Non-essential businesses and indoor dining will now have to close at 8 p.m. and beauty salons and barbershops will be appointment-only, Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced on Monday. The new measures come as Newark reported a test positivity rate of 11.2 percent over three days, compared to New Jersey's statewide rate of 5.28 percent.
Find out more

Policy

Cuomo eases some restrictions in Brooklyn and Queens COVID-19 clusters

New “yellow zone” maps for Queens’ clusters; Courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office

October 21, 2020

Cuomo eases some restrictions in Brooklyn and Queens COVID-19 clusters

By Devin Gannon

The state will loosen some restrictions in coronavirus clusters in parts of Brooklyn and Queens after positive infection rates decreased, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday. As a way to contain the spread of the virus in hot spots across New York, the state earlier this month divided the clusters into three categories depending on positivity rates, with red, orange, and yellow zones determining the level of restrictions. According to Cuomo, all clusters in Queens can exit the red zone and enter yellow, meaning businesses and schools can reopen and houses of worship can increase capacity to 50 percent. But in Brooklyn, the red zone will remain red, with orange and yellow zones now both yellow.
Get the details

Policy

24 percent of NYC subway and bus workers have had COVID-19, survey says

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

October 21, 2020

24 percent of NYC subway and bus workers have had COVID-19, survey says

By Devin Gannon

Nearly a quarter of New York City subway and bus workers reported contracting the coronavirus, according to a survey released on Tuesday. Of the roughly 650 Transport Workers Union Local 100 members surveyed as part of a pilot study led by New York University, 24 percent said they had the virus at some point since the start of the pandemic. The new report suggests more transit workers had the virus than previously thought. In May, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said about 14 percent of transit workers tested positive for antibodies.
More here

MTA launches first real-time digital subway map

Courtesy of the MTA

October 20, 2020

MTA launches first real-time digital subway map

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday released a new digital map of the New York City subway system that provides service updates to riders in real-time. As first reported by Curbed, this map uses data from the MTA to update as service changes are happening, allowing users to click on stations and individual train lines to see the actual wait time for the next train. When zoomed in on the map, little gray blocks move along the colored lines, depicting the train's actual movement from station to station. Created by design and technology firm Work & Co., the map modernizes both Massimo Vignelli's iconic 1972 map and the current map designed by Michael Hertz, combining the geometric and graphic design-friendly Vignelli map with the geographical elements of Hertz. The new live map is the first major redesign of the NYC subway map in 40 years.
More here

New York outlines initial strategy for prioritizing COVID vaccine distribution

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

October 19, 2020

New York outlines initial strategy for prioritizing COVID vaccine distribution

By Dana Schulz

Given the many unknowns surrounding a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as skepticism that certain vaccine trials could be politically motivated, Governor Cuomo announced last month that the state would put together a Clinical Advisory Task Force to advise New Yorkers on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness. In addition, over the weekend, the NYS Department of Health released a draft COVID-19 Vaccination Administration Program "that serves as an initial framework for ensuring the safe and effective distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in New York." According to the preliminary plan, the vaccine would be distributed in five phases, with high-risk populations and essential workers prioritized.
READ MORE

Policy

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban

Image: Michael Kowalczyk via Flickr.

October 19, 2020

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban

By Michelle Cohen

The ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect on Monday, more than seven months after enforcement was set to begin. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statewide ban on plastic bags was approved by state lawmakers last year with plans to begin enforcement on March 1, 2020. But a lawsuit from the Bodega and Small Business Association and a delay in a court decision on the lawsuit because of the coronavirus pandemic pushed enforcement of the new law back multiple times until a state judge ruled in August that the ban can begin on October 19. Starting Monday, grocery and retail stores that collect state taxes from customers will no longer be permitted to use plastic bags to contain purchases at checkout. Ahead, learn more about the Bag Waste Reduction Law, the exceptions to the law, and alternatives to single-use plastic.
Find out more

NYC makes outdoor dining permanent, lifts ban on propane heaters at restaurants

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

October 16, 2020

NYC makes outdoor dining permanent, lifts ban on propane heaters at restaurants

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council on Thursday voted to make outdoor dining permanent and year-round and lifted the ban on portable propane heaters. The legislation approved by the Council extends the city's current Open Restaurants program, in which more than 10,500 restaurants have enrolled since June, until September 30, 2021, and requires it to be replaced with a permanent program. Under the program, restaurants will also be able to use portable propane heaters, which were previously banned.
Find out more

New bus-only lanes in the South Bronx will speed up city’s slowest routes

Photo credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

October 12, 2020

New bus-only lanes in the South Bronx will speed up city’s slowest routes

By Devin Gannon

Nearly three miles of dedicated bus lanes equipped with transit signal priority technology and enforcement cameras opened in the South Bronx last week, part of the city's plan to speed up the system's notoriously slow travel times. The new lanes run along East 149th Street between Southern Boulevard and River Avenue and are used by four heavily-used bus routes, the Bx2, Bx4, Bx17, and the Bx19. The bus improvement project is the fourth to be completed since Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his Better Buses Restart plan in June amid the city's coronavirus pandemic recovery.
Get the details

Industry leaders discuss future of post-pandemic NYC during two-day ‘City of Tomorrow’ summit

Credit: Thomas Heatherwick Studio

October 9, 2020

Industry leaders discuss future of post-pandemic NYC during two-day ‘City of Tomorrow’ summit

By Devin Gannon

The past seven months fighting the coronavirus in New York City have laid bare the inequalities that exist in housing, infrastructure, open space access, and wellness. How can the largest city in the United States sustainably recover after COVID-19 while prioritizing the health of all of its residents? Industry leaders will explore this topic and the future of the city during a two-day virtual summit this month hosted by 92nd Street Y and Hundred Stories. The fourth annual "City of Tomorrow: Building a Better Future" summit will take place virtually on October 13 and October 14, with all talks free for the public to view.
More this way

Here’s how to find out if your neighborhood is in a COVID-19 cluster zone

Map of Brooklyn’s Covid-19 cluster; courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

October 8, 2020

Here’s how to find out if your neighborhood is in a COVID-19 cluster zone

By Devin Gannon

In an effort to contain new clusters of the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday ordered non-essential businesses to close and houses of worship to restrict capacity in parts of Brooklyn and Queens and suburbs of New York City. The new initiative divides the clusters into three categories depending on the rate of transmission, with red, orange, and yellow zones determining the level of restrictions in place. The new rules will be in effect for a minimum of 14 days starting on Thursday. To clear up confusion over the cluster zones, the city released a searchable "Find Your Zone" map that allows New Yorkers to enter their address to find what zone they live, work, and go to school in.
More this way

Policy

Soho and Noho rezoning proposal moves forward with 800 new affordable units planned

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

October 7, 2020

Soho and Noho rezoning proposal moves forward with 800 new affordable units planned

By Devin Gannon

The plan to rezone two affluent Manhattan neighborhoods will enter the public land use review process, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday. The proposed rezoning of Soho and Noho includes replacing 1970s-era zoning rules and incentivizing the creation of about 800 permanently affordable homes, part of an effort to bring affordable housing to all New York City neighborhoods, even upscale ones.
Details here

Policy

Schools in New York City’s COVID hot spots will close starting Tuesday

After fully reopening last week, some schools in NYC will have to close again. Photo credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 5, 2020

Schools in New York City’s COVID hot spots will close starting Tuesday

By Devin Gannon

Schools in nine New York City ZIP codes where COVID-19 cases have grown rapidly will temporarily close starting Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Mayor Bill de Blasio first announced on Sunday plans to shut down schools in these neighborhoods, which includes about 200 private schools and 100 public schools. While de Blasio's original proposal would also shutter non-essential businesses in these hot spots and high-risk activities in an additional dozen ZIP codes that are seeing an increase in cases, Cuomo on Monday said only schools will be closed as of now, adding that the state will review the data before taking further action. The governor said he would not "recommend any NYC family send their child to a school" in those areas.
Get the details

Policy

October 5, 2020

Chelsea’s 84-year-old Peter McManus Cafe needs your help

By Devin Gannon

Like thousands of small businesses, one of New York City's oldest family-run establishments is struggling to survive because of the coronavirus pandemic. Irish bar Peter McManus Cafe, located at 152 Seventh Avenue in Chelsea, has been serving pints of Guinness and their famous burgers since 1936. While the McManus family, who has continuously owned the bar for four generations, has seen their fair share of challenges in its 84 years, COVID-19 has made it increasingly difficult to stay in business.
More details this way

A guide to voting in the 2020 election in NYC

Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash

October 5, 2020

A guide to voting in the 2020 election in NYC

By Dana Schulz

If you're reading this post, you probably don't need a reminder to get out there and vote for the presidential election on November 3. But you might have some questions about how things are working this year, with the pandemic coming into play. Luckily for New York City residents, voting is easy and safe, and we've compiled a guide with everything you need to know about deadlines, voting by mail, and voting in person.
READ MORE

Policy

New York’s new COVID Alert app will tell you if you’ve come in contact with a positive person

Screenshots from the app on iPhone

October 1, 2020

New York’s new COVID Alert app will tell you if you’ve come in contact with a positive person

By Dana Schulz

Amid an uptick in cases in several clusters in Brooklyn and Rockland County, the New York Department of Health has launched a new, free app that will tell you if you've come in contact with a COVID-positive person. COVID Alert NY is available as of today for iPhone and Android. Using your phone's Bluetooth technology, it will alert you if you've been within six feet of an infected person for more than 10 minutes.
READ MORE

Policy

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Daily Doseof NYC Life!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!