Lower Manhattan’s Local News
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Grace Lee is a mother of three and community activist running
for State Assembly to bring new leadership to Lower Manhattan.
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Numbing Numbers
More Than 60 Downtown Residents Die of Coronavirus, But Confirmed Case Numbers Continue to Drop
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A total of 756 residents of Lower Manhattan have tested positive for the pandemic coronavirus, of whom 64 have died, according to the City’s Department of Health.
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A total of 64 residents of Lower Manhattan have died of the pandemic coronavirus, according to data released by the City’s Department of Health (DOH), which, on May 18, disclosed mortality numbers indexed by zip code for the first time.
These statistics show that the only two zip codes (among 178 residential districts) throughout the five boroughs have registered no deaths at all from COVID-19 (the disease caused by the pandemic coronavirus), and both are located Downtown: 10280 (southern Battery Park City) and 10006 (the Greenwich South neighborhood).
But areas of Lower Manhattan that have been comparatively hard hit include the Civic Center and Seaport communities (10038), where 26 people have died; Northern Tribeca (10013), where the death toll has reached 18; and Northern Battery Park City (10282), where 14 residents have succumbed.
The death totals for Lower Manhattan necessarily exclude an unknown number of additional fatalities (likely to run into dozens more), among members of the community who worked Downtown (such as restaurant owners, and healthcare providers), but resided elsewhere.
Even such an expanded total, however, would still mark the square mile south of Canal Street as among the least grievously stricken communities anywhere in New York City. The average death rate for the eight zip codes that comprise Lower Manhattan comes to 65.16 per 100,000 residents (a standard benchmark use by health statisticians). There are neighborhoods in Queens and the Bronx where the same gauge registers up to seven times higher than the Downtown’s local death rate.
In a separate (but related) development, the DOH has also released updated statistics for the local, overall case count. (All metrics cited in this story are current as of Thursday afternoon, May 21.) In this tally, a total of 756 residents of Lower Manhattan (among 3,640 who have been tested) are confirmed to have been infected by the pandemic coronavirus.
This updated tally for confirmed cases of coronavirus indicates that the total number of local residents known to be infected has jumped by 33 new cases, or approximately 4.56 percent, since May 15 (the date of the Broadsheet’s previous update of these statistics), when the total number of Lower Manhattan cases was 723 patients. This does not necessarily mean that the local rate of infection is growing at 4.56 percent per week, but may be a reflection more patients being tested. While this trend line has jumped slightly from last week, it still represents an overall decline from the outbreak’s peak, which increased by 30 percent in early April, before plateauing and then gradually retracing.
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According to the DOH data, the local infection rates and death totals (outlined out by zip code) break down as follows:
• 10280/Battery Park City South (below Brookfield Place): 0 deaths and 43 confirmed cases, an increase of 2 new cases since May 15
• 10282/Battery Park City North (above Brookfield Place): 14 deaths and 68 confirmed cases, an increase of 4 new cases
• 10007/Southern Tribeca (West Street to Broadway, north of Vesey Street and south of Chambers Street): 3 deaths and 49 confirmed cases, an increase of 1 new case
• 10013/Northern Tribeca (north of Chambers Street and south of Canal Street): 18 deaths and 250 confirmed cases, an increase of 12 new cases
• 10006/Greenwich South (Broadway to West Street, south of Vesey Street and north of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel): 0 deaths and 23 confirmed cases, an increase of 1 new case
• 10004/Southern FiDi (West Street to the East River, south of Beaver Street): 1 death and 30 confirmed cases, an increase of 2 new cases
• 10005/Eastern FiDi (Broadway to the East River, south of Maiden Lane, north of Beaver Street): 2 deaths and 59 confirmed cases, an increase of 4 new cases
• 10038/the Civic Center and Seaport (Broadway to the East River, north of Maiden Lane and stretching a few blocks beyond the Brooklyn Bridge): 26 deaths and 234 confirmed cases, an increase of 7 new cases
These data indicate that, among the total of 3,640 Downtown residents who have been tested for coronavirus, 21 percent have been confirmed to be infected. This metric represents an additional falloff from the May 15 data, when 25 percent of all local patients who had been tested were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. (Neither of these yardsticks can be extrapolated to mean that the similar percentages of all local residents are infected, because these tests — which are in seriously short supply — are being selectively administered to patients with severe symptoms, or those who are deemed to be at heightened risk of exposure.)
The combined population of these eight zip codes is approximately 81,000 residents. The total of 723 confirmed cases translates into an overall rate of infection of roughly nine-tenths of one percent for all Lower Manhattan residents. This indicates that local infection rates have risen slightly since the start of May, when the overall rate of infection for Lower Manhattan residents stood at roughly eight-tenths of one percent. The overall death rate for Lower Manhattan residents due to the pandemic coronavirus comes to an infinitesimally small eight one-hundredths of one percent.
In an encouraging development, New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital, which has been on the front lines of fighting the coronavirus outbreak, is among nine New York City hospitals to announce that it will once again be admitting family members to visit patients, as part of a pilot program to determine whether such a process can be conducted safely. Visitation will be subject to caveats such time limits, the wearing of personal protective gear (such as masks and gowns), and temperature and symptom checks.
Matthew Fenton
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Hungry?
Click here to view a list of Downtown restaurants compiled by the Downtown Alliance that are open and serving takeout and delivery.
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A few weeks ago, as the pandemic was raging in Manhattan, Bob Townley, executive director of Downtown Community Center, called Susan Kay, the ceramic program director and special events coordinator, to say, “let’s use our storefront windows to share some joy and hope with our community!”
They decided to offer free art materials to families. The idea was that you’d make art out of whatever you found in the Downtown Community Center bag, and then bring it back for display. About 100 families and kids showed up on two successive Saturdays to retrieve the materials, and within days returned to drop off art work that is now in the windows of the Community Center at 120 Warren Street.
Gratified by the response, Ms. Kay said, “The joy, gratitude and love with this exchange is just reaffirming of much of a community we are. We were all so happy to see each other and to remember what’s important. Through art and our children we can share that communication and hope, knowing that we will get through this and land on our feet.”
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Kindred Spirits
Onetime Presidential Contender and Liberal Firebrand Endorses Lower Manhattan Candidates
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Progressive icon and prospective vice-presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren waded into local politics on Wednesday when she endorsed two elected officials representing Lower Manhattan in their bids for reelection.
In the U.S. Congressional race for the Tenth District, she announced her support for Jerry Nadler, saying, “his record shows that he doesn’t just know how to fight, he knows how to win. I’m honored to call Jerry a friend and someone I continue to work with on important legislation.” As chairman of the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee, Mr. Nadler was one of the leaders of the effort to impeach president Donald Trump last fall.
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Retail Relief
Downtown Alliance Expands Aid to Lower Manhattan Small Businesses
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The Downtown Alliance is broadening the criteria for its Small Business Rental Assistance Grant, which aims to give away $800,000 in grants to help to local shops struggling with the economic contraction triggered by the pandemic coronavirus. Originally launched in April, the Grant program is funded with contributions from Brookfield Properties, Silverstein Properties and the Howard Hughes Corporation, as well as $250,000 from the Alliance itself.
The expanded criteria for this second phase of the program include eligible businesses with gross annual revenues of up to $3 million, and which employ up to 30 employees. (The first round was capped at $1.5 million and 20 employees.) It will now also accept applications from storefronts within an expanded geographic catchment, covering everywhere south of Chambers Street. This is notable in that is exceeds the boundaries of the Business Improvement District (BID) that the Alliance oversees (roughly from City Hall to the Battery, between West Street and the East River), and to which it usually confines its initiatives.
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Letters
Dear President Trump:
Thank you President tweet for “Making America Great!”
You are to be commended for “Making America Great!”
As our President you have led America to have the greatest number of Corvid-19 deaths in the world, the greatest number of Corvid-19 infections in the world, the greatest number of people out of work: unemployed and underemployed since the Great Depression, and responsible for the greatest national debt in our America’s history.
Yes, indeed you have “Made America Great.”
Sincerely,
John Padalino
octogenarian and life-long republican
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Ambulatory Ambiguity
As Downtown Businesses Ponder Reopening, Questions Arise about Getting Here
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The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) recently announced that it would begin partially reopening on May 26, but that it would bar from its headquarters any employees who used mass transit to get to the Exchange’s iconic building, on Broad Street. (The NYSE closed in March, when several employees were found to be infected with the pandemic coronavirus.)
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Learn how to craft a Zero Waste DIY mask
with BPCA’s own Sarah Smedley.
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Pursuant to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s executive orders 202.17 and 202.18, all people in New York are required to wear masks or face coverings in public, including when taking public or private transportation or riding in for-hire vehicles.
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Check Your Screen to Get Screened
State Launches Online Map Showing Local Testing Facilities
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On Sunday afternoon, the State Department of Health launched on online map specifying the locations of more than 700 facilities throughout New York where testing for exposure to the pandemic coronavirus is available. These testing sites can process up to 40,000 patients per day, and are currently operating well below their capacity.
Matthew Fenton
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Downtown Connection Bus Still Operating,
Still Free
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The Downtown Alliance’s Downtown Connection bus is New York City’s only free circulator bus service, and it’s still running every day during the New York City pause. Serving 36 stops around the perimeter of Lower Manhattan, the Downtown Connection runs in both directions between Battery Park City and the Seaport District. The bus will return to its normal route along Warren Street when construction is completed in June.
To adhere to social distancing guidelines, all bus capacities have been reduced 50% and all passengers are required to wear face masks to board. The bus is being kept extra clean with deep cleanings at night and regular wipe-downs during the day. Downtown Connection Driver Carlisle Gibson (pictured) takes pride in helping riders take care of their needs during a difficult time. “You see a lot of folks fending for themselves,” he noted. “They appreciate us.”
If you need to get out of the house to run necessary errands, the free bus — which you can spot easily with its bright red color — is here to help. Hop on and off as often as you’d like — just remember to wear your mask. Buses run from 10a to 7:30p, with an average of 10-minute intervals on weekdays and 15-minute intervals on weekends. To see the route, click here.(sponsored content)
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Eyes to the Sky
May 18 – 31, 2020
Summer stars rise as winter stars set. Venus and Mercury meet this week
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One month before summer solstice, which occurs on June 20, we find two of summer’s brightest stars rising above the east-northeast skyline as twilight deepens.
Foretelling the summer season, Vega, third brightest star in northern skies at 0.00 magnitude, rises in the northeast while less bright Deneb, 1.25 m, appears to the lower left of the blue-white beacon. (The brighter the star, the smaller the number.) Deneb is the furthest star from Earth visible with the unaided eye. About two and a half hours after sunset, Altair, 0.75 m, rises in the east, joining Vega and Deneb to complete the Summer Triangle, one of the most prominent star patterns in northern skies. To read more…
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Essential Workers photo: Dorothy Lipsky
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Click here to watch the new family of Falcons living high above 55 Water Street. We watched as lunch was served right around noontime
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NEWS FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS
OF THE BROADSHEETDAILY
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‘The Doctor Told Me My Chances Were 50-50’
A Widely Admired Community Leader Recalls Her Life-and-Death Battle with COVID-19
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Daisy Paez, a Lower East side activist who has served for years as a local District Leader, is a universally revered matriarch among Downtown’s political and community family. She recently returned from more than a month of hospitalization, during which she nearly died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the pandemic coronavirus.
“It felt like somebody just snatched me from my life and threw me into this horrifying ordeal,” she recalls. “In the beginning, I remember hearing how people would get really ill, and that if you had a cough or a high fever, you needed to see a doctor. But I was fine. Then, in the last week of March, I started feeling sick. I went to the CityMD urgent care facility on Delancey Street, and they gave me a flu test, which came back negative. They also gave me a test for COVID-19, and told me the results would be available in about five days.”
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CLASSIFIEDS &PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades
Respectable Employment
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Seeking Full-Time Live-In Elder Care
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I am a loving caring hardworking certified home health aide
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IT AND SECURITY SUPPORT
Expertise in 1-on-1 tutoring for all ages.Computer upgrading & troubleshooting. Knowledgeable in all software programs.
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If you would like to place a listing, please contact
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760 – 14th recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet
1570 – First atlas ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ (Theatre of the World), published by Abraham Ortelius in Antwerp with 70 maps
1803 – First public library opens in Connecticut
1807 – Former Vice President Aaron Burr is tried for treason in Richmond, Va and acquitted
1819 – First steam propelled vessel to cross Atlantic
1826 – The HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage
1888 – Leroy Buffington patents a system to build skyscrapers
1906 – Wright Brothers patent an aeroplane
1915 – Lassen Peak erupts, and is the only mountain, other than Mount St. Helens, to erupt in the continental US during the 20th century.
1931 – Canned rattlesnake meat first goes on sale in Florida
1947 – First US ballistic missile fired
1967 – “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” debuts on NET (now PBS)
1973 – President Nixon confesses his role in Watergate cover-up
2002 – In Washington, DC, the remains of the missing Chandra Levy are found in Rock Creek Park.
2004 – Hallam, Nebraska, is wiped out by a powerful F4 tornado that broke a width record at an astounding 2.5 miles wide
2010 – Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus’ remains are reburied in Frombork Cathedral, Poland after a 200 year search for his tomb
Births
1813 – Richard Wagner, Leipsig Germany, composer (Ring, Flying Dutchman)
1844 – Mary Cassatt, US, Impressionist painter (Woman Bathing)
1859 – Arthur Conan Doyle, UK, author brought Sherlock Holmes to life twice
1907 – Laurence Olivier, England, actor (Rebecca, Hamlet, Jazz Singer)
1928 – T Boone Pickens, CEO (Shamrock, Mesa Petroleum Co)
1938 – Richard Benjamin, NYC, director/actor (Goodbye Columbus, He & She)
Deaths
337 – Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome (306-37) dies at 47
1967 – Langston Hughes, American poet (Weary Blues) and playwright (Mulatto), dies at 65
1990 – Rocky Graziano, boxer/writer/actor, dies at 71 of heart failure
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COVID-19 and your pets.
A Guide from the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare
how to care for your pet during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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WANTED:
Your Coronavirus story in one hundred words.
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395 South End Avenue,
New York, NY 10280
212-912-1106
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No part of this document may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher © 2020
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