MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES NYCHA COMMUNITY CENTERS THAT WILL BE RENOVATED AND RE-OPENED USING $22 MILLION IN NYPD CAPITAL FUNDS

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that three NYCHA community centers will be renovated and restored to their communities using $22 million in capital funding that was shifted from the NYPD to NYCHA in the Fiscal Year 2021 Adopted Budget. A fourth center will receive expense funding for programming.  

 “A strong community starts with a safe place to gather,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “In June, we committed to reinvesting NYPD funds in youth and social services, and this $22 million in funding is a big step forward for NYCHA families and all New Yorkers.”

As part of the Mayor’s commitment to reinvest $450 million in NYPD capital funds into community centers, the City will use $22 million of NYPD capital funding to renovate and open three NYCHA community centers:

• Monroe – Bronx - 816 Soundview Avenue
• Sheepshead Bay – Brooklyn - 2953 Avenue X
• Wagner – Manhattan – 451 East 120^th Street

A fourth NYCHA community center, Ocean Bay in Queens (339 Beach 54th Street), will receive expense funding for programming provided by the Department of Youth and Community Development.

“Community centers are hubs for meaningful connections, and allow our NYCHA families to safely access important youth and senior services. In reopening these centers, we are ensuring that vital services reach more NYCHA communities, including some that were significantly impacted by COVID-19," said Deputy Mayor Vicki Been.

“Investment in NYCHA community centers is an investment in NYCHA families. We are pleased that these centers will receive the funding they need so that our city agency partners can resume important programs and services for NYCHA youth, and all residents to enjoy,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Greg Russ.

“Community centers are a backbone of our neighborhoods—providing young people and their families access to vital services and a safe space to keep them engaged. Renovating and re-opening these centers furthers the City’s commitment to support and empower New Yorkers with no-cost, high-quality programs that help our communities thrive,” said DYCD Commissioner Bill Chong.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES CITY HAS DISTRIBUTED 100 MILLION MEALS TO NEW YORKERS SINCE MARCH, CALLS ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE

 Mayor de Blasio and Sanitation Commissioner and COVID-19 Food Czar Kathryn Garcia today announced that the City of New York has distributed an astounding 100 million meals to New Yorkers in need since March. The 100 million free meals distributed covers meals at DOE Grab & Go Meal Hubs and those distributed via the Emergency Home Food Delivery Program, which employs Taxi and Limousine Commission-licensed drivers to bring food to New Yorkers who cannot go out or afford private delivery options. This emergency effort by the City of New York exists in addition to the longstanding and continuing work of nonprofits across the five boroughs. New York City remains committed to ensuring no New Yorker goes hungry due to this crisis, and anyone in need can connect to services via 311 or at nyc.gov/getfood.

“No New Yorker should ever go a day without being able to put food on the table,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve distributed one hundred million meals to New Yorkers in need, and we won’t stop there. The federal government must step up and continue to provide funding so we can continue our mission to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry.”

“One hundred million meals distributed is an incredible achievement, and I want to celebrate every staff member, vendor, and community partner who helped fulfill our City’s fundamental need to eat. I hope the federal government will support us in continuing this effort as long as need among seniors and the most vulnerable New Yorkers persists, whether through reimbursements for food distributed or through new benefits like P-EBT. Any New Yorker in need can call 311 or visit nyc.gov/getfood to get connected to services,” said Kathryn Garcia, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation and the City’s COVID-19 Food Czar.

New York City is leading a robust outreach effort around a new federal benefit, P-EBT, which will give $420 per child to all public school parents for groceries, regardless of income or immigration status. Many parents who already received SNAP or Medicaid have seen this benefit reach their accounts already, with others expected to receive new cards from New York State later this year. Multilingual flyers about P-EBT can be seen here.

“One hundred million meals means one hundred million times New Yorkers did not go hungry during the health and economic crises caused by COVID-19. I am so proud of the heroic work of our food service employees to keep children, families, and entire communities fed. Staving off hunger is not a privilege, it is a necessity, and the federal government must step up to fully fund our fight to keep our most vulnerable New Yorkers nourished,” said Richard A. Carranza, New York City Schools Chancellor.

“The TLC’s licensed drivers continue to be active partners in our City’s recovery, and in fulfilling the Mayor’s promise that no one will go hungry during this crisis. The importance of federal support for our crucial work cannot be understated,” said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk.

“One of our goals as a City was to ensure no one went without access to food during these difficult times, and today’s milestone is a testament to our commitment to helping our fellow New Yorkers. I want thank all of our partners who have made this initiative possible, and as we look ahead, we hope the federal government will support us with the financial resources to continue providing these essential resources to our families who need them most,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell.

What is the Bronx Board of Elections Hiding? Part 3 - Where Did the Affidavit Ballots Go?

   Friday started the 87th Assembly District, and on Monday the long awaited last 79th A.D. Absentee ballot opening begins. It appears at the start of the opening of the Absentee ballots there was a ruckus by one of the 15th Congressional candidates who has well under one percent of the votes, and no chance of winning. The Bronx Board of Elections has opened the election law book (leaving a copy at the sign in table) to a little used section which says that candidates can not be seated at the tables where the ballots are being opened up, and must be seated behind the so-called media barrier. 

With all the talk of all the Absentee Ballots I didn't hear the other type of ballot that has to be counted after all the Absentee ballots are counted. That ballot being the Affidavit ballots that people whose name was not in the electronic poll book, or who voted at one of the early voting sites that was not their designated early voting site used. I know this number has to also be much larger than normal since the sign in process was different this year, people went to the wrong poll site, and I found that Election Districts that did not get their official ballots until mid-day if they got them at all, where the coordinators were told to use Affidavit ballots instead.

There was a slate of candidates in the 79th A.D. and a slate in the 87th A.D. who were knocked off the ballot by the Board of Elections on a technicality. Those candidates went to court and were placed back on the ballot. The Board of Elections then appealed the judges decision to put the candidates back on the ballot. According to Valarie Vazquez-Diaz of the Board of Elections, because the ballots had to be made up before the appeal was heard the names of the candidates in question were placed on the ballots in case the BOE was not successful in their appeal. I asked Ms. Vazquez-Diaz after saying that I can not recall the BOE appealing a judges decision, since that is up to a candidate to do. She said the BOE has done it before, but could not quote to me when. I then asked her to check with the law department and let me know when the last time was that the BOE appealed a judges decision that placed candidates back on the ballot. That was a week ago, so either Ms. Vazquez-Diaz forgot, or there was no BOE appeal of a judges decision to put candidates back on the ballot.   

As for the 79th Assembly District Absentee ballots, and official Primary Day ballots they contained the names of people who were not suppose to be there. The same was true for the Male District Leader in the 87th A.D. These three district leader positions are now in question, because there were names on the ballot who should not have been, and because of that the election was altered in such a way that a candidate other than the winner may have won, had the ballot been correct. 

Above - The area where Affidavit ballots are kept. Notice the red sign which says Affidavit ballot area, and the views into the area.

Below - Officials from the Bronx Board of Elections have taken down the Affidavit ballot sign, and moved the barriers to cover the entire area blocking any sight into the room where the Affidavit ballots are.

Above - One Bronx Board of Elections employee stands in front of me so I can not take any photos of the room where the Absentee ballots are being scanned.

Below - When he stepped away, I got this photo of the ballot scanning machine, and ballots sitting on the table that were scanned.. 

Former Managers And Employees Of Connecticut Insurance Firm Charged In $17 Million Scheme To Defraud Client Healthcare Expenses

  Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector in Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced the arrests of ANTHONY RICCARDI, PATRICIA RICCARDI, ERIN VERESPY, and VANESSA BATTLE, former managers and employees of Employee Benefit Solutions LLC (“EBS”), for defrauding clients by misappropriating over $17 million in client funds intended for employee healthcare claims.  ANTHONY RICCARDI, PATRICIA RICCARDI, and ERIN VERESPY appeared before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison in White Plains federal court last week, and VANESSA BATTLE appeared before Judge Davison this morning.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As alleged in the criminal complaint, the defendants abused their positions as administrators of client healthcare plans for years by creating false and inflated invoices and then misappropriating millions of dollars for their own uses.  As further alleged, the defendants sought to conceal this fraud by creating false bank statements and checks.  Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to expose and prosecute egregious fraud schemes.”

Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett said:  “The magnitude and the level of the alleged dishonesty by these individuals is truly unfathomable.  The defendants allegedly enriched themselves with money transferred to EBS intended for the payment of medical expenses.  Once Postal Inspectors caught this case they swiftly uncovered the theft scheme and brought those allegedly responsible to justice for their criminal behavior.”           

According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today[1]:

ANTHONY RICCARDI, PATRICIA RICCARDI, ERIN VERESPY, and VANESSA BATTLE are managers and employees of EBS, a company based in Wilton, Connecticut, that offered a variety of healthcare insurance-related services to clients.  EBS, among other things, provided third party healthcare claims administration (“TPA”) services to clients that elected to “self-fund” (or self-insure) their employee healthcare plans.  As a TPA, EBS would purportedly administer, process, and pay healthcare claims for its clients’ employees in exchange for an administrative fee.

Between at least 2015 and continuing through 2019, EBS represented an automobile dealership chain (“Company-1”) headquartered in Westchester County, New York.  During this time period, EBS served as a TPA for Company-1’s self-funded employee healthcare program and purported to process and pay claims to medical providers that treated Company-1’s employees.  To do this, EBS generated bimonthly “check register” invoices for Company-1 that listed all employee healthcare expenses from healthcare providers during that two-week period.  EBS also administered a bank account on Company-1’s behalf for the express purpose of paying Company-1 healthcare claims.  Company-1 would fund each check register by paying the invoiced amount, expecting that EBS would promptly pay the claims to the healthcare providers.  During this time period, Company-1 transferred approximately $26 million to EBS for the payment of healthcare claims.

In reality, a significant amount of purported checks listed on the EBS “check register” invoices were never actually deposited by the healthcare providers.  Instead, approximately $17.87 million in Company-1 healthcare payments were misappropriated, with the overwhelming majority simply transferred by EBS into its own operating account, where they were used for non-healthcare expenses by the defendants.  For example, a review of bank records indicates that Company-1 healthcare funds were used by ANTHONY RICCARDI and PATRICIA RICCARDI to pay their home mortgage expenses, as well as a personal credit card account with expenses relating to boating and golf.

EBS, through the defendants, made decisions of what few Company-1 healthcare claims they did pay based on which healthcare providers were likely to complain if they did not receive payment, or if the claims were connected to Company-1 executives.  PATRICIA RICCARDI and VERESPY, for example, discussed the timing of payments for Company-1 “VIPs” as well as a “Not VIP” claim that was nonetheless the subject of complaining phone calls.

The “check registers” sent to Company-1 also contained millions of dollars in fraudulent or inflated healthcare claims that were eventually paid by Company-1.  Such efforts were directed by ANTHONY RICCARDI and assisted by BATTLE, who among other things, manually entered a majority of claims relating to a specific pharmacy network that were billed to Company-1, despite approximately $3 million of those claims being fictitious.  Furthermore, on at least one occasion, BATTLE sent an auditor for Company-1’s insurance underwriter a series of pharmacy network claims that were billed to Company-1 despite being significantly inflated from the pharmacy network’s records.

The defendants also took steps to conceal their fraud from Company-1 by creating and sending manipulated and fabricated bank statements and checks to create the appearance that healthcare claims were being paid by EBS, when in reality they were not.  In approximately January 2019, for example, ANTHONY RICCARDI sent multiple bank statements to Company-1 that purported to show healthcare claims being paid out from the account EBS created on Company-1’s behalf.  Such bank statements were significantly altered from the actual bank statements and hid, for example, the millions of dollars that EBS transferred from the Company-1 account into the EBS operating account.  BATTLE sent similar copies of the altered bank statements to an auditor for Company-1’s insurance underwriter.  VERESPY and ANTHONY RICCARDI also exchanged emails showing the creation of altered bank statements on behalf of another client in or about 2018.  Furthermore, on at least one occasion, ANTHONY RICCARDI sent Company-1 an image of an altered check to create the appearance that EBS was handling a delayed healthcare payment.  In so doing, ANTHONY RICCARDI also emailed PATRICIA RICCARDI and BATTLE to ask whether they needed to “make more . . . checks.”

ANTHONY RICCARDI, 42, PATRICIA RICCARDI, 53, and VANESSA BATTLE, 65, each of New Canaan, Connecticut, and ERIN VERESPY, 49, of Trumbull, Connecticut, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and the United States Secret Service, which are assisting in the investigation, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Statement Of Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss On The Resentencing Of Sheldon Silver

      “Twice convicted by unanimous juries for abusing his powerful state office to enrich himself, Sheldon Silver will now finally report to prison to begin serving a sentence that can begin to repair the harm his conduct caused to the people of this District and to their trust in local government.  I commend the career prosecutors and agents who have seen this case through two trials and two appeals, ensuring that Silver’s crimes did not go unpunished and proving once again that this Office and our law enforcement partners will never stop pursuing corruption, without fear or favor, at all levels of government.”

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic

Hospitalizations Down to 716—New Low Since March 18

1.05 Percent of Yesterday's COVID-19 Tests were Positive

8 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Confirms 519 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 407,326; New Cases in 34 Counties

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

"We did the impossible as New Yorkers - we stepped up and conquered the COVID-19 virus and now we have to protect the progress that we have made," Governor Cuomo said. "One of the main threats to our progress is the number of congregations that we're seeing across the state, but especially in downstate, primarily of young people, and we saw it again over the weekend. It is a problem, and I'm telling you in plain New York speak that it's stupid and it has to stop. This not just morality, these restaurants and bars are breaking the law and they are going to make it bad for everyone else because if this continues we're going to have to roll back the reopening plan and close all bars and restaurants."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Patient Hospitalization - 716 (-6)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 58 (-21)
• Hospital Counties - 31
• Number ICU - 158 (-2)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 93 (-3)
• Total Discharges - 72,229 (+68)
• Deaths - 8
• Total Deaths - 25,056 

Attorney General James Orders Companies to Stop Online Sale of E-Cigarettes to Minors and New Yorkers

  Attorney General Letitia James’ office ordered Cloud X Vapes, HQD Tech USA, and PodVapes to immediately cease and desist illegally selling vaping products online to consumers in New York. These companies illegally sold vaping products online through their websites to New York consumers — a violation of New York state law. In addition, they illegally sold products to minors, offering flavored nicotine vaping products, including cotton candy, pineapple mist, green apple, and others. 

“Candy and fruit flavored vaping products exist to reel teens into the dangerous habit of smoking, which is why New York banned them,” said Attorney General James. “It is shameful that these companies attempted to skirt the law through sneaky, illegal online sales. We will not hesitate to hold those who put our children at risk accountable for their unlawful actions.” 

According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH), teen vaping has skyrocketed in recent years, and flavored vaping products are a major cause of this increase. To bolster the ban on vaping sales to minors, New York recently enacted additional legislation aimed at ending teen vaping and the consequent harms caused by these products.  

New York has already prohibited sales of nicotine products to individuals under the age of 21. As of May 18, it is illegal to sell flavored nicotine products in New York, and as of July 1, it is illegal to sell vaping products online and through mail order to New York consumers. 

This action is just the latest in a series of measures Attorney General James has taken to tackle the ongoing youth nicotine epidemic and to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers since taking office. In November 2019, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against the electronic cigarette company JUUL Labs for deceptive and misleading marketing of its e-cigarettes, which contributed to the ongoing youth vaping epidemic in New York state. In April 2019, Attorney General James led a coalition of seven states in urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take stronger action in addressing the scourge of e-cigarette use among youths by taking proposed measures such as strengthening guidance, beginning enforcement earlier, and banning online sales of e-cigarettes. 

MAYOR DE BLASIO ON CITY ISSUES AND COVID-19 JULY 20, 2020

  Well, good morning, everybody. We've got a lot to talk about today. First day of phase four, and obviously a very hot day. We're going to talk about the heat advisory. But first take a moment to remember a true American hero, Congressman John Lewis. And all over New York City, all over this country, people are remembering this great man and taking inspiration from him. And this is just what I want to talk about for a moment, because the amazing thing about John Lewis is that for almost 60 years, he was a consistent beacon to all of us. Of what it means to work to make this a better country and to overcome our painful history and take us to some place better. The amazing energy, the hopefulness, the resolve of this man is so much of what bonded all of us to him. No matter what he went through, he found a way to find a hopeful place, to find a north star that moved him forward. And it's something we all need to remember right now. So, we're mourning, but there is something I think even more important. I think he'd say it to us, which is to remember to always stay inspired and focused on the next thing we can make better.

Now, a few months back, in December, I had an incredible honor with my family, of spending time with John Lewis. He spoke at the New York Historical Society. And I asked him how he got inspired originally. And in that picture you see, he's telling the story and he uses the phrase, good trouble. That's his signature phrase, that of how you can make trouble for a positive end. You can fight against something unjust. But he talked about starting out as a kid in a rural area with very little that told him about the outside world. And how teachers and mentors and clergy members started to open his eyes, not just to what was going on and what needed to change, but to what he could do about it. So, this young man who had – he was very clear, no reason to believe that he personally could change the world. He got inspired. And became one of the crucial figures of the Civil Rights Movement and everything since. So, what an honor to have spent time with him.

And let me tell you his legacy lives on, in so many people right now, including a lot of young people that I spent time with over the last few days. And on Friday, I was in Harlem for a town hall meeting with young people. And the spirit of John Lewis was clearly in the room, in the sense that these young people were learning about their own abilities, their own power to make change, their own value, what a different world they could help create. It was very, very moving to hear their voices. And there were voices of pain and they talked about some very difficult experiences they had had, including with police. But they also talked about how they knew that community and police had to come together. They talked about – they knew how we had to create a different relationship, a more human and humane relationship. It was inspiring to hear these voices and realize that they are our future. And our future can be in very good hands if we support them. So those young people in Harlem on Friday inspired me.

On Friday evening, I was in Bed-Stuy with an Occupy the Corners effort, community members taking back their neighborhood, not allowing the gun violence to take over, but reclaiming their own streets. Elected officials, clergy, Cure Violence folks all together. And again on Saturday with the Ceasefire Peace March in Bed-Stuy. I was out there and I saw the incredible energy and commitment. Community members making very, very clear their community, their streets. They would stop the violence, they needed the partnership with NYPD for sure, but they also knew the community had to come forward and the community has come forward. Not just in Bed-Stuy, not just in Harlem, but all over the city. And you're going to see a lot more of that in the coming weeks.

Now, this is all part of our Violence Prevention Plan that Commissioner Shea and I outlined on Friday. And it will work with the combination of pinpointed police efforts and key police deployments where needed most. But also a closer working partnership with communities. That's the key.

Okay. So, I said up top, we should talk obviously about the momentous nature of this day. And I got to tell you, I think a lot of us would have said that it would have been a really, really big challenge, maybe an unlikely possibility that New York City and its comeback from the coronavirus, having been the epicenter of the crisis in the very beginning, that we would get to phase one, phase two, phase three and now phase four exactly on schedule. And we have. And again, credit to all of you, the heroic efforts of New Yorkers fighting back this disease, have made this possible.

So, phase four begins today. A lot of wonderful things. We see sports coming back, baseball back this week, professional baseball, Major League Baseball. That's going to be incredible. Media production starting again, a big part of the life of the city, a big part of people's livelihoods. Some wonderful outdoor activities opening up again, botanical gardens, zoos at more limited capacity, but they will be open and that's going to be great. So many things are moving forward, heavy emphasis on outdoors, but when it comes to certain indoor activities, that's what we keep holding back. So, we're holding back indoor dining, museums, malls, things that we're still not certain can be done right. And a reminder that even though we think there's a lot of evidence of a huge difference between outdoor and indoor and outdoor always being better. And that's why we extended the outdoor dining all the way to October 31st. Let's take maximum advantage of that. It's an amazing thing. But outdoors doesn't mean that people should forget all of the tough lessons that we've learned. And overwhelmingly let's be fair, overwhelmingly around the city, folks who own restaurants, bars, and their customers have been responsible, have been smart, have remembered to follow the rules, but not everywhere.

We saw some real troubling overcrowding in Astoria this weekend, we will not tolerate it. Let's really clear. It's not widespread, but where we find it has to be stopped. There's one restaurant in Astoria that was a focal point for this overcrowding. They've been shut down. And no one wants to shut down bars or restaurants. But if they do not cooperate in our efforts to contain the coronavirus, they will be shut down. We don't want to give out summonses. Everyone's hurting right now, financially, economically. But if we have to, we'll give out summonses. So, there'll be heavier enforcement efforts by the Sheriff's Office and when needed, by the NYPD as well, around bars and restaurants. I want it to be very, very clear when we agreed to let this part of our life come back, it was not meant to be business as usual. It was meant to be with the understanding we all gained the hard way, of why we need social distancing, why we need face coverings, why we need to understand some limits to stop this disease and to never let it come back. So, you'll see, as I said, a very aggressive effort to enforce. And look, I think it's as clear as this – we don't want to shut down restaurants. We don't want to shut down bars, but if we have to shut down a few of those, it is a hell of a lot better than seeing the coronavirus start to surge again in this city.

And we know in other places it was a reckless disregard in the way that bars and restaurants were handled. That was one of the causes of a resurgence of the coronavirus. We will not let that happen here. So, everyone, remember, we've got to keep to those rules, keep educating everyone around you. Face coverings, social distancing work. Now that's the importance of doing that, including when you're outdoors.

And while we're talking about outdoors, let's talk about this very hot week we're going into. And particularly today, today is a day to be very concerned about the heat index could reach 100 today. So everyone remember as we get into these very hot temperatures, take it seriously. Do not minimize the challenge. Stay hydrated, stay cool. When you can stay in air conditioning, check on your neighbors. If you know there's a neighbor who might be a little more vulnerable, a senior or someone with a health condition that might make them more vulnerable, check in on them, make sure they have enough water or anything they need. Now there's going to cooling centers, open all over the city. They'll be smart in the terms, the way they run them. There'll be social distancing, face coverings within the cooling centers, but they'll be available to anyone who needs them for free. And you'll see on your screen, a variety of efforts, outdoors and indoors in our parks and all around to keep people cool. Anyone who needs to know about that? You can call 3-1-1 for locations near you, or go to nyc.gov/beattheheat, get all the information you need.

Okay. I'm about to turn to our daily indicators, but before I do, we have an important milestone in our city's recent history that I want to note. And it's a good one. There is good news, no matter what challenges we face, New Yorkers, keep creating good news. And here's one about Citi Bike. This is quite amazing, just in the last week, a hundred millionth Citi Bike trip in New York City, a hundred million trips on a Citi Bike, all about making sure people can get around, can get around in a way that is friendly to the environment, no emissions, no pollution. This is a fantastic development and also the 1,000 Citi Bike station installed. So, Citi Bike being expanded. This has been proven to be a really good thing in the midst of this pandemic. It has been a great option for a lot of New Yorkers who wanted a different way to get around. And we're going to keep expanding in the Bronx, in Upper Manhattan, folks at Department of Transportation are working every day to make sure there's more and better options. And they are safe options.

Now as do our indicators. Number one daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19, the threshold is 200, today's report, 74 patients. Number two, daily number of people in Health + Hospitals ICUs, threshold 375, today's report 311. And number three, percentage of the people testing citywide positive for COVID-19, threshold of 15 percent, today's report once again, two percent. So a very good day.