I rode the subway Yesterday from 86th Street to City Hall.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Monday, February 15, 2021
Mayor de Blasio Rides the Subway From 86th Street to City Hall and Greets Police Officers on Patrol and Riders.
On the day that Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that on February 22nd the MTA will be increasing overnight subway service hours from a closure of 1 AM - 5 AM to a closure of just 2 AM - 4 AM with the hopes of restoration of full overnight subway service in the not to distant future, Mayor Bill de Blasio rode a subway train from 86th Street to City Hall. Will Mayor de Blasio continue to ride the subway to City Hall, that will have to be seen.
Above - Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks with police officers assigned to ride the subways after the events that recently happened on the A line.
Below - Mayor de Blasio speaks with some riders.
Governor Cuomo Announces MTA to Partially Restore Overnight Subway Service
Partial Restoration Would Begin in the Early Morning Hours on Monday, February 22, and Support Gradual Reopening of New York City Nightlife, Cultural Centers and Sports Facilities
MTA to Continue the Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfecting that Has Made Subway the Cleanest in Its History
Builds on Governor's Recent Measures to Further Re-Open Economy Amid Decline in Positivity Rate and Hospitalizations
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will partially restore overnight service on the New York City Subway, pending continued positive trends in New York's COVID indicators. Effective Monday, February 22nd, the MTA will extend late-night subway service by two hours, moving to a 2 a.m. - 4 a.m. closure daily. The changes will lengthen the subway's operations by two hours while enabling the MTA to continue the most aggressive deep cleaning and disinfecting regimen in its history. Since May 6th, the subway has been closed nightly from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. to allow the MTA to enhance cleaning and disinfecting of the subway.
"Thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers, COVID hospitalization and infection rates have continued to decrease, allowing us to begin re-opening different facets of the economy in a cautious, thoughtful, data-based approach," Governor Cuomo said. "With the expansion of hours of operation for restaurants and bars, as well as the re-opening of cultural centers and sports facilities, we must ensure that both employees and patrons have transportation options to get them where they need to go, when they need to get there. Accordingly, the MTA will be expanding the overnight hours for subway service to ensure transportation is available, while still maintaining the organization's comprehensive cleaning procedures."
MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye said, "The partial late-night reopening of the subways will support the Governor's gradual reopening as we are seeing positive trends with the deployment of the vaccine, lower infection rate, the resumption of indoor dining and extended hours for bars and restaurants. The suspension of service for two hours will enable the MTA to continue the most aggressive cleaning and disinfecting regimen that has led the subway to be the cleanest it has ever been."
Interim President of MTA New York City Transit Sarah Feinberg said, "This approach allows us to enhance service for customers as New York City cautiously reopens while maintaining our concerted effort to deep clean and disinfect the system. We want to be able to provide as much service as we can without compromising on our commitment to doing everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe during the pandemic. We will continue to follow guidance from Governor Cuomo and Commissioner Zucker on all aspects of public transportation service provision as it relates to COVID-19, as well as that from the federal government and Centers for Disease Control."
The extension of the MTA's operating hours builds on the Governor's recent measures to further re-open the economy amid a steady decline in the state's positivity and hospitalization rates. On February 14th, the Governor issued an Executive Order extending closing times to 11 p.m. statewide for restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centers, casinos, billiards halls and any other location with an SLA license. The Governor also announced sports and entertainment events in major stadiums and arenas with a capacity of 10,000 or more people can re-open with limited spectators beginning February 23.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development recently advised MTA to continue to disinfect surfaces following remarks on Feb. 9 by Dr. Shawn Ryan, Director of the EPA's Homeland Security Program who said, "surfaces are still recognized as a route for exposure to the virus," and "CDC and EPA guidance suggest frequent hand washing as well as cleaning and/or disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched by many people."
The Federal Transit Administration provides guidance to the MTA and other public transit agencies that high-touch surfaces include kiosks, turnstiles, benches, railings, handrails, garbage cans, door handles, payphones, restroom surfaces (faucets, toilets, counters), poles, handrails, seats, benches, grab bars, and exit buttons should continue to be disinfected, while the Centers for Disease Control also advises routine disinfection and cleaning.
A survey by Hofstra University published last month found three out of four riders felt safer riding the subway as a result of COVID cleaning. The results were in line with an MTA survey conducted in the fall with a similar finding: 76 percent of 20,000 customers agreed that cleaning and disinfecting made them feel safe when using transit.
The MTA suspended subway service between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. daily on May 6, 2020, at the same time that it significantly enhanced overnight bus service. The MTA increased overnight bus service by 76 percent by adding 1,168 overnight bus runs, bringing 344 buses into service on top of the 235 that had been operating during these hours - an approximately 150 percent increase in the operational fleet. The MTA enhanced service on 61 bus lines, including 11 inter-borough express routes with additional stops (five routes in the Bronx, three each in Brooklyn and Queens), and 13 new routes that normally don't offer overnight service (17 in Brooklyn, 13 in Queens, 10 each in the Bronx and Manhattan). Thirty-seven routes have added overnight service.
A study of ridership in April 2020 showed that approximately 1,802 customers were using the subway between the hours of 1-2 a.m., 1,386 customers between 2-3 a.m., 2,129 between the hours of 3-4 a.m., and 5,692 between 4-5 a.m. The reopening from 1-2 a.m. and 4-5 a.m. will provide service for the vast majority of those seeking service during overnight hours.
Middletown Man Pleads Guilty In Federal Court To Use Of Incendiary Device At Newark Planned Parenthood
A Middletown man pleaded guilty in federal court on February 11, 2021, to Intentional Damage to a Facility that Provides Reproductive Health Services and Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device (Molotov Cocktail) under the National Firearms Act. The Honorable Leonard P. Stark, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Delaware, accepted the plea.
According to court documents, at approximately 2:16 a.m., on January 3, 2020, Samuel Gulick, 19, drove to the Planned Parenthood facility in Newark, Delaware. Video surveillance captured Gulick standing on the front porch of the building and spray-painting the phrase “Deus Vult” in red letters. Gulick then stepped off the front porch, lit an object, and threw it at the front window of the Planned Parenthood facility. The object, a Molotov Cocktail, exploded and Gulick ran away. The fire burned for approximately one minute before self-extinguishing. The explosion damaged the front window and porch of the building. Law enforcement identified Gulick through video surveillance that captured the license plate of the car in which he fled and through an Instagram page registered to Gulick, containing the phrase “Deus Vult” and several anti-abortion posts.
Gulick pleaded guilty to Intentional Damage to a Facility that Provides Reproductive Health Services and Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device under the National Firearms Act. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for June 2, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Chief Judge Stark will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated, “Mr. Gulick’s actions had potentially deadly consequences. I applaud the investigative efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement who worked quickly to identify and bring Mr. Gulick to justice.”
"While people have a First Amendment right to peacefully express their views, they do not have a right to vandalize clinics in the hopes of deterring women from receiving lawful services that those facilities provide," said Jennifer C. Boone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will hold those accountable for any threats of violence to healthcare facilities or their employees."
“ATF and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate violent attacks from those seeking to achieve personal political goals,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Tim Jones. “We are proud of investigators’ efforts and dedication to identify the person responsible in this case and are grateful that no one was injured as a result of this defendant’s criminal actions.”
Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic FEBRUARY 15, 2021
6,623 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide
1,270 Patients in the ICU; 875 Intubated
Statewide Positivity Rate is 3.53%
103 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
First New South African Variant Case Identified in New York City; Patient is Connecticut Resident
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As part of that update, the Governor notified New Yorkers that a Connecticut resident who is a patient in a New York City hospital has tested positive for the South African variant. There is no evidence of any spread in New York State to date.
"New Yorkers haven't only gotten past the post-holiday surge—they've continued to drive down hospitalization and infection rates by acting smart and responsibly, and they should be commended for it," Governor Cuomo said. "Thanks to this hard work, we are now in a place where we have been able to begin opening the valve and start getting the economy going again, as long as we do it safely. If we're able to keep the momentum headed in a positive direction by practicing safe behaviors at an individual level, as well as continuing to vaccinate New Yorkers as quickly and fairly as possible, we'll be able to reach the light at the end of the tunnel faster than previously thought and finally get some normalcy back into our lives."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Test Results Reported - 180,504
- Total Positive - 6,365
- Percent Positive - 3.53%
- 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.74%
- Patient Hospitalization - 6,623 (+30)
- Net Change Patient Hospitalization Past Week - -1,093
- Patients Newly Admitted - 600
- Hospital Counties - 53
- Number ICU - 1,270 (-15)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 875 (-6)
- Total Discharges - 138,542 (+492)
- Deaths - 103
- Total Deaths - 37,221
It is important to note that data, including test results and hospital rates, reported early in the week are often not completely reflective of the current situation due to lower discharges and testing volume over the weekend. Data trends over a period of time, such as using 7-day averages, are a preferred metric.
Governor Cuomo Announces More Than 1 Million New Yorkers Fully Vaccinated With Second Dose
As of 11 AM today, New York's Health Care Distribution Sites Have Administered 91% of the Total First Doses Received from Federal Government
Vaccine Dashboard Will Update Daily to Provide Updates on the State's Vaccine Program; Go to ny.gov/vaccinetracker; Dashboard Now Includes Demographic Data
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than 1 million New Yorkers have been fully vaccinated after receiving a first and second dose. The total week 9 federal vaccine allocation has been delivered to providers for administration. As of 11AM today, New York's health care distribution sites have received 2,192,675 first doses and already administered 91 percent or 1,992,575 first dose vaccinations and 85 percent of first and second doses. The week 10 allocation from the federal government begins mid-week.
"More than a million New Yorkers are now fully vaccinated, and this crucial milestone should give us confidence that we are on the right track towards ultimately beating back the virus and winning this war," Governor Cuomo said. "As I've said in the past, defeating COVID once and for all not only requires the quick and fair distribution of the vaccine, but we also must continue our efforts to reduce our hospitalization and infection rates. All the data shows that we are headed in the right direction and we must keep this progress moving. While New Yorkers continue to act responsibility to reduce infections, we will continue to fight for more vaccine supply and better distribution coordination from the federal government so we can ramp up our efforts even further."
The 'Am I Eligible' screening tool has been updated for individuals with comorbidities and underlying conditions with new appointments released on a rolling basis over the next weeks. Starting next week, local health departments will also receive vaccine allocations for these individuals. New Yorkers can use the following to show they are eligible:
- Doctor's letter, or
- Medical information evidencing comorbidity, or
- Signed certification
Approximately 10 million New Yorkers are currently eligible to receive the vaccine. The federal government has increased the weekly supply by more than 20 percent over the next three weeks, but New York's vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.
Vaccination program numbers below are for doses distributed and delivered to New York for the state's vaccination program, and do not include those reserved for the federal government's Long Term Care Facility program. A breakdown of the data based on numbers reported to New York State as of 11AM today is as follows. The allocation totals below include 100 percent of the week 9 allocation. The total week 9 allocation is also inclusive of some excess vaccine doses that have been reallocated from the federal Long Term Care Facility program.
STATEWIDE BREAKDOWN
First Doses Received - 2,192,675
First Doses Administered - 1,992,575; 91%
Second Doses Received - 1,178,350
Second Doses Administered - 871,109
BRAC OPEN CALL to Curate 2021-2022 Exhibitions Last Week to Apply
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
