New York City is reopening its economy for the first time in over three months. NBC New York’s Katherine Creag reports.
What to Know
- Gov. Andew Cuomo said Monday that he will keep a close eye on certain neighborhoods where infection rates are still extremely high compared to the citywide average
- During his daily coronavirus briefing, Cuomo announced that the state will continue to focus its efforts on testing and providing information in these New York City neighborhoods
- The hot spots are found in neighborhoods in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. The infection rates in these neighborhoods are dramatically high, compared to the 19.9 percent rate of all of New York City.
Although New York City entered Phase 1 of its reopening 100 days after the state's coronavirus pandemic began, Gov. Andew Cuomo said Monday that he will keep a close eye on certain neighborhoods where infection rates are still extremely high compared to the citywide average.
During his daily coronavirus briefing, Cuomo announced that the state will continue to focus its efforts on testing and providing information in these New York City neighborhoods.
"These are zip codes where we know there is a higher infection rate than other part of the city and it’s dramatically high. Overall the infection rate in New York City is about 19 percent, some of these communities are over 50 percent. So we are targeting these hotspots. More testing. More treatment in these hotspots and more awareness," Cuomo said.
The hot spots are found in neighborhoods in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. The neighborhoods are:
- Bathgate (Bronx), which has a 51 percent infection rate;
- Bronx Park South and Jerome Park (Bronx), both have a 50 percent infection rate;
- Flatbush (Brooklyn) and Queens Village (Queens), both have a 45 percent infection rate;
- Morrisania (Bronx), which has a 43 percent rate;
- Brownsville and Williamsburg (both in Brooklyn), which have a 41 percent and 40 percent infection rate, respectively; and,
- the Highbridge and Pelham Gardens neighborhoods in the Bronx -- both which have a 38 percent infection rate.
The infection rates in these neighborhoods are dramatically high, compared to the 19.9 percent rate of all of New York City.
This focus on hotspots also includes setting up 14 additional testing sites in partnership with Northwell Health and SOMOS Community Care in these areas.
The hotspots are reflective of the startling statistic that minority communities are the hardest hit when it comes to COVID-19, in part due to higher comorbidity rates, multi-generational households, lower incomes and having less healthcare services.
"The virus did not attack equally," Cuomo said. "It hit lower income areas, minority areas harder."
On Tuesday, Cuomo also announced that actor Sean Penn's CORE foundation brought 11 additional testing sites to the most impacted zip codes.
News
"We are excited to be able to take your direction to get into those zip codes of the most marginalized communities," Penn said via teleconference at Cuomo's briefing Tuesday.
Overall, New York City has more than 240 testing sites.
