COVID Closures, Helping Hands: Forest Hills' 2020 Year In Review

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — If one thing could be said about 2020, it's that it was a year unlike any other.

The coronavirus pandemic dominated the headlines this year, especially as Forest Hills became a hotspot subjected to localized lockdowns, but many other stories caught the attention of Patch readers.

From small business closures and squirrel attacks to tales of neighbors helping neighbors cope with the effects of the pandemic, Forest Hills saw a year of tragedy but also triumph.

As 2021 begins, Forest Hills Patch is taking a look back at the top stories of 2020.

Forest Hills Hospital To Open Third ICU Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

COVID-19 predictably dominated the headlines in Forest Hills this year, as the neighborhood and surrounding areas of Central Queens saw high numbers of residents with the virus — straining Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, the nearest hospital, in the spring and leading the state to enact local lockdown rules after a resurgence in the fall.

Parts of Forest Hills became a "red zone" in October, under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's color-coded designations, forcing schools and non-essential businesses to temporarily close. Amid the uptick, Patch spoke to LIJ Forest Hills' chair of emergency medicine, Dr. Teresa Murray Amato, about how the hospital was preparing for a feared second wave of coronavirus cases.

The restrictions on Forest Hills and adjacent were downgraded in late October, but the neighborhood continued to see the pandemic's wrath, with schools temporarily closing due to coronavirus cases and businesses shuttering.

Forest Hills Teacher Surprises 5-Year-Old With A Special Visit

Forest Hills Family Spreads Hope And Thanks With Painted Rocks

Not all news related to the coronavirus pandemic in Forest Hills took a dismal tone. Through it all, neighbors kept coming together to help one another.

Those stories of hope and community included a profile of a Forest Hills pre-K teacher who went the extra mile to support his students as they got used to remote learning, as well as a feature on a Forest Hills home that turned into a makeshift gallery of hand-painted rocks with uplifting messages.

Both were among the most-read stories on Forest Hills Patch in 2020, as readers yearned for a bright spot in all the darkness. Others included:

• Rego Park Kosher Restaurant Helps Keep Hospital Workers Fed
• Forest Hills Girl Scouts Help Hospital Patients Keep Comfortable
• LIJ Forest Hills Workers Get $2,500 Bonus Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Vicious Squirrel Attacks Rattle Rego Park Residents

The story of Rego Park residents getting attacked by squirrels was such a nutty one that it quickly became the year's most-read story on Forest Hills Patch.

Residents told Patch that at least five people in the neighborhood had been bitten or scratched by squirrels within the last month. More than one had to seek medical attention for their wounds. Still, the city had declined to take action, so residents turned to Forest Hills Patch in an effort to get the word out about the issue.

Hundreds Voice Stories Of Racism At Queens Private School

As New Yorkers joined in nationwide protests after George Floyd's killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hundreds of students and alumni of Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood turned to social media to expose the racism they had experienced at the hands of their teachers and peers.

Patch spoke to more than 20 of them for an investigative report that showed a pattern of unfettered racist and hateful rhetoric by teachers and students that had been continually swept under the rug.

Following Patch's reporting, the school announced an advisory council to develop reforms.

Staffer In Queens DA's Office Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Another Queens Prosecutor Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Forest Hills Patch's stories on COVID-19 cases in the Queens District Attorney's Office in nearby Kew Gardens were among the most read in 2020.

Prosecutors and lawyers spoke to Patch anonymously, citing a fear of retaliation, to shine a light on what they said was an issue of transparency with how the office was notifying employees — and the lawyers and court staffers they work alongside — about cases of the virus.

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