Coronavirus In NYC: A Roundup Of What's Happened

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Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know

NEW YORK CITY — Novel coronavirus arrived in New York City this month with updates coming in at a dizzying speed. News breaks on an hourly basis and what we know about the virus changes and expands.

A week into a potential outbreak, here is where New York City stands:

Who has tested positive for novel coronavirus in New York City?

As of the March 13, 95 people have been diagnosed in New York City.

• The first confirmed case was a 39-year-old healthcare worker reported to have the virus on March 2. The woman has since been isolated with her husband — who tested negative for COVID-19 — in their Manhattan home. Mayor Bill De Blasio said on March 10 that both were now asymptomatic and expected to be out of quarantine soon.
• A New Rochelle lawyer became New York City's second official case on March 3. Although he lives in Westchester, he works in the Midtown Manhattan law firm Lewis and Garbuz and is being treated at New York-Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center.
• A woman in her 80s and a man in his 40s were the third and fourth New York City cases reported Thursday. Both are being treated in city intensive care units and are listed in critical condition.
• The fifth case, a Manhattan man in his 50s with ties to the Westchester lawyer, was announced Friday.
• A family on the Upper West Side. The father, 51, mother, 47, and daughter, 11, tested positive.
• An Uber driver in Far Rockaway, 33, who works mainly on Long Island.
• Two women from Brooklyn, 66 and 71, who went on a cruise to Egypt.
• A 39-year-old man from Brooklyn who was in Italy.
• A 58-year-old man who lives in Manhattan and who traveled to Chile.
• The executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Rick Cotton, has tested positive. He oversaw arrivals from affected countries at several area airports.
• His wife Elizabeth Smith, the head of the Central Park Conservancy, also tested postive.
• A 7-year-old girl in The Bronx became the city's youngest patient, the mayor said Monday. She attend Westchester Torah Academy which is directly related to the Westchester cluster. She has minimal symptoms and her family members have tested negative.
• A 68-year-old man in Brooklyn who has diabetes and heart disease. He's in critical condition in an ICU in Brooklyn.
• A 22-year-old man in Brooklyn is stable but hospitalized. The mayor said he is a vaper.
• A city worker who lives in Westchester. He had been in a city office for three hours last week before he was symptomatic.
• A 75-year-old man in Queens is in an ICU in critical condition. He has diabetes.
• A rabbi at Yeshiva Har Torah in Little Neck tested positive and is showing mild symptoms. The school has been closed.
• Details are not yet known of other cases. On March 10, the mayor said details of every individual cases would no longer be given.

How long is this going to last?

De Blasio and his health experts expect the city will not return to normalcy until September.

How can I keep on top of novel coronavirus developments?

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How are schools responding the virus?

Several Manhattan private schools, universities and college campuses have closed temporarily to conduct thorough cleanings after students and parents reported possible contact with COVID-19 patients. Two public high schools were closed on March 12, but other New York City public schools remain open. All Archdiocese of New York elementary schools will close from March 16.

• The NYC Schools Closed By Coronavirus

New York City and state universities summoned home students studying abroad in high-risk nations — China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea — on March 5. Those students will go under quarantine for two weeks.

And while de Blasio and Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza have said closing city schools during the outbreak will be the last resort, thousands of students are signing a Petition For School Closures.

What else has been closed of canceled?

Many, many things. They include:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced March 12 that events attended by more than 500 people must close. Among things that have closed are:

• All Broadway shows.
• Concerts.
• Sporting events.
• Museums
• The occupany limits for bars and restaurants has been cut in half.
• The St. Patrick's Day Parade.
• The New York City Half Marathon.
• The Javits Center's Auto Show.
• The State of the City address.
• The Upper West Side's Jewish Cultural Center.
• The United Nations closed to the public.

How are lawmakers responding?

States of emergency have been declared in both New York state and New York City. They give the governor and mayor sweeping powers and access to funds to deal with the crisis.

City workers, teachers and medics must undergo mandatory testing if ordered to do so by Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot.

The MTA is scrubbing down trains and stations at least once every three days. The mayor toldNew Yorkers to avoid crowded subways and buses, urging them to walk or, ideally, telecommute.

City lawmakers are moving to guarantee paid sick leave for gig economy workers and prevent COVID-19-related price gouging.

And New Yorkers in subways, schools, city buildings and public spaces are being urged to wash their hands, cover their mouths when they cough and get flu shots, which don't protect against coronovirus but will help keep down flu cases which have similar symptoms.

How is coronavirus affecting local businesses?
If they sell masks and sanitizer or grocery essentials, it's been a bonanza.

Grocery stores and pharmacies across the city, the famous Park Slope coop and Amazon's Prime Now have all seen rushes of shoppers grabbing items off their shelves and sites.

Other businesses have pivoted to offering products needed to protect customers against the illness.

But if you're a Chinatown restaurant facing stigma from misinformation about how and where novel coronavirus spreads or the stock market, not well.

What should New Yorkers do if they get sick?

The short answer is call a doctor.

Dr. Stephen G. Baum, a distinguished professor specializing in infectious diseases at Albert Einstein College in The Bronx, offered Patch more in-depth answers.

Briefly, Baum suggested New Yorkers not to be afraid to call 911 in an emergency but think about going to a primary doctor or Urgent Care Center for more routine care.

The city has also has made lots of information available through 311. Those concerned they might have novel coronavirus can call the information hotline for instructions about how to proceed.

And, as always New York, please do keep washing those hands.