Community Corner
NYC Flouts Coronavirus Social Distancing To Watch Flyover
Unmasked New Yorkers huddled together in public spaces Tuesday to watch a military flyover honoring healthcare workers.

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers flouted the city's life-saving social distancing rules to take in a military flyover.
Photos taken Tuesday show public parks crowded with spectators watching U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds jets fly in tribute to medical workers on the frontline of the new coronavirus crisis.
But, as many New Yorkers pointed out, the end result was increased crowding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn quicken the virus's spread and overwhelm local hospitals.
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This is more people than I’ve seen out on the promenade in weeks to watch the flyover. Did we need this now? Really? pic.twitter.com/gCTbAL85wL
— Robyn Shepherd (@Robyniwitz) April 28, 2020
Patch witnessed dozens of people gathered on the promenade over the FDR Drive near East 82nd Street, many of whom went without masks and gathered close.
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Brooklyn jogger Evan Herrmann found crowds of unmasked people — directly flouting Gov. Andrew Cuomo's order — watching the spectacle in Williamsburg's Domino Park, he tweeted.
"Why can’t we take this seriously? We aren’t going to get anywhere is we continue to break the rules and do whatever the hell we want," Herrmann wrote.
"But if you’re going to go outside, please just put a f---ing mask on and be smart about how you are surrounding yourself with others. Stop being selfish."
The Blue Angels took to the skies over New York City, Newark, Trenton and Philadelphia, according to their official flight map.
The flight over NYC began about noon when eight Thunderbird F-16 jets and seven Blue Angel jets flew crossed over the George Washington Bridge at a 1,500-foot altitude, headed south over Manhattan, looped over Newark and soared toward Queens.
Each flight squad costs at least $60,000 per hour to fly, according to The Washington Post, an amount that ranked with more than a few city dwellers.
What are we a third world country? Since when does a military parade replace PPE for first responders. TBH - being in NYC for the flyover feels like a vanquished country being subjected to a show of military might by the conquerors.
— Nathan Salwen (@NSalwen) April 28, 2020
Many of the people being honored are too busy trying to save lives to see the flyover. Also, there are people in NYC & NJ that recall fighter jets flying over our area after 9/11. It is not a good memory. https://t.co/qaYjj7fgfK
— GenXJersey (@CNj65) April 28, 2020
How much does it cost to do a 40 minute flyover of NYC with the Blue Angels? These “tributes” to frontline workers are so asinine. Use that money on anything else to help the cause
— abrams (@_BAbrams) April 27, 2020
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