March 31, 2020 By Allie Griffin A portion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the home of the U.S. Open, will be converted into a 350-bed temporary hospital as the coronavirus pandemic strains New York City’s hospital system. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park arena will begin its conversion Tuesday, a spokesperson for the… Read more »
March 31, 2020, By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill De Blasio has announced that the city – in partnership with FEMA – will get an additional 250 ambulances and around 500 extra EMTs and paramedics to help meet the spike in demand for emergency services. The extra resources will increase medical transport capacity between medical sites… Read more »
March 31, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens Borough President special election finally has a set date — June 23, 2020. The election, which was originally slated for March 24, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but wasn’t given a new date until yesterday when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order. June 23… Read more »
March 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York’s five district attorneys and the special narcotics prosecutor said the mayor’s office has put forward the names of several dangerous inmates for release–in his attempt to stop the outbreak of coronavirus in city jails. The head prosecutors said the mayor and the Department of Corrections had suggested… Read more »
March 30, 2020, By Michael Dorgan Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez revealed Monday that she has a presumed case of COVID-19 and has self-quarantined. The lawmaker, who represents New York’s 7th District, said she began feeling ill on Sunday morning and sought treatment from her physician. She was diagnosed with a presumed coronavirus infection after consulting with… Read more »
March 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin The novel coronavirus has killed 256 Queens residents since the pandemic began and more than 1,218 residents across New York state, according to the latest data. Statewide, more than 250 New Yorkers died overnight and the number of COVID-19 cases grew to 66,497, Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a… Read more »
March 30, 2020 By Christian Murray A Brooklyn pastor died Friday from coronavirus—the first priest in the U.S. known to have succumbed to the virus. Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, 49, pastor of St. Brigid’s Church in Wyckoff Heights, died Friday at Wyckoff Hospital Medical Center from complications relating to COVID-19. “This is a sad day and… Read more »
March 30, 2020, By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for a rent freeze for over two million New Yorkers to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic. The freeze would apply to the 2.3 million people living in the city’s one million rent-stabilized units. Many residents have suffered economic hardship under the… Read more »
March 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens District Attorney and former Borough President Melinda Katz has tested positive for coronavirus. Katz learned she had been exposed to someone who had the virus on March 21 and soon got tested. Her test results came back Saturday, confirming she was positive for COVID-19, Politico reported. Most of… Read more »
March 28, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Queens continues to be the borough hardest hit in New York City by the coronavirus, according to data released by the NYC Department of Health this morning. Since the beginning of the outbreak, there have been 517 deaths in New York City, with 174 of those deaths in the… Read more »