In Reversal, N.Y.C. Will Close Schools and Businesses in Hard-Hit Areas

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: New York Times

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that he intended to “rewind” the reopening of nine neighborhoods in New York City that have had a testing positivity rate of more than 3 percent over the last seven days.

That means the closure of nonessential businesses and public and private schools in those neighborhoods, which are in Brooklyn and Queens. Many of them have large populations of Orthodox Jews, and the virus has been spreading rapidly in those communities in recent weeks. “Today, unfortunately, is not a day for celebration,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Today is a more difficult day.”

The mayor’s plan, which still must be approved by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, marks the first major reversal in the city’s reopening since it was hit hard by the coronavirus in March.

The nine ZIP codes include portions of Far Rockaway, Borough Park, Midwood, Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay and Kew Gardens. The city is also closely watching 11 additional ZIP codes that Mr. de Blasio described as a “real concern.” In those neighborhoods, the city will curtail indoor dining, which has only just begun.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/nyregion/nyc-covid-shutdown-zip-codes.html

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They just started an attempt at a full in-person restart of the schools in NYC. The virus is not going to relent.

[In_The_Wind]

1. This is a very wise move.

[CrispyQ]

2. Death by a thousand restarts.

WTF America?! We are going to repeat this cycle over & over unless we stop the spread of this awful disease. This is like a slow bleedout.

[targetpractice]

8. Very clever, and insightful, CrispyQ. n/t

[Claustrum]

3. Instead of a reversal, is it just the plan all along that the reopening is based on real time data

and could change in a second if spread rates goes back up?

Just because you open doesn't mean you can't close back down when needed.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I think that many months ago, Cuomo had noted

that everything done in the state (includinng in the city of NY) would be "calibrated" based on what "the science and data" say at the time. So sort of likened it to "opening a valve" a little and then a little more and then closing it back a notch if issues arise.

I think ALL of the states (at least the blue ones that did complete shutdowns) are trying to avoid doing that again.

[Claustrum]

5. Why are the blue states avoiding doing that?

This is literally what other countries are doing. When they have an uptick (second/third wave), they impose more restrictions and close things down when needed. It's not a bad thing, it's the correct way to do things.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Because when they DID do it, most were able to get the rates down enough to be "controllable"

allowing for more "targeted" mitigation steps.

Early on in the pandemic, for those states, mostly on the east coast, that were experiencing massive, out of control spread, there was an extreme lack of PPE and testing supplies/capability. and eventually, hospital rooms - and even morgue/funeral home space. Thus everything was shut down to, as my governor in PA noted - "buy time".

Now that there ARE "masks" for consumers and processes and procedures put into place in "critical" businesses and on public transportation, with more adjustments continuing to be made for certain indoor facilities like restaurants and schools, then it allows more targeted shutdowns vs a "system-wide" shutdown.

The Health Directors, in consultation with epidemiologists and public health experts, have pretty much been confirming that the highest spread has happened in close-contact "indoors" environments - notably in smaller rooms. So in many places, like my city, these places have either continued to be shutdown or have been severely restricted - all to mitigate.

[Igel]

7. It's what every state that has experienced upticks in COVID-19 spread has done.

It's both. It's a reversal of opening up, and it is according to plan. Not a time-based plan, but an infection-rate plan.

Note that even as incidence rises in one area, it's just that one area that's being evaluated for reversing course. That's how it's supposed to be done.

And, typically, how it has been done. Media reports to the contrary.