New York
New York City Seeks to Keep Mask Mandate for Kids Under 5 as Cases Rise
Mayor Eric Adams introduced on Friday that New York Metropolis would search to maintain its faculty masks mandate in place for kids below 5 and that town would attraction an order by a decide on Staten Island that moved earlier within the day to strike it down.
Mr. Adams additionally mentioned town would ask for a keep in order that the masks mandate might stay in impact. The mayor had earlier mentioned that the mandate can be lifted beginning on Monday if coronavirus instances didn’t rise.
Mr. Adams mentioned that preschoolers ought to proceed to put on masks as a result of they’re too younger to be vaccinated and instances are rising once more within the metropolis, an increase fueled by an Omicron subvariant, BA.2, that’s now dominant in the US.
“New Yorkers, we wish you to be ready, not panicked,” Mr. Adams mentioned at a information convention at Metropolis Corridor.
Town’s well being commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, requested mother and father for “persistence and beauty” as town tried to maintain New Yorkers protected.
“We’re recommending to attend somewhat bit longer earlier than making masks elective for this age group,” Dr. Vasan mentioned on the information convention.
Mr. Adams had introduced final week that he deliberate to cease requiring masks for kids below 5 at baby care facilities and preschools beginning this Monday. However instances have began to rise during the last month, from about 500 every day instances in early March to about 1,250 every day instances now. Town might quickly transfer from a low danger stage to a medium danger stage, in response to a brand new color-coded alert system primarily based on pointers from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention; Manhattan particularly is on the cusp.
“We count on to maneuver to a better danger class in a matter of weeks,” Dr. Vasan mentioned.
Mr. Adams, a Democrat who took workplace in January, has targeted on town’s restoration from the pandemic and has rolled again some restrictions, together with ending a proof-of-vaccination mandate for eating places, gyms and leisure venues, referred to as the Key to N.Y.C. program, and eradicating a masks mandate for college students in kindergarten by way of twelfth grade. He had confronted strain from some mother and father to finish the masks mandate for preschool-aged kids.
He launched the alert system final month, and town issued “beneficial actions” for every danger stage. In response to the system, town ought to think about reinstating the Key to N.Y.C. program, on the medium danger stage. If the danger stage turns into excessive or extraordinarily excessive, town might as soon as once more require masks indoors or urge residents to shelter in place.
Well being specialists fear that BA.2, which has fueled case surges in Europe and Asia, might result in one other wave of the pandemic within the metropolis, and presumably the nation. They imagine that the true variety of instances in New York is likely to be larger than the information suggests, as a result of many individuals are testing at house, with no official reporting of outcomes.
Hospitalizations have remained low in New York Metropolis during the last month and are presently at about 13 per day, though hospitalizations are sometimes a lagging indicator. There have been about 1,000 hospitalizations a day in January, when instances final soared.
Mr. Adams additionally mentioned Friday that town deliberate to distribute about six million house exams this month. Requested if he would think about reinstating a masks mandate for older college students, Mr. Adams mentioned he would “pivot and shift” relying on the information and recommendation from his well being group.
Dr. Vasan inspired New Yorkers to get booster pictures and to put on masks in public indoor settings, stating that he was carrying a masks on the information convention. He mentioned that he wished to make use of an “abundance of warning” for younger kids, who had larger hospitalization charges through the Omicron surge.
BA.2 — essentially the most transmissible model of the coronavirus but recognized — accounts for greater than half of latest virus instances in the US, the C.D.C. mentioned this week. It accounts for about 70 % of instances within the area that features New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico.
The masks mandate for kids below 5 applies to town’s 4-Ok and 3-Ok preschool lecture rooms, which serve about 95,000 college students, and to all different preschool and baby care facilities. New York by no means required kids below 2 to put on masks in day care facilities.
No matter what occurs in courtroom, Mr. Adams inspired mother and father to proceed to have their kids below 5 put on masks.
“You must hold your masks in your kids,” he mentioned.
The decide who dominated on the preschool masks mandate on Friday, Ralph Porzio of the State Supreme Court docket on Staten Island, wrote in his order that the mandate was “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.” Mr. Adams mentioned he was assured that town would prevail in its attraction and that he would let mother and father know what to anticipate on Monday.
“We actually imagine that is inside our powers to execute what’s finest for New York,” he mentioned.
Michael Chessa, a lawyer for the mother and father who challenged the mandate, mentioned they wished mother and father to have a alternative and didn’t imagine town had offered clear benchmarks for eradicating the requirement.
“Merely saying that instances are on the rise and 2- to 4-year-olds can’t be vaccinated, that’s simply unacceptable,” he mentioned. “It was fantastic within the spring of 2020, however we’re effectively past that now.”
New York
Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter
ROBERT MENENDEZ
NEW JERSEY
COMMITTEES:
BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN
AFFAIRS
FINANCE
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor of New Jersey
Office of the Governor
Trenton, N.J. 08625
Dear Governor Murphy,
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-3005
July 23, 2024
528 SENATE HART OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
210 HUDSON STREET
HARBORSIDE 3, SUITE #1000
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07311
(973) 645-3030
208 WHITE HORSE PIKE
SUITE 18-19
BARRINGTON, NJ 08007
(856) 757-5353
This is to advise you that I will be resigning from my office as the United States Senator from
New Jersey, effective on the close of business on August 20, 2024.
This will give time for my staff to transition to other possibilities, transfer constituent files that
are pending, allow for an orderly process to choose an interim replacement, and for me to close
out my Senate affairs.
While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court,
I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important
work. Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters
before the ethics committee are not privileged. This is evidenced by the Committee’s Staff
Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial.
I am proud of the many accomplishments I’ve had on behalf of New Jersey, such as leading the
federal effort for Superstorm Sandy recovery, preserving and funding Gateway and leading the
federal efforts to help save our hospitals, State and municipalities, as well as New Jersey families
through a once in a century COVID pandemic. These successes led you, Governor, to call me the
“Indispensable Senator.”
I thank the citizens of New Jersey for the extraordinary privilege of representing them in the
United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Pabet Menang.
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
New Jersey
cc: The Honorable Kamala Harris, President of the Senate
The Honorable Ann Berry, Secretary of the Senate
New York
How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates Brooklyn and novels set around the bustling borough. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.
New York
See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing
After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted New York City’s congestion pricing program last month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut $16.5 billion worth of planned upgrades to the city’s vast transit network, mostly to account for the loss of funding that was tied to revenue from the toll.
Projects were cut from each part of New York City’s transit system, which is the largest in North America and is used by millions of people every day. The projects included elevator and ramp installations that would make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities, structural repairs to aging infrastructure and upgrades to 1930s-era signals that regularly cause delays.
Here are some of the subway projects the authority says it has shelved:
The cuts announced by the M.T.A. — the state agency that runs the subway, bus and commuter rail lines — will also affect transit outside the subway system. The authority has postponed the purchase of more than 250 electric buses and charging infrastructure at bus depots, as well as upgrades to regional rails and a ramp reconstruction on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
The $12 billion remaining in the M.T.A.’s capital funds will be spent on projects the authority considers the most urgent, like track replacements and repairs to power substations. It will also replace some of the “least reliable” subway and railway cars, the authority said in a report.
All told, there are 92 subway stations that will not get planned improvements, including 22 stations that will not get new elevators or ramps; 10 that will not get upgrades like structural repairs, platform replacements and new barriers between platforms and tracks; and 71 that will not get upgrades to their public announcement systems.
Below is a list of the subway stations where upgrades have been put on hold, based on what the M.T.A. has detailed so far:
Projects on hold at 41 stations in Brooklyn:
Union St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
4 Av-9 St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
36 St D N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
59 St N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bergen St F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
15 St-Prospect Park F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Church Av F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue X F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neptune Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
- platform or waiting area replacement
Jay St-MetroTech A C F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts A C G
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Franklin Av C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Nostrand Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Utica Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Euclid Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
7 Av B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue U Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neck Rd Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sheepshead Bay B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Brighton Beach B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ocean Pkwy Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
W 8 St-NY Aquarium F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jefferson St L
- elevator or ramp installation
Nevins St 2 3 4 5
- platform or waiting area replacement
Crescent St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Norwood Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Cleveland St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Van Siclen Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Alabama Av J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chauncey St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Halsey St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Gates Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kosciuszko St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Myrtle Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Flushing Av J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lorimer St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hewes St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Marcy Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy N
- elevator or ramp installation
18 Av D
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 9 stations in the Bronx:
Norwood-205 St D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bedford Park Blvd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kingsbridge Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Fordham Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Tremont Av B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
161 St-Yankee Stadium B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Wakefield-241 St 2
- elevator or ramp installation
Brook Av 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
3 Av-138 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Projects on hold at 27 stations in Manhattan:
Roosevelt Island F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/63 St F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
42 St-Bryant Pk B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
34 St-Herald Sq B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broadway-Lafayette St B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
2 Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Delancey St-Essex St F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
East Broadway F
- upgrade to public announcement system
190 St A
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
145 St A C B D
- elevator or ramp installation
W 4 St-Wash Sq A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Canal St A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
World Trade Center E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/59 St N R W
- elevator or ramp installation
168 St 1
- elevator or ramp installation
3 Av L
- new fencing between platform and track
5 Av 7
- elevator or ramp installation
Times Sq-42 St 7
- new fencing between platform and track
Delancey St-Essex St J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Canal St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Broad St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
110 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
59 St 4 5 6
- elevator or ramp installation
7 Av B D E
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 14 stations in Queens:
21 St-Queensbridge F
- upgrade to public announcement system
111 St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
75 St-Elderts Ln J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport E J Z
- new fencing between platform and track
Jamaica-Van Wyck E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Parsons Blvd F
- elevator or ramp installation
Sutphin Blvd F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Briarwood E F
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Howard Beach-JFK Airport A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broad Channel A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Far Rockaway-Mott Av A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Rockaway Park-Beach 116 St A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Projects on hold at 1 station in Staten Island:
Clifton SIR
- elevator or ramp installation
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