Aug 24, 2020
New Yorkers are resilient and New Yorkers are tough. Yesterday, comedian Jerry Seinfeld wrote an op-ed in the New York Times arguing that despite the naysayers and the critics, New York is not "dead"—not even close. Jerry has it right. The New York energy is unique and we will be back—better and tougher than ever.
Many have predicted the "decline" of New York before. After September 11th, some people believed that the City and the State could never recover and rebuild. But these pessimists have always been proven wrong—and they will be again. I want to share the powerful words of a New York City taxi driver, who wrote a comment on Jerry's op-ed: "All things are possible [in New York]. It will take more than a crumby pandemic to change that."
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. The total number of COVID hospitalizations remains low. Yesterday, there were 488 total hospitalizations. Of the 67,255 tests reported yesterday, 629, or 0.94%, were positive—the 18th straight day of a positive infection rate under 1 percent. Sadly, we lost 2 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. Five states have been removed from New York's travel advisory. Visitors from Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Maryland and Montana no longer need to quarantine when they arrive in New York. Guam has been added to the list. Those who are part-way through a quarantine should continue for the full 14 days. Learn more and see the full list of states and territories subject to the travel advisory here.
3. New York Fashion Week will take place September 13-17, 2020 with limited or no spectators. The event will be in strict compliance with New York State health and safety guidelines, including outdoor events capped at 50 people and indoor events at 50 percent capacity and no spectators. As one of the capstone events for the fashion industry, New York Fashion Week will feature live-streamed runway shows, cultural programming and more.
4. A SUNY biology professor's experiment shows the effectiveness of wearing a mask. SUNY Brockport conducted a short experiment on how wearing a mask can limit the spread of germs—and you can't argue with science.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Yesterday, I was proud to officially dedicate East River State Park in Brooklyn to Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender activist who was an early organizer of the LGBTQ movement in New York City. Marsha P. Johnson State Park is the first state park to honor an LGBTQ person. New York is indebted to her for her fearless advocacy and relentless fight for LGBTQ equality. This park will ensure that her legacy lives on.
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