NY Goes on PAUSE at 8 PM Sunday night

Read the GOTHAMIST article to see what will be open and what will be shut.  Here are the rules of personal conduct that the police will be enforcing (from the Gothamist article)  :

OK what about those "new rules of social conduct" you were talking about in the intro?

Essentially they are what you should have been doing since you first heard about the pandemic: keeping your distance, don't leave the house if you are symptomatic, don't visit older loved ones or people with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the disease. Here they are, courtesy the governor's office:

1. Effective at 8PM on Sunday, March 22, all non-essential businesses statewide will be closed;
2. Non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason (e.g. parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time;
3. Any concentration of individuals outside their home must be limited to workers providing essential services and social distancing should be practiced;
4. When in public individuals must practice social distancing of at least six feet from others;
5. Businesses and entities that provide other essential services must implement rules that help facilitate social distancing of at least six feet;
6. Individuals should limit outdoor recreational activities to non-contact and avoid activities where they come in close contact with other people;
7. Individuals should limit use of public transportation to when absolutely necessary and should limit potential exposure by spacing out at least six feet from other riders;
8. Sick individuals should not leave their home unless to receive medical care and only after a telehealth visit to determine if leaving the home is in the best interest of their health;
9. Young people should also practice social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations; and
10. Use precautionary sanitizer practices such as using isopropyl alcohol wipes.

What's "Matilda's Law" and what does it mean for New Yorkers age 70 and older?

Named after the governor's 88-year-old mother, Matilda's Law is an even stricter set of rules that apply to older, more vulnerable New Yorkers. It is:

• Remain indoors;
• Can go outside for solitary exercise;
• Pre-screen all visitors and aides by taking their temperature and seeing if person is exhibiting other flu-like symptoms;
• Do not visit households with multiple people;
• Wear a mask when in the company of others;
• To the greatest extent possible, everyone in the presence of vulnerable people should wear a mask;
• Always stay at least six feet away from individuals; and
• Do not take public transportation unless urgent and absolutely necessary.

Staying safe in the time of COVID-19

STAY SAFE AS WE HELP EACH OTHER

Washing with soap and water actually kills and removes the virus.  Don’t forget to wash your thumbs, between your fingers, and the backs of your hands. Wash to the count of 20 full seconds (sing Happy Birthday twice.)

To keep the number of coronavirus cases low and not overwhelm the hospitals, 

Pixabay.com

keep a “social distance” of 6 feet from people you don’t live with. 

IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM:  If you see 3 people in there, go in later. Wash your hands with soap in the laundry room bathroom after putting clothes in a machine or taking them out. After folding your clothes and bringing them upstairs, wash your hands.  Please don’t go to the laundry room if you are sick.

Cover your cough with a hankie or tissue, a mask, or your elbow – not your hand. (You’ll use your hand to touch the elevator button or get your mail or . . . ).

IF  YOU’RE SHUT IN AND NEED HELP, some neighbors have volunteered to run errands. Contact CPGTenAssoc@gmail.com for details. 

There’s also a FREE service for those who use the internet: InvisibleHandsDeliver.com.  Hit “request a delivery” and fill out the form.

Healthy seniors, Whole Foods has special senior shopping hours from 7-8 AM.  If you need food, go to Goddard Riverside Senior Center, 12-1 PM  at 598 Columbus at 88^th Street, or call them about possible delivery of free food, 212-873-6600.

Students home from school:  Spectrum cable is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription, and installation fees will be waived for new student households.  Students can pick up grab-and-go lunch food at PS 163 on West 97^th Street from 7:30 AM  to 1 PM.

OTHER NEWS

Our property manager promises the balcony work will be done in 3 weeks (COVID-19 permitting). After a NYC inspection, the scaffolding can be removed.  

Evictions are suspended during the outbreak. (Landlords can still file cases, but the court won’t act on them until the COVID-19 outbreak is over.)  Most of the courts are closed except for emergencies and ongoing criminal trials.

Go online and fill out your Census form! https://my2020census.gov/. Even roommates should do it.  It helps NY get federal money!   

You can apply for an absentee ballot .  The NYS primary is now scheduled for April 28^th, but may be postponed. 

QUESTIONS?  SUGGESTIONS?  Contact CPGTenAssoc@gmail / dot / com.

Will Albany end MCI increases?

Come to our Community Room on the ground floor of 50 West 97th Street on 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 at 8 PM to learn how we can make it happen. 

WHY should Albany end Major Capital Improvement increases?

Read Housing Justice for All's full report here. 

Some highlights:

Landlords have plenty of other reasons to improve buildings (other than collecting MCI increases).

• Energy efficiency saves landlords money.  So new boilers, roofs, windows, plumbing, electrical wiring, etc., can save landlords $$$.
• Preserved or increased value of their property.  Why should tenants pay for that?
• Legal obligation to provide tenants with safe, habitable apartments and common areas. NYC ordered that our balconies and facade be maintained, for example.  (The rest of us don't need to get paid to obey the law; why should landlords?)  

The Rent Guidelines Board already calculates in the costs of maintaining a rental building when it sets the rent increases (if any) each year. Why should landlords be compensated twice?

MCI increases benefit mainly large landlords. From 2000 to 2014, 70% of MCI applications received by the State's housing agency came from landlords who owned more than 150 units.

It won't hurt the construction industry since MCI jobs are a tiny slice of the pie. In 2014, MCI costs were only 3/10ths of one percent of the total amount spent on construction.  So they won't affect construction jobs. 

March 18: Hear Cea Weaver of Housing Justice for All

CEA WEAVER,

campaign coordinator of 

will speak and answer questions 

at our 

Tenants Meeting  

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 at 8 PM

in the Community Room on 

HJ4A's 2020 statewide platform to 

• End MCI increases
• Limit eviction and rent increases for unregulated tenants
• Tax the rich to house the poor!

Bring your friends and neighbors!  

Refreshments, of course.