New Permanent Eviction Protection For Tenants Impacted By COVID-19

Tenants who have been financially impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis may soon no longer have to worry about losing their homes. State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz passed legislation on May 27, 2020 codifying the statewide eviction moratorium and extending it until the end of the COVID-19 emergency for anyone who has experienced financial hardship during this period. The state legislation represents a compromise between the Assembly and State Senate with the ultimate goal of creating a bill that would be signed into law by the Governor. It is viewed as an essential

By José A. Giralt & Síle Moloney

Nine dental assistants who said they were fired earlier this month by Union Community Health Center (Union) after they were forced to work in a COVID-19 hospital ward protested outside St. Barnabas Hospital on Tuesday, May 25, 2020 to have their jobs reinstated and to receive adequate compensation they say is still owed to them. As reported last week by Norwood News, the assistants, who were transferred from Union to St. Barnabas Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic and reassigned from their usual dental duties to care for COVID-19 patients, cancelled a previously scheduled protest last Friday when the

By Síle Moloney

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed seven pieces of legislation into law on May 27 providing relief for tenants, commercial establishments, and restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new laws support struggling small businesses by imposing limits on third-party food delivery services, extending the suspension of sidewalk cafe fee collection, and protecting commercial tenants from harassment and personal liability. Together, the bills offer sweeping protections for New Yorkers in a time of unprecedented financial insecurity. “New Yorkers have been fighting every day to flatten the curve and get through this pandemic together. Now, it’s time for us to

By David Greene

For about the last 18 years, volunteers across New York State have been placing American flags at the gravestones of thousands of U.S. military members on Memorial Day. Sadly, this year most graves went “un-flagged” because of prevailing social distancing restrictions. In past years, Lynn Radke and Bruce Campbell of Woodlawn Conservancy in the Bronx would organize hundreds of volunteers from groups like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Mellon Bank, and the Washington Grey Cadets for the annual ‘Flagging of the Graves’ at Woodlawn Cemetery. Volunteers would usually set out with maps and flags, and scour the

By Síle Moloney

The American Legion of Co-op City, Post 1871 gathered at 2049 Bartow Avenue, at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, 2020 for a wreath-laying ceremony and car parade, in place of the annual Memorial Day ceremony. The event went ahead despite the statewide ‘PAUSE’ order which is still in effect in New York City and in other regions of the state, and which precludes non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason. The PAUSE order dictates that parties, celebrations or other social events are canceled or postponed at this time and that any concentration of individuals

By Síle Moloney

Traditionally, the Muslim festival of Idul-Fitr (Eid Al-Fitr) is a time of joyous celebration, one shared among friends and family to mark the end of Ramadan, a month-long period during which Muslim Americans fast during daylight hours, and offer up additional prayer and reflection. The holiday is also usually an occasion to join together in prayer as part of a congregation. Due to the prevailing statewide PAUSE order, and related social distancing restrictions, celebrations which would normally have taken place on Sunday, May 24, were markedly quieter this year. Ahead of Sunday’s holiday, the Islamic Circle of North

As New Yorkers begin to enjoy the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos is encouraging people to engage in responsible recreation close to home during the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. DEC recommendations incorporate guidance from the CDC and the New York State Department of Health for reducing the spread of infectious diseases. The agency encourages New Yorkers to recreate locally, practice physical distancing, show respect, and use common sense to protect themselves and others. DEC is implementing additional measures at its facilities statewide, particularly in high

Jacqueline Acevedo-Villanueva, Mary Kay Sales Director, along with her colleagues Marina Lopez and Areliz Diaz, made a special trip to North Central Bronx Hospital (NCB) on Wednesday, May 20, to donate 100 ‘Satin Hands’ care packages to front line essential workers as a pampering treat. Acevedo-Villanueva, who was born and raised in the Bronx, and who leads a team of over 50 women in her role at Mary Kay, a global beauty brand, donated the care packages as a thank you gesture to NCB nurses, and to all who she described as “the heroes on the front lines”.

By Síle Moloney

Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine announced on May 21 that they were the first sites in the nation to begin evaluating an investigational drug in two separate, FDA-approved trials: one to treat mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19, and the other to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients. Doctors are hopeful that the drug being trialled, leronlimab, may prevent an inflammatory condition that fatally damages the lungs and other organs in many COVID-19 patients. Both hospitals were also the first sites in New York State to begin trials of the drug, remdesivir, in COVID-19 patients, as

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Health

New Permanent Eviction Protection For Tenants Impacted By COVID-19

Dental Assistants Forced to Care for COVID-19 Patients and Later Fired, Protested on May 26

New Law Provides Relief for Tenants, Businesses, and Restaurants During COVID-19 Pandemic

Food & Mask Giveaway Held At Pelham Parkway as Muslim-Americans Celebrate Eid Holiday

New Yorkers Encouraged to Discover Outdoor Spaces Close to Home

Mary Kay Sales Director Donates over 100 Pampering Sets To NCB Essential Workers

Bronx Hospitals Lead Nationwide Investigative Drug Trial For Severe Lung Inflammation From COVID-19