On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo released all of New York from its coronavirus State of Emergency. Farewell, facemasks, I thought. And then, I thought again.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
I looked at my face mask bowl, one bit of nostalgia I can live without…
My face mask bowl started because I needed a place to store them that would remind me to put one on every time I went out. Habitually absent minded, I’d traipse off the the AVAC chute naked-faced.
Over time, it filled up with face masks we bought, masks distributed by politicians and masks donated by our concierges when I got as far as the lobby without one.
They all had one thing in common. I disliked wearing them. I was almost never comfortable, and I couldn’t breath while climbing stairs. Especially subway stairs.
So…
Farewell, face masks!
As if released from captivity, our lovely blue on white bowl returned to its rightful place at the center of our table.
But then, I headed out for Rivercross — still requiring face masks — and there was that NYC Ferry ride to the Brooklyn Navy Yard…
Well, Governor Cuomo couldn’t free us from everything. There are still conditions where the CDC and building managers say we must mask up.
As on odd coincidence, just a couple of weeks ago, on Roosevelt Island Day, courtesy of State Senator José Serrano, I got the first really comfortable face masks since the pandemic began.
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Emergency Without Urgency
When government invokes the word “emergency,” normal process changes. Timelines accelerate. Environmental review can narrow. Procurement pathways can shift.
