COVID cases are soaring across New York City. The Health Department sounds alarms, pleading for face masks in all public places. But on Roosevelt Island, where positivity rates now nearly double the city average, the governing body, RIOC, remains as mindlessly uncaring as ever. Time to ask why Governor Hochul, in a time of crisis, continues forcing CEO Shelton Haynes and PSD Chief Kevin Brown on us.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
COVID Cases Soar, RIOC PSD Fails Residents
Positive test results hit 16% for Roosevelt Island, already far above the city’s 7-day average of 8.88%. But after more than a year of reports detailing and illustrating the bloated Public Safety Department’s failures at enforcing mask mandates, they continue unabated.
“Where the hell are the PSD?” a resident asked.
His question accompanied a photo, taken at rush hour with three maskless Red Bus passengers endangering numerous others without interference from the driver or Public Safety.
But then, it got worse…
“6 maskless young males adults. Also, separately, a female maskless rider (the Octagon resident who travels daily for the last 12 months on the morning Octagon Express maskless).
“This is nothing new and happens multiple times per week as groups head to Jack McManus field for football practice,” a reader added.
“So in total, 7 maskless adult riders at the busiest time of the day and ZERO PSD present throughout the journey to Octagon……and …….what poetic justice that those young men were headed to the same venue as this weekends PSD memorial for the PSD officers who died of Covid in 2020.”
Compare that to three beefy officers recently manhandling a small female delivery truck driver who parked illegally, endangering no one.
Is face mask-wearing effective against covid in indoor spaces?
The federal Centers for Disease Control says “Yes.”
In a report, the agency cites studies that show face coverings help protect the wearer – and people nearby – from coronavirus in indoor spaces.
“Whenever possible, stay at least 6 feet apart from others not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces,” the CDC says. “Wearing a mask helps protect you and those around you, including people of all ages.”
The 6 feet social distancing advice is, of course, impossible on rush-hour buses, which increases the need for RIOC proactively helping innocent victims.
The CDC recommends that everyone wear a cloth face-covering in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
Wearing a face mask has been shown to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
A recent study found that face masks reduced the transmission of COVID-19 by up to 75%.
The study, published in the journal Science, looked at data from 15 countries and territories.
“Our findings suggest that universal masking policies could be a powerful public health tool to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2,” the study’s authors wrote.
So, why is RIOC under the team of Governor Kathy Hochul and President/CEO Shelton J. Haynes doing so little?
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As the Dust Settles
The way the wind cuts across the river this time of year. The way older buildings hold heat but never quite hold air. I told myself that was why my chest felt tight again on certain mornings. Age, perhaps.
