NYC to Focus Virus Tests on Poor Areas and Essential Workers
NYC to Focus Virus Tests on Poor Areas and Essential Workers
(Bloomberg) -- New York City will set up new testing sites aimed at three groups: essential workers, the at-risk elderly and residents of low-income neighborhoods, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The programs will start with about 6,000 tests a week and increase capacity rapidly, de Blasio said.
Tests for essential workers are necessary because they are in frequent close contact with others who could spread Covid-19, the virus that’s killed at least 12,199 city residents since March 13. Tests targeted at low-income neighborhoods are intended to reduce the disproportionate share of cases among ethnic minorities and the poor, the mayor said.
By getting the most vulnerable and high-risk New Yorkers tested as quickly and as often as possible with the limited capacity the city has, officials hope to be able to identify those who are infected and isolate them in hotels if necessary to contain the pandemic’s spread. The city has contracted with local hotels to rent 11,000 rooms that could be used to isolate mildly symptomatic individuals found to be carrying the virus, de Blasio said.
“We know not only about what kinds of communities are bearing the brunt but what specific communities are bearing the brunt,” de Blasio said during a teleconferenced news briefing Friday. “People who are most vulnerable are folks who are older, have pre-existing conditions, have low incomes and less access to health care for a long time.”
Expanded testing of essential workers will include those in hospitals, adult-care facilities, caretakers for the disabled and city residents 65 or older with pre-existing medical conditions.
While citywide Covid-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in public hospitals decreased April 14, according to the Health Department’s most recent data, people testing positive in the city’s public health lab increased, giving no assurance the epidemic is contained, the mayor said.
Gatherings On Hold
All city-permitted parades, concerts, street fairs and other large gatherings have been canceled through May. Similar events scheduled for June are under review. Exceptions include medical-care sites, hygiene stations, and locations providing food such as farmers markets and free meal delivery stations, the mayor said.
The mayor has also ordered all city pools and beaches shut down for the summer, a decision that brought criticism from former city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, who predicted youths would drown swimming unsupervised in the city’s rivers on hot days.
De Blasio disagreed with Benepe on Friday, saying the city hasn’t had a problem with young people swimming in city rivers in the past in large numbers. The pools must remain shut because the crowded sites raise the risk of spreading the virus, he said. The city will develop a plan for the potential of a hot summer that will keep people safe, the mayor said.
“We cannot set up a situation where we gather large numbers of people together and then exacerbate the coronavirus crisis again,” de Blasio said. “Let’s do the smart thing and do the adjustments we need to, to keep people safe.”
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