Briefing 4/22: Essential Workers Are Mostly People Of Color, Restaurants Still Waiting On Federal Loan & More

Zainab Iqbal -
Our heroes at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island. (Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.)

Good morning Brooklynites! Today is Earth Day. The weather is a bit windy, so please continue staying indoors. Here are the new numbers as of 1 p.m. Tuesday:

  • There were 2,407 new positive confirmed coronavirus cases in NYC, down a bit from the 2,679 new positive cases announced on Monday, bringing the total to 134,874 cases in NYC. In Brooklyn there were 572 new positive confirmed cases, bringing the total to 35,775 in the borough.
  • There were 1,017 new hospitalized patients yesterday, bringing the total of hospitalizations in NYC to 35,746.
  • There were 461 new coronavirus-related deaths in the City, up compared to the day before where there were 290 new deaths. This brings the total amount of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths to 9,562, with 4,865 probable deaths. In Brooklyn, the number of deaths is 2,807.
  • Eater wrote about 20 independent restaurants in Brooklyn that are still waiting on a federal loan, two weeks after the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) started accepting applications.
  • Essential workers in NYC working amid the pandemic are overwhelmingly people of color, BuzzFeed News reported.
  • Some yeshivas in Williamsburg are operating secret schools in apartments and synagogues, despite social distancing requirements, the Forward reported.
  • Deborah Priester, an early intervention teacher for preschoolers from East NY, was the 750th person to be discharged from NYU Winthrop Hospital on Tuesday. She was dancing in her wheelchair and sang out loud, “Celebrate good times, come on!” Pix11 reported.
  • Are the Macys July 4th fireworks still on? Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s working with Macy’s to find a safe way to celebrate the Fourth of July.
  • Here’s where to order and take out food in Sunset Park.