Briefing 5/5: Barber On The Street, Bereavement Task Force & New Loan Program

Zainab Iqbal -
A beautiful Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)

It’s Tuesday! Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic is still out there. Please continue staying at home, practicing social distancing rules, and covering your face. Here are some new numbers as of 1 pm this afternoon:

  • There were 1,189 new confirmed positive coronavirus cases in NYC, compared to the 1,689 new cases on Monday, bringing the total to 171,723 positive confirmed cases in the City. In Brooklyn, there were 296 new positive coronavirus cases, compared to the 474 new cases on Monday, bringing the total to 45,637 confirmed cases in the borough.
  • There were 338 new hospitalizations in NYC, compared to the 136 new hospitalizations on Monday, bringing the total number of hospitalizations to 43,383 in the City.
  • There were 188 new coronavirus-related deaths in NYC, compared to the 217 new deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in the City to 13,724, with 5,383 probable deaths. In Brooklyn, the number of deaths has gone up to 4,127.
  • On Monday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams convened the Bereavement Task Force after bodies were found in unrefrigerated trucks outside a funeral home. The Task Force will aim to find policy solutions that “ensure decedents are being treated in a dignified manner and allow their loved ones to lay their bodies to rest peacefully,” ABC7 reported.
  • The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce launched a coronavirus loan program. It will “give out loans of up to $30,000 to any shop owner who has been hurt by the pandemic and was shut out of the US Small Business Administration’s program,” the NY Post reported.
  • At least five Brooklyn Hospital Center employees have died in recent weeks because of the coronavirus, the NY Times reported.
  • A barber was giving haircuts on a Brooklyn sidewalk on Sunday, taking advantage of the beautiful weather, the Post reported.
  • Rusty Nail, a nail salon, was vandalized with “Stay Close” graffiti, we reported yesterday.
  • Today is Cinco de Mayo! Here are some spots you can order your meals from.
  • Remember Batya Goldberg? The young conservative, Trump supporter activist we profiled back in 2017? Well, she is now a registered Democrat and no longer supports the President. We spoke to her yesterday.
  • Cops arrested and punched a young man in the head for failing to social distance two days ago in East New York, we reported.