You are reading

City to Offer 11,000 Free Hotel Rooms to New Yorkers Who Need to Quarantine

unsplash

April 16, 2020 By Allie Griffin

New York City will offer 11,000 free hotel rooms to New Yorkers who live in overcrowded households in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio said today.

The initiative, which begins next Wednesday, is targeted toward hard-hit communities where many impoverished families live in small overcrowded apartments.

“There are many people in multi-generational homes, particularly in lower income communities, that just don’t have a lot of space,” de Blasio said.

Overcrowded and densely-populated neighborhoods have seen a greater level of spread than other areas. Elmhurst and Corona, known for their density, have the highest number of COVID-19 cases in New York City, data shows.

Overcrowding is especially a concern for households that are multi-generational, the mayor said, as older relatives are more likely to die should they contract the virus.

The city’s public hospital staff and community health providers will identify people who qualify for a free room beginning next Wednesday.

They will offer hotel rooms to people in need who have tested positive for the virus; high risk individuals; and those symptomatic or exposed individuals who can’t socially distance in their homes.

The effort will help ease some of the economic disparities faced by communities in light of the pandemic, de Blasio said.

“We’re seeing some real disparities in how this horrible disease is affecting our city,” the mayor said.

“We’re seeing some places hit particularly hard; we’re seeing lower income communities hit particularly hard; we’re seeing communities where people have not gotten enough healthcare historically hit hard; communities of color hit very hard; immigrant communities hit hard — so we’re making additional adjustments to our approach.”

Free hotel rooms will also be offered to hospital workers and the homeless, he added.

Healthcare workers — whether or not they exhibit symptoms — can get a free hotel room if they wish to isolate away from their families for fear of infecting them.

The city is also using hotel rooms to house homeless New Yorkers, as shelters can not cater to the same number of people as before given the need for social distancing.

“This is something that’s going to help us protect people and slow the spread further,” de Blasio said.

email the author: [email protected]

One Comment

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

CM Moya announces support for massive Metropolitan Park proposal near Citi Field

Council Member Francisco Moya announced his support for Metropolitan Park, a proposal put forward by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International that calls for the construction of a casino and entertainment complex on the parking lot just west of Citi Field.

In a lengthy statement released on Thursday afternoon, Moya said that when he was first approached about the project, his main consideration was ensuring that it would meet the needs of his constituents and provide a major boost to the local economy.

Long Island man charged in fatal Flushing hit-and-run that left 81-year-old man dead: NYPD

A Long Island truck driver was arrested on Tuesday and booked at the 109th Precinct in Flushing for a fatal hit-and-run collision that killed a Murray Hill senior who was riding an electric bike on Northern Boulevard three months ago.

Kyle Schreiber, 27, of Lincoln Boulevard in Hauppauge, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in the death of 81-year-old Peter Seo on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 28.

MTA seizes 19 ‘ghost’ cars registered to toll violators at Queens Midtown Tunnel on Monday

Two days before the MTA Board approved the controversial congestion pricing plan for Manhattan on Wednesday, the agency cracked down on persistent toll violators at the Queens Midtown Tunnel in Long Island City.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels seized 19 vehicles registered to persistent scofflaws on Monday and issued 81 summonses and confiscated two fraudulent incense plates. The MTA noted that the scofflaws accounted for approximately $483,000 in combined unpaid tolls and fees. One of the top persistent toll violators from the targeted enforcement owed nearly $76,000 in tolls and fees.