COVID-19 New York City Resources & Information
The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 has taken a toll on us all in the state of New York -- changing our work habits and lifestyles in the midst of a looming global health crisis is not easy. Worse, many Asian Americans within our community are suffering from a troubling trend of discrimination, xenophobia, hate crimes, and microaggressions over fears related to COVID-19. Project by Project NY is here to help address these threats and assist our community in fighting both the virus and these injustices. We are committed to providing you with a safe space to better understand the present situation. The actions you choose to take in this extraordinary time can help flatten the curve and protect those around you. Let this page be your guide to resources in our community. We will be updating the page frequently and hope you return to it regularly.
Project by Project NY: COVID-19 Q&A Session
On April 5th, 2020, Project by Project NY chapter’s president, Lisa Li, sat down with 3 panelists to understand how COVID-19 is impacting the New York community.
Guest speakers included:
Dr. Calvin Sun, a local ER physician and creator of MoonSonDiaries, to get the latest updates on the ER situation and health tips
Mericien Venzon, a medical student at NYU and founder of PPE2NYC which a grassroots nonprofit focused on sourcing protective gear for our healthcare workers
Ben Wei, founder of @amillionmasks, on his mission to source and deliver a million N95 respirators to healthcare workers in NY
Project by Project NY: Estate Planning during COVID-19
Project by Project NY invited top estate planning attorney, Holly Geerdes, Esq. to provide a free educational seminar to discuss the importance of estate planning during a time of uncertainty such as the current pandemic.
Your New York Public Health
Project by Project NY is working with local community-based organizations to provide resources for impacted individuals and their loved ones. See below for updated resources to help better navigate this confusing time.
Current State of Affairs
New York issued a Stay at Home mandate effective 8:00 p.m., on Sunday, March 22nd through May15th. Practice social distancing and self isolation.
Governor Cuomo’s “New York State on PAUSE” executive order has ordered that only essential businesses are able to stay open and conduct regular business operations. Essential business operations include healthcare, postal service, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. Non-essential businesses are only allowed to perform basic operations (such as payroll).
On April 28th, 2020, Governor Cuomo outlined a 12-step plan to re-open NYC and this is where NYC currently stands as of May 21st:
The city is working to hire contact tracers and is expected to have them ready soon, but it does not yet have the required 30 tracers per 100,000 residents.
The city’s hospital-bed vacancy rate is 27 percent, but must be at least 30 percent.
The intensive-care vacancy rate is 28 percent, but must be at least 30 percent.
New York public schools are closed for the remainder of the school year.
Non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason (e.g. parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time. There currently are no plans to lift the restriction in the near future.
All New Yorkers must wear a face mask/covering when social distance is not possible. The state would consider issuing a civil penalty to those who fail to abide by the order. Please see this New York Times article for further information.
Starting May 6th, 2020, New York City’s subway system will be shutdown from 1 to 5 AM daily for disinfection.
All beaches in NYC will not be opened. Beaches in Long Island will be opened but with reduced capacity and social distancing requirement.
Governor Gavin Andrew Cuomo issued a moratorium, effective immediately, that bans the enforcement of eviction orders until at least June 20th and prohibits landlords from evicting tenants if they’re unable to pay rent due to COVID-19 related limitations.
Courtesy of New York City Health, here is a comprehensive report of New York Resources and updates regarding the impact of COVID-19.
Refer to the official health department websites of your county for important information regarding restrictions and implementations.
If you or someone you know believes they have COVID-19
Isolate and quarantine yourself for at least 14 days.
Immediately contact your doctor- they will advise you with the next steps to take.
If it is an emergency, call 911 or your local first responders.
The Staten Island coronavirus drive-thru clinic is open daily from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. on the grounds of the South Beach Psychiatric Center in Ocean Breeze.
You can schedule an appointment at the testing facilities by calling the State Health Department's hotline at 888-364-3065. More information can be found here.
New Yorkers can text COVID to 692-692 to receive the latest news
Antibody Testing
For quick facts of Antibody testing, click here for a PDF that New York state health department put together.
COVID-19 Resources in other languages
The Freedom Community Clinic has developed COVID-19 information resources in over 70 languages. Click here to view.
Unemployment Assistance
According to the latest unemployment report released on Thursday, March 26, over 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment. Unemployment benefits have expanded with the recent passing of sweeping national legislation. If you find yourself out of a job and in need of assistance, please take advantage of the resources below.
Officially file for unemployment under the New York Employment Development Department. They have a page dedicated to COVID-19-related losses. You will then be informed what the next steps are in receiving aid.
Eligible families may receive up to 60 months of federally funded cash assistance under the Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program (TANF). Single individuals without children and families who have already received cash assistance for 60 months may receive benefits under the New York State Safety Net Program. Visit this website to check for eligibility.
New York is one of the 29 states that provides the unemployed an additional $600 on top of their state benefit.
Xenophobia and Racial Injustices Experienced by Our Asian American Community
In New York, reports of hate crimes and acts of discrimination targeting Asian American communities has increased as the virus spreads across the globe. Innocent individuals have been called racial slurs, assaulted, and wrongly accused of bringing COVID-19 to the United States. These acts are simply intolerable and PbP is working to provide resources to those affected by these threats, offering a safe platform to voice their concerns. Much progress has already been made in our local and federal governments aiming to curb the impact of COVID-19 in Asian American communities and condemn hate crime to show that our communities will not tolerate hate.
New Yorkers experiencing hate crimes or biased incidents can report them by emailing civil.rights@ag.ny.gov, or calling 1-800-771-7755.
The AAPI Hate Reporting Center --Created by the SF-based Chinese for Affirmative Action, A3PCON, and San Francisco State University, the website makes it easy to report the injustices happening to our communities and enables individuals who have been directly impacted by, or witnessed firsthand, these issues to share their stories.
What You Can Do
The easiest thing we can all do is share this information with our friends and family - on Facebook, Instagram, etc. We need to provide as much information as possible to the Asian American community and its allies, and we must stand together in solidarity. Below are some ways in which you can help your communities, through donations, volunteer work, and spreading awareness:
Stay on top of the latest news, restrictions, and regulations, and ensure you and your friends/family are following them. New Yorkers should text COVID to 692-692 to get regular updates on the latest developments regarding COVID-19.
Hospitals in NYC are overwhelmed. CNN interviewed Monsoon’s Diaries’ founder, Dr. Calvin Sun, an ER doctor working the frontline, on the current conditions - click here. Also check out Monsoon diaries’ post on his personal experience in the ER.
There is such a shortage of masks -- we were finally given one per person. That one mask is supposed to last us for at least a week. We are told to reuse them each day, which completely puts us at risk. We are now disinfecting the mask ourselves after each shift -- wiping down with bleach before we start work again the next day." - NYC ER Doctor
Local nonprofits and organizations that are accepting volunteers or supplies
Recusing Leftover Cuisine need volunteers to deliver food from their donor partners to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other human service agencies in your local community. All deliveries are less than an hour and can be done by foot, bike, or car.
PPE2NYC is collecting personal protective equipment (PPE) donations on behalf of their respective schools & hospitals.
PPE2NYC is made up of a coalition of medical students from all over New York City. Moved to help their colleagues on the clinical frontlines. They’ve collected and donated over 7,000 N95 masks, 135,000 surgical masks, 7000 gloves, 200 masks, and 200 face shields
Citymeals on Wheels New York is asking for volunteers to deliver meals to senior clients.
Food Bank NYC needs assistance.
The American Red Cross desperately needs blood. Visit the website to view donation centers near you.
Destination: Home has launched a fund specifically for coronavirus-related income loss, so people can still pay their rent.
How to Help the AAPI community in the New York Area
Donate to Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc. (CPC), an organization who supports low income, working and immigrant families here in New York City through social, educational, and community based services in over 33 locations citywide.
Support one of PbP NY’s past partners dedicated to helping the Asian American communities they serve.
Check out Project by Project - NY’s restaurant directory to see what our restaurant partners are doing to keep their business afloat, how they are supporting their local community and how you can help them!
Resource for small businesses
For businesses that are impacted by COVID-19, there are small business funds/grants that you can apply for. For more information, click here
Additional Resources and articles
The origin of the COVID-19 strain in NYC is said to have come from Europe.
Free Mental Health Program for people suffering from depression, stress, anxiety, etc.
Always remember that we are in this together-- as an organization and community-- especially in these confusing and trying times. We will be updating this page weekly to provide the most up-to-date resources to keep you safe.