Farley reported 302 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Although there’s often a lag in getting test results from the weekend, he said the trend shows the spread of the virus has slowed.
“That means that what we’re doing is working,” he said. “Now, the testing we’re doing isn’t responsible for this success. It’s the social distancing we’re doing that’s responsible for the success.”
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Without it, however, he warned the virus could come storming back.
“The good news we have today is not a reason for people to go back to their old way of living. Just the opposite. It’s a reason for us to continue doing what we’re doing now. In the competition against this virus, we’re showing that we can win. But the game isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.”
Mayor Jim Kenney called this a critical moment, because the downward trend could continue — or a lifting of social distancing guidelines could reverse it.
As the lockdown continues, essential workers are growing more anxious about their own health, according to a letter to the mayor, signed by 30 unions and advocates.
The coalition, called Protect Essential Workers, includes nurses, postal workers, grocery store employees, delivery drivers and the city’s blue collar union, whose members are collecting trash and performing other essential services.
The letter makes five demands: Mandate anti-retaliation efforts for workers who call in sick; enforce the cleaning and disinfecting of work sites; authorize lawsuits against employers who don’t comply with worker protections; provide more testing for essential workers; and reopen Hahnemann University Hospital.
The mayor said he’s still studying the letter but ruled out reopening Hahnemann. The city attempted that and concluded it does not have the resources, given the condition of the building.