Yeah, I mostly agree, but I think they are mostly concerned about the schools in these areas. These are also orthodox Jewish areas, so not as much concern about residents altering behavior and shopping elsewhere.

Since you brought it up, let's be real: there is way too much historical, political and social sensitivity around even the appearance of targeting Jewish areas (for very good reason BTW) for any real enforcement actions to ever take place. It's similar to the masks issue on the subway, the MTA can make all the pronouncements they want, in the end the NYPD will have zero part in being the subject of viral videos of people creating scenes over being asked to wear masks, especially post-George Floyd.

We have to accept the fact that the mask issue is a non-starter socially. The only reason people did it back in Feb-May was because almost everyone knew someone who was dying from COVID around them. Until we get back to that (heaven forbid), it's not happening. Everything else is just political theater.

I'd argue that the NYPD had no problem being heavy handed in enforcing the rule among certain segments of the population until they got criticized for unevenly enforcing it. Which they were.

utter disaster is now on the horizon for already struggling ny restaurants. it got cooler tonight and i was just outside walking by several local streeteries that have been busy during the warm days lately, but all were empty with zero customers around dinnertime tonight. the head nytimes reviewer is struggling to know if he can even recommend eating out:


New York restaurants are really in trouble.

First, Pete Wells writes about the disaster on the horizon:

I can’t believe we’re going to risk another outbreak in New York so restaurants can have dining rooms that are three-quarters empty. I can’t believe restaurants and the people who work in them have been failed so badly by Washington that many will have no choice but to go along with it. I can’t believe clear, straightforward safety advice is still so hard to come by at the government level that I had to spend most of a week on the phone with experts, asking whether readers should actually eat inside the places I’m writing about.

And Gothamist reported this shocking prediction:

The new audit, released by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, suggests that well over a hundred thousand jobs may be lost in the next six months, as well as a third or half of NYC’s remaining restaurants and bars.

So how about a bailout package to support restaurant workers.

How about one for oilfield workers—that industry is really in the pits.

There’s an almost endless list of very hard hit industries. I suspect restaurants will actually be among the quickest to revive, maybe not with the same owners/names/menus but people want to dine out once it’s safe to do so.

O&G has always been unstable with boom and bust cycles and most people in the industry have been laid off at least once in their careers due market fluctuations. Also, at least here, the industry has been deemed essential so no one was forced to close because of state mandated shut downs. My wife has had to work the entire time during covid.

Not to say restaurants aren't in trouble, but Sunday is typically slower. The weather was similar last night as it was Friday and Saturday, and both nights were fairly normal around me. I also noticed that some places have started using outdoor heating devices, including those of questionable legality and safety.

As for the impending disaster, it's not just restaurants. Many companies in the travel and entertainment industries are facing an existential crisis now, which they were able to put off before because of the paycheck protection program. That expired last week. There was little chance that another lifeline would be thrown from Congress before the election, but now that COVID is burning through the senate and executive branch, that chance has gone to zero.

One thing I'm learning now that I'm back at my place downtown is how much construction noise there is around my place (that I usually avoid). I live in a high development area, but I'm usually up by 6:30 and out of the house by 7:30. I have a massive new office building being built across the street to the North, and a 300m/1,000 ft. residential directly outside my window to the East. They both start at exactly 7:00 am, and now that my work-from-home sleep schedule has shifted more to a midnight - 8 a.m. type deal, I'm usually woken up by piledrivers.

Nothing has changed since Feb (really March)-May. Everyone is still masked, except the Ultra-Orthodox, and we all know why they think it's a hoax. Even the Modern Orthodox communities are complying; it's essentially only the Hasidic enclaves that are wildly flouting rules.

Also, nationally, there is no change from March-May. Death rates have been essentially stable since the Spring. If you were wearing a mask in the Spring, there would be no reason to not wear a mask now.

Huh? US deaths have been on a roller coaster since April. First a big spike, then a second smaller but wider wave which has gotten a little smaller, but is predicted to be on the increase soon.

If you look at the overall weekly US death rates, they've been largely stable (which is a catastrophe, BTW).

according to worldometers:

the 7 day rolling average of covid death rates in the US hit a high of 2,256 per day on 4/21.

then fell to a low of 520 per day on 7/5.

then rose back up to 1,178 on 8/4.

and we've since come down to 736 per day as of yesterday.

so there has certainly been some fluctuation.

but we are by no means out of the woods.

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...931390/enhance
https://data.sfgov.org/stories/s/fjki-2fab

That's about 5.6 per 100,000

putting some colorful artwork up around manhattan chinatown, which has been devestated by corona, to try to draw in more business:


https://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/4...grammable-art/

Just a covid update. From today’s press conference: Tri-State + PA

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...685d33519.jpeg

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...8ab33e994.jpeg

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...888e8eb7f.jpeg

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...97c5cc66e.jpeg

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...74321f6c8.jpeg

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...a2ff21e29.jpeg

This is the real tragedy of Covid. Instead of social distancing, over 70s should just be banned from restaurants and bars.

We also have an irresponsible media that has whipped up such a panic (probably for political purposes, at least in part) that 20-something restaurant workers are afraid of catching it which is ridiculous.

New Orleans is now in phase 3.1. Current 14 day positive rate of 1.55%.

Here is what that entails.

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.town...b75a.image.jpg
Source: New Orleans Advocate

^ I'm not even understanding what you're arguing. Are you saying that we've failed by forcing restaurants to close, or are you saying that we've failed by allowing restaurants to open?

Anyhow, I agree with 10023 in part (not the part about banning the elderly from restaurants, that's obviously preposterous) that our shitty media has whipped up a frenzy over Covid and short circuited our society's ability to think rationally.

PA looks pretty close to being on NY's naughty list. They better get it together.