Covid-19: NY Council member Fernando Cabrera questions closure of restaurants

Akeem Alao

Council Member Fernando Cabrera has questioned the practicality of closing the city’s restaurants.

While expressing his indignation, Cabrera cited a lower daily COVID-19 positive testing rate in the five boroughs compared to Westchester County.

According to the New York State Department of Health’s COVID Tracker, as of yesterday, the rate of positive COVID testing results in Westchester County was 4.7%, but was 2.3% in Manhattan.

“The State Department of Health’s data show positive test results in the five boroughs from Manhattan’s low of 2.3% to a high of 5% in the Bronx, Staten Island at 4.7% and Brooklyn at 3.8%, averaging out to 4.06%.

“The State Health Department’s regional daily tracker shows that as of December 11, of the 87,067 COVID-19 tests taken in the New York City region, 3.8% was positive, but in the Mid-Hudson Region, which includes Westchester County, of the 21,945 tests, 6.0% was positive,” Cabrera said.

He added that closing restaurants will have the worst impact on our black, brown and Asian restaurant owners, many of whom have taken on substantial debt, relative to their means, to comply with the State’s COVID-safety regulations.

“When the numbers are compared, the overall COVID positive rate in New York City’s five boroughs is lower than Westchester’s, yet our restaurants are being forced to close.

“This decision creates another disproportionate impact from the coronavirus pandemic on communities of color, as we suffer loss of businesses, neighborhood amenities and jobs,” he added.