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It’s Thursday. An Eastern cottontail rabbit was spotted in Central Park. It may be the cutest animal to make New York City its home.
Weather: Foggy in the morning, and a chance of drizzle through the day. High in the low 70s.
Alternate-side parking: Suspended through June 7.
Cuomo discussed trains and tunnels with Trump in Washington.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo met with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday, and the governor said they discussed major infrastructure projects that he viewed as crucial to restarting the region’s economy.
“It was about how do we supercharge the reopening, especially in New York, which has been hardest hit,” Mr. Cuomo said at his daily news briefing.
Among the projects on the agenda was the plan to build new rail tunnels under the Hudson River, a project known as Gateway; the expansion of the Second Avenue subway; and an AirTrain to La Guardia Airport.
The governor has said the projects will be critical factors in helping New York’s economy as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have major infrastructure projects in New York that are ready to go, that are desperately needed, that were desperately needed 30 years ago,” Mr. Cuomo said on Wednesday. “Build them now. Supercharge the reopening. Grow the economy.”
The governor said that all of the projects that were discussed would require some level of federal funding or approval, and he urged Mr. Trump to help “get the bureaucracy to move faster” so work could begin.
Mr. Cuomo also reported 74 additional deaths from the virus in New York, about the same as the day before.
[Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.]
Megabus will resume some service in N.Y.C.
The budget bus service Megabus announced on Wednesday that it would resume service in and out of New York City next week, ending a two-month suspension because of the pandemic.
Beginning on June 1, the company will provide what a spokesman called “a limited schedule” of trips between New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, although New York City remains on a state-mandated “pause” that has kept nonessential businesses closed and many people inside their homes.
The spokesman, Sean Hughes, said that starting next week, the company will offer two round trips per day. By comparison, he said, Megabus ran more than 20 round trips during the same period in 2019.
In a statement, Mr. Hughes said the safety of passengers and employees was a “top priority.” The company said on its website that passengers would be required to wear face coverings while boarding, exiting and moving around the bus, and would also be encouraged to do so while seated.
Some budget transportation services like BoltBus have yet to restart service in the region; Greyhound is operational and is requiring customers to wear face coverings while onboard.
[What’s open in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.]
New Jersey is ramping up testing and contact tracing.
New Jersey is largely meeting its goal of testing up to 20,000 people a day for the virus, Gov. Philip D. Murphy said.
Since May 22, more than 118,000 people have been screened, with 5 to 7 percent of them testing positive for the virus, Mr. Murphy said at his daily news briefing on Wednesday.
Judith Persichilli, the state’s health commissioner, said that 900 contact tracers were working to determine who might have been exposed to a sick person. The goal, she said, was to have 20 to 30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents.
New Jersey reported 148 new virus-related deaths on Wednesday, nearly triple the number on Tuesday. (The state’s daily death tolls fluctuate because they often include deaths from weeks ago that were recently confirmed.)
From The Times’s opinion desk: ‘Dead Inside’: The Morgue Trucks of New York City
Want more news? Check out our full coverage.
The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.
What we’re reading
“It was like my son was crying out from the grave”: The mother of Eric Garner, who died in a police chokehold in New York, spoke about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. [Daily News]
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Frequently Asked Questions and Advice
Updated May 27, 2020
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What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
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How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
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How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
Over 38 million people have filed for unemployment since March. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.
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Is ‘Covid toe’ a symptom of the disease?
There is an uptick in people reporting symptoms of chilblains, which are painful red or purple lesions that typically appear in the winter on fingers or toes. The lesions are emerging as yet another symptom of infection with the new coronavirus. Chilblains are caused by inflammation in small blood vessels in reaction to cold or damp conditions, but they are usually common in the coldest winter months. Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called Covid toe should be sufficient grounds for testing.
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Can I go to the park?
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
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How do I take my temperature?
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
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Should I wear a mask?
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
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What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
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How do I get tested?
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
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How can I help?
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.
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When can New York City place someone under forced quarantine? [Gothamist]
A barbecue restaurant on Staten Island is turning a three-acre lot into a drive-in theater. [Staten Island Advance]
And finally: An American Idol
The Times’s Derek M. Norman writes:
New Yorkers always persevere. Even remotely.
Samantha Diaz, 21, had honed her signing voice in true New York fashion: by busking on subway platforms and trains to help support her family. Over the past few months, that hard work landed her as a contestant on “American Idol.”
“You know, we get on these trains — sometimes we’re tired, sometimes we’re hungry, sometimes we just don’t want to be there, but we are and we do it,” said Ms. Diaz, who goes by the stage name Just Sam.
But after she arrived in Los Angeles for “Idol,” the pandemic hit. The production was shuttered and, like so many other live events, was transitioned online. That left Ms. Diaz stuck in California, afraid to fly home and inadvertently expose her grandmother, Elizabeth, to the coronavirus.
So, quarantined in a hotel room, Ms. Diaz sang via livestream and won the competition on May 17. As the host Ryan Seacrest announced her win, Ms. Diaz clutched an iPad, the screen showing her grandmother’s reaction in real time.
The win during a time of crisis seemed to take on a special meaning for Ms. Diaz, who watched from afar as New York battled the virus. At first, she had hoped to stay in Los Angeles to work on music, but she decided to return to her grandmother and the Frederick Douglass Homes in Manhattan Valley, where they live.
“I want to be able to help people, especially New Yorkers, and everyone who is struggling throughout this time,” Ms. Diaz said. “I want to be able to spread joy, happiness and peace during this time. I’m a New Yorker, and I want them all to know: I love you guys. I got you guys.”
It’s Thursday — follow your dreams.
Metropolitan Diary: Grackles
Dear Diary:
Two grackles perch
on a branch,
willing to entertain —
we’re all sitting around,
jumpy, fluttering.
They don’t seem hungry,
an odd peck or two at the bark —
nest built, babies fed,
it’s break time in grackle country.
A sparrow arrives,
apparently a member of the club —
they do not scatter
like they do
at pigeons.
Can they see me
through the glass?
They turn their heads,
turn again, turn,
their beaks a sudden gold
against black feathers.
Checking,
checking,
they measure the sky.
— Marcia B. Loughran
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