A new era in public space is about to begin in NYC.

Say goodbye to the Green Monster sidewalk sheds (aka scaffolding).

They will now be replaced by 6 different lighter, more open, innovative designs. 🧵 1/ The “Baseline Shed” has a transparent roof to allow light on the sidewalk below.

I just finished a tour of the Roosevelt Hotel.

This one location, this one square block, is the epicenter of a national refugee crisis.

It demands a national response. 🧵 The Roosevelt Hotel on W.46th St. is NYC’s main arrival point for migrants. There is a sophisticated operation there, offering arrivals a full array of services, from food to medical care to beds. NYers should be incredibly proud of this facility.

But now it is full. /2

*** NYC is issuing a health advisory for today (Wednesday) in light of deteriorating air quality due to smoke from wildfires in Canada. ***

* All NYers should limit outdoor activity and stay inside when possible. 1/ * People w/heart or breathing problems and children & older adults may be especially sensitive and should avoid outdoor activities during this time.
* If you're an older adult or have heart or breathing problems & need to be outside, wear a high-quality mask (e.g N95 or KN95). 2/

Around the country, and in NY state, there are communities fighting for “local control” to avoid mandates to build more housing.

Did you know that here in Manhattan we are being denied local control that we need to….CREATE more housing? Yes, really. 🧵 Today these UWS & UES buildings couldn't be built. A 1961 State law deems them too big.

With NYC facing a housing affordability crisis, shouldn’t we again allow apartment buildings at this scale?

Not an option. Because Albany doesn’t give us the right to make that decision. 2/

Recognize scenes like these? If you live in NYC you do.

Scaffolding in NYC is a good idea run amok. In Manhattan alone there are 4k+ of these sidewalk sheds. Some have been up for years, creating a blight in many neighborhoods.

Today we're releasing a plan to rein this in.🧵 We’re calling for measures to help buildings speed up façade work, to penalize bad actors, to have more flexibility in when façade inspections are required, to have better design for sidewalk sheds, and more. #ShedTheShed

The election in NY is very, very close. Every vote will matter.

Dems on the fence who have not yet voted: You need to know what Lee Zeldin as governor will mean in a practical way for our city and state. 🧵 Zeldin has repeatedly pledged to slash the State budget (in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthy). In practice this will mean cuts to:
* Public schools
* Mass transit
* Medicaid

2/

NY’s statewide races are closer than they should be. Against a slate of extremists, Dems are polling just over 50%.

The GOP gov candidate voted to overturn the 2020 election & says he'd ban abortion without exception. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

NY Dems need to wake up.🧵 Voters in Manhattan and most other parts of NYC are not used to contested general elections. But the only way a Dem can win statewide is with massive margins here.

The far-right is fired up in the suburbs & turnout will be strong there. We need to match that energy. 2/

I am just leaving the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where I welcomed asylum seekers getting off buses from Texas.

This morning a record # of migrants arrived, approx 250 men, women and children.

I am truly appalled by how they have been treated prior to their arrival here. 1/ A number of the arrivals today needed medical attention, several were sent to the hospital—including a girl 3 months old.

Most arrived with no more possessions than what they put in a small plastic bag. 2/

There have been many changes to where & how you can get a covid test in NYC.

Some locations have closed. New ones have opened. Some sites will give you paxlovid on the spot. There are many place where you can get free home tests.

A short 🧵on your current options... There are now dozens of "test to treat" mobile sites where you can get a covid test and, if you need it, receive paxlovid *on the spot*.

NEW: City and State Health Depts have identified poliovirus in sewage in NYC, suggesting local transmission.

** It is urgent that all unvaccinated NYers get vax'd asap, especially children **

Almost 14% of kids under 5 in NYC are unvax'd. Now is the time to act. IMPORTANT:
* Most adults were vax'd for polio as children and do not need to get tested or vax'd at this time.
* NYers who know they were vax'd should be protected. The vax is 99% effective against paralytic polio (w/ 3 doses).
* If you know you haven't been vax'd, get vax'd NOW.

The window for containing the spread of monkeypox in NYC is closing fast. Cases have more than doubled in the past week.

In a bad case of deja vu we are again confronting shortages of testing, treatment & vaccine.

Here’s our plan for aggressive action to meet this challenge. 🧵 1. Give NYC its fair share of vaccine

NYC is now recording over 25% of the U.S.'s known monkeypox cases, but we are receiving only 10% of the national allocation of vaccine doses. The CDC must provide us with a share matching our level of need.

The covid testing site you've been using may no longer be open. But you still have lots of options, including some new locations where you can not only get a test but receive paxlovid on the spot.

This week's update on locations and hours for NYC-run sites... And for Staten Island...

NEW YORK STRIKES BACK

State legislature just passed law outlawing all guns (included permitted) in:
* Subways & buses
* Houses of worship
* Schools & day cares
* Parks
* Biz that serve alcohol
* Hospitals
* Sport/entertainment venues
* Gov't bldgs
* Poll sites
* Times Square(!) Guns will also be outlawed in all businesses and private property, unless the owner expressly indicates that they are allowed.

Most NYers never got around to getting their booster. Then covid fell out of the news.

Now a new, more transmissible variant (BA.5) is gaining steam here. And positivity and other #’s are on the rise again.

If you’ve been waiting, get boosted now: vax4nyc.nyc.gov Hospitalizations in NYC, while increasing, thankfully remain far lower than the omicron peak. This is thanks in part to availability of treatments like paxlovid.

But you still don’t want to get covid. Because it’s not fun, causes you to miss work, and can have long-term effects.

Abortion rights are enshrined in law in NY—including for those coming from out of state.

There are expanding options for accessing abortion services here, including via medication.

Here is info on how you can access providers, payment and support (incl for out-of-towners). 1/ In NY, you can get an abortion up to 24 wks of pregnancy. After 24 wks, you can still get an abortion if your health is at risk or your pregnancy will not survive. (Other places, such as Colorado & DC, can provide abortion services after 24 weeks of pregnancy for any reason.) /2

It’s just too hard to get paxlovid.

There are people who need it who aren’t getting it—especially those who don’t have the resources to navigate a confusing and difficult system. This once again reinforces covid inequality.

We need to open up paxlovid access asap. 1/ The current list of qualifying conditions for paxlovid is long & vague (see below), and not being applied evenly. Many people whose conditions appear on this list are being denied access.

People with resources can try another doctor if they are denied. Most aren’t so lucky. 2/

The #Manhattanhenge pics are coming in!

https://twitter.com/Tammy05242/status/1531075754724937729

Another great one...

https://twitter.com/amirbernat/status/1531069303205810176?s=20&t=RteK232gGSk5uLzfcerHDA

NYC Health Dept is investigating a possible case of monkeypox.

The patient is in an isolation ward at Bellevue Hospital.

Health Dept following up with anyone who may have been in contact w/ patient. NYC's Public Health Lab is conducting a preliminary test, but to confirm a more sophisticated test will be needed and at the moment that can only be done at CDC.

There are two ways you can access free covid testing in NYC, regardless of insurance...
* Go to a City-run test site (rapid or PCR)
* Pick up a free home test at libraries & cultural institutions

Here are this week's updates on Manhattan locations for both (other boros below): This week's update on test sites and home kit pick up for Brooklyn:

It's easier than ever to get paxlovid in NYC.

* Dozens of "Test to Treat" locations where you walk in, get tested, and if you're pos & qualify get the meds right in same place
* 100s of pharmacies where your doc can call in an Rx
* City-run free, same-day home delivery program🧵 Paxlovid is a covid anti-viral that reduces chance of hospitalization or death by almost 90%.

If's offered to people who are high risk based on age or underlying condition.

Must be started early in the course of your illness. Requires taking 3 pills twice daily for 5 days. 2/

With NYC’s BA.2 wave rising, 1000s of NYers are testing positive for covid every day.

If you are one of them, you may have Q's about how to access the City’s supportive services, how to get paxlovid, how long to isolate, how paid sick leave works etc.

Here are some answers.🧵 If I test positive on a home test can I report it to the Health Dept?
* @NYCHealthy unfortunately does not collect data on home tests. However if you test positive at home you should call 212-COVID19 to be connected to the supportive services offered by the City. 2/