Refrigerated trailers are seen parked at the site of a makeshift morgue being built in New York, Wednesday, March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York City could start burying its dead in city parks if the mortality rate from coronavirus doesn’t decline soon, according to City Council Health Committee Chair Mark Levine.
“Soon we'll start ‘temporary interment’. This likely will be done by using a NYC park for burials (yes you read that right). Trenches will be dug for 10 caskets in a line,” Levine tweeted on Monday, adding that “it will be tough for NYers to take.”
Just as the number of COVID-19 infections has overwhelmed New York City hospitals, the number of deaths has begun to overwhelm the death care infrastructure, including the city’s system of morgues and now, it would seem, cemeteries. To supplement existing city- and hospital-owned morgues, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) purchased 45 refrigerated trucks to act as temporary morgues on top of 85 supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to Levine, most of those temporary morgues are now full and families with loved ones who have passed away due to COVID-19 are struggling to find funeral homes and cemeteries that will handle their deceased.
“Grieving families report calling as many as half a dozen funeral homes and finding none that can handle their deceased loved ones. Cemeteries are not able to handle the number of burial requests and are turning most down,” he wrote.
The councilmember’s comments attracted quite a bit of attention on Monday, earning more than 1,500 retweets and 1,800 likes, prompting Levine to clarify his earlier claims. In a later tweet, he called interment in city parks a “contingency” that wouldn’t be necessary if the death rate drops enough.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told the New York Times that although the city has the ability to temporarily bury the dead if needed, the city was “not at the point that we’re going to go into that.” Cuomo pleaded ignorance of the plan altogether, saying that he’d heard “a lot of wild rumors,” but never anything about burials in city parks, according to the Times.
Aja Worthy-Davis, an OCME spokesperson, said the city is only conducting city burials at Hart Island in the Bronx for now.
Reports out of overwhelmed countries like Italy and Ecuador detail coffins awaiting burial in churches and on streets, and horror stories of families living with deceased loved ones, sometimes for days, because of an overwhelmed death care system.
“The goal is to avoid scenes like those in Italy, where the military was forced to collect bodies from churches and even off the streets,” Levine wrote on Monday.
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day fast approaching, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C. 6th District), the House Majority Whip, talked about the importance of honoring the iconic civil rights activist. "As we consider the life and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., let's think about who and what we are as a country, and whether or not we're going to give up on the ideals of this country or continue to press forward," he said. Clyburn also discussed the push for new voting legislation, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act, as well as the fate of the Senate filibuster.
It was 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicked off on four major betting operating platforms Saturday. This comes at an exciting time for sports fans with some of the biggest NFL games of the season right around the corner. Cam Rogers - Host of Lock It In with Cam Rogers, Betting Analyst at the Bleav Podcast Network joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The United States purchased over 600,000 doses of a monoclonal antibody treatment from Glaxosmithkline and Vir Biotechnology, bringing the total worldwide doses purchased to 1.7 million. This comes as the country attempts to ramp up treatment options as cases of the omicron variant continue to surge. Dr. Asha Shah, Director of Infectious Diseases at Stamford Health joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Former wide receiver for the New York Giants, Victor Cruz has partnered with Krystal Restaurants, a popular burger chain in the South, to bring the franchise to his home state of New Jersey. Cruz and Alice Crowder, CMO of Krystal Restaurants, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the venture. The five new locations will be known as "Victor Cruz's Krystal," decked out with memorabilia from his football career, with the former player explaining how "hands-on" he plans on being. "You never know, OK? You might walk in and Victor Cruz will be flipping a burger back there, and you might be getting it directly from the source," he said.
Max Bichsel, vice president at Gambling.com Group joins Cheddar News to talk about the growing sports betting industry, New York legalizing mobile betting, and 2022 predictions for the sector.
Cody Roark, NFL analyst at Pro Football Network joins Cheddar News to talk about NFL playoff predictions and which teams have a shot at the Super Bowl.
Mario Stefanidis, Vice President of Research at Roundhill Investments, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down the implications of the Take-Two deal to purchase Zynga, as the gaming giant looks to become a major player in mobile gaming.
Covid cases have started to spike again across the nation, and this time they seem to be hitting some of our youngest and most vulnerable - school-aged children. School districts across the nation - including the country's largest public school system in New York City- are all grappling with what to do as teachers and students alike continue to miss school in droves.
Katie Honan, reporter for the New York City-based non profit news organization, The City explains how educational leaders across the country are handling covid demands from both teachers and parents alike.
For the first time since September, Bitcoin fell below $40,000 early Monday. The currency's average short-term price has now dipped below its average long-term price, which is known by a rather dramatic term, a death cross. According to analysts, the indicator appears to be a result of mounting concerns of faster liquidity withdrawal by the US Federal Reserve. The crypto slump also follows a week of rough trading for equities overall. CEO Snickerdoodle Labs and Co-Founder of the Stanford Future of Digital Currency Initiative, Jonathan Padilla, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
