Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Message To Community On Coronavirus Emergency

Updating New Yorkers with the latest on the State's #Coronavirus response. WATCH: https://t.co/Ho4oV9GrV9

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 16, 2020

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ad Interim David Lawson reports:

Fellow Roosevelt Islanders,

The Covid-19 global pandemic has taken the world by surprise. Mayor di Blasio stated: “we are a war-scenario like situation.” This crisis is a test for our public health preparedness as governments state and local authorities are taking unprecedented measures to try and mitigate the spread of the epidemic and its impact worldwide, in countries and communities.

President Trump has declared a national emergency, New York State Governor Cuomo and New York City Mayor di Blasio have declared the state of emergency. These measures are meant to unleash and maximize all the necessary technical and financial resources available at all levels of government to respond to this crisis and reduce its health, human and economic impact.

As a lot remains unknown about this new coronavirus and its potential developments and the extent of its impact, all necessary precautionary measures must be taken by federal, state and local governments, communities and individuals to mitigate its spread. Being one of the highest densely populated cities in the world, New York city is particularly vulnerable to this epidemic. All of us are part of the response against it. All New Yorkers are in this situation together and we will go through this crisis successfully together.

As part of our individual effort to mitigate the spread of the virus, we encourage you to review regularly and follow the information, recommendations and updates of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and New York State Department of Health.

Furthermore, RIOC receives daily updates from Albany and NYC with the most current guidelines and suggestions. Throughout this crisis, RIOC will disseminate all relevant and important information to Roosevelt Islanders and take all necessary measures to keep Roosevelt Island safe.

Among specific measures taken by RIOC, they informed that to protect our Roosevelt Island Community, RIOC premises and public spaces are cleaned thoroughly daily. RIOC Facilities Department and third-party cleaning staff have stepped up their efforts to make sure Roosevelt Island public areas are disinfected, using bleach whenever and wherever appropriate and safe. Clorox wipes and Lysol Spray is made available and be used at all of RIOC facilities and offices to reduce possible contamination.

RIOC stated that POMA, the company that runs our tram service, is treating the tram cars and waiting areas with bleach and other disinfectants every eight hours. Includes handrails, cabin poles, hand strips, and floors. The poles and benches are cleaned at the beginning of each rush hour shift, daily. The interior floors and glass walls will be sanitized at least once every 8 hours. The turnstiles and handrails at the stations will be sanitized at least once every 72-hour period by POMA, in addition to MTA’s daily disinfecting protocols, for turnstiles, MetroCard machines, and handrails.
Red Buses are disinfected twice a day. RIOC staff is focusing their efforts on cleaning the buses, the grab rails, the stanchions, the door handles and the steering wheels.

As all Roosevelt Islanders may need to get out and move around, we wish to reiterate the government recommendations to limit temporarily unnecessary travel and movement. Telecommute and stay home as much as possible and avoid mass gatherings.

While everyone is at risk, the elderly is currently the most vulnerable population, we encourage our elders to limit unprotected interaction with other people to limit their potential exposure to the virus. Roosevelt Islanders are also encouraged to limit their contact with elders, while also checking on and protecting their neighbors, especially the elderly, people with a health condition and those living alone who might need assistance.

We have asked RIOC to ensure that those most vulnerable be protected, including our elders at the Carter Burden Center and those most vulnerable PS217 students now out-of-school continue to have access to food.

As a general rule, if you feel sick (flu or cold-like symptoms, cough, fever, shortness of breath), you are encouraged to stay home and call a medical doctor. If you need help getting medical care, you can call 311. If you feel sick and need immediate medical attention but feel too sick to reach a medical facility, please call 911.

New York Health care system is the best in the world and New York agencies are prioritizing testing measures, containment tracking and quarantine protocols to keep New Yorkers safe. As all federal, state and local government authorities are making every effort to mitigate the transmission of the virus and impact on our daily lives, remember that each and everyone of us has a responsibility of keeping oneself, his loved ones, neighbors, colleagues and community safe. Please follow the steps recommended by our State authorities.

RIRA remains available to the Roosevelt Island community at any time to assist and provide guidance.

As the country and city are slowly shutting down for an undefined period of time to protect all Americans, remember that we are New Yorkers… and together, in solidarity, we shall overcome!