Start snitching — stop the spread.
Mayor de Blasio said the city is making it easy for citizens to flag large groups who are gathering together and not observing physical distancing.
At a press conference on Friday, de Blasio said people can report social-distancing violations to 3-1-1 and police will show up “right away.”
“We…want to make sure that things [that] are absolutely crucial, like calling in those social-distance violations, those must go to 3-1-1, or, if someone can report it online, that’s even better, faster. You can go to nyc.gov.
“And now, you can send a photo directly,” he added. “If you see a social-distancing violation, take a photo, text it to 3-1-1-6-9-2. So again, just take that photo, text it to 3-1-1-6-9-2, or through the 3-1-1 app. All we need is the photo and the specific location. Just put the address down and we’re good to go, and enforcement will happen right away.
“And then to keep 3-1-1 keeping up — to make sure, keep up with this demand, particularly the COVID-related issues — we’re going to hire 120 more staff for 3-1-1 immediately,” the mayor said. “So, again, anyone who’s got any concern related to the coronavirus, if you can go online to nyc.gov or use the app, that’s ideal.”
Two weekends ago, The Village Sun noticed bargoers hanging out outside St. Dymphna’s on Avenue A and having beers. There were nearly a dozen of them and they didn’t seem worried about keeping a distance of up to 6 feet between themselves.
Calls to the East Village bar for comment were futile because the phone number was not in service.
The New York Police Department’s press office noted that cops are visiting 5,000 to 6,000 bars every day, most of which are closed. The totals are reported in the e-mailed N.Y.P.D. Daily Coronavirus Report under “Citywide Patrols.”
Meanwhile, Robert Jackson, a community affairs officer at Greenwich Village’s Sixth Precinct, said the few bars still open there are doing a good job enforcing social distancing.
“Over all, I think most of the bars in the West Village are closed,” he said. “There are only two places that are selling food and drinks. They actually put ‘X’s on the street [telling people where to stand].”
Flip Sigi, a Filipino taqueria at 525 Hudson St., is still serving.
“They put you in a ‘box’ and you wait for your food there,” Jackson explained.
Also still open is Fiddlesticks, at 56 Greenwich Ave.
“They spread it out, too,” Jackson said approvingly of the Irish pub’s sidewalk control.
“If we get a complaint, we go and check it out,” he said, regarding concerned residents’ calls about large crowds. “Then we go back and check it out again.”
As for local supermarkets, the officer said they are following coronavirus health guidelines, too.
“Every time I’ve been to Morton Williams, people are complying,” he said of the market, at Bleecker St. and LaGuardia Place.
And Brooklyn Fare, at Greenwich and Barrow Sts., is being very strict about safety, according to Jackson.
“We got a complaint about Brooklyn Fare,” he said, “but they don’t even let you in without a mask and gloves.”
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