BP Adams Statement On City Hall’s Acknowledgment Of Failures In Communicating COVID-19 Safety In Non-English Dominant Communities

Press release from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President:

October 20 2020

“For the last six months, I have been sounding the alarm with faith leaders and community advocates to demand the City’s outreach regarding the COVID-19 pandemic reflect the diversity of New York City, taking into account those who do not access traditional forms of media, those whose first language is not English, and others. Only today did Mayor de Blasio acknowledge that City Hall has fallen short on this mission. We have done a poor job of consistently communicating on the ground and recruiting credible messengers from within our communities. Recent spikes have proven that these challenges are bigger than one neighborhood or ethnic enclave; COVID-19 may not discriminate, but our policies in response to it have.

“I hope that this is a turning point, and that we work in partnership with credible messengers and ethnic media to spread the importance of wearing masks, getting tested, and socially distancing. I renew my call for a precision model of enforcement that would allow law enforcement to identify specific areas with high rates of non-compliance so credible messengers can flood the zone with informational materials in a variety of languages, PPE, and other resources.”

This press release was produced by the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. The views expressed are the author's own.