NYC Coronavirus 2nd Wave Fight: Staten Island Asked To 'Rise Up'

NEW YORK, NY — New York City officials are imploring Staten Islanders to "rise up" in fighting back a surge of coronavirus cases as the city works to stave off a second wave of the virus.

Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo joined Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday to ask his constituents to push through "COVID fatigue" and follow newly-placed restrictions as the borough becomes New York City's latest coronavirus hotspot.

The message comes days before Staten Island will be subject to state-mandated "yellow zone" restrictions and as headlines surface about the borough's dwindling vigilance to coronavirus guidelines.

"I can admit we are a unique lot...but we are at our best in crunch moments," Oddo said, pointing to the borough's response to Hurricane Sandy and the Sept. 11 terror attacks. "We are quickly approaching, if not at that moment, Staten Islanders. Let's rise up to the occasion yet again."

The "yellow zone" restrictions, set to begin Friday evening, will require weekly testing rules for schools, restrict indoor and outdoor dining to a four-person per table maximum and sets a 50 percent capacity for houses of worship in the majority of the borough.

It comes after the localized lockdown approach beat back a similar coronavirus surge in Brooklyn and Queens.

The Staten Island surge — which has brought several neighborhoods to more than double the city's overall positivity rate — comes as New York City reaches a crucial point in fighting back a second wave of the virus.

The seven-day average positivity rate, or number of coronavirus tests coming back positive, stood at 2.6 percent across the five boroughs on Thursday. The city's school system is set to shut down if the rate grows above 3 percent.

"These next days are going to be crucial," de Blasio said. "...Everybody’s preparing, but our schools are open today and we’re going to maintain hope."

The appeal from Oddo also comes after one of Staten Island's City Council members admitted plans to flout the latest coronavirus restrictions, Tweeting shortly after they were announced that he planned to have a gathering above the 10-person limit for Thanksgiving.

When asked about the Tweet on Thursday, both Oddo and de Blasio said they could relate to the Council Member Joe Borelli's frustration, pointing to their own sadness about not being able to see loved ones for the holiday.

Oddo said he went six weeks without going to his mother's house during the height of the pandemic and, since she broke her hip, has had to wear a mask during visits as her caregiver. His family will not be gathering on Thanksgiving, he said.

"My North Star is science, I am going to rest with that — I feel comfortable in living true to those values and that means avoiding gatherings inside when you can and being really smart when you do get together," he said. "I love Joe, Joe’s a good friend of mine…but on this one we disagree big time."