Coronavirus In New Rochelle: Life At The Epicenter

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — At the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak in New York, an unsettling quiet hovers over a usually bustling Hudson Valley community filled with people darting in and out of shops and doctors' offices and mothers pushing strollers on the sidewalks. It stands to become even more quiet Thursday with the beginning of a mile-wide containment zone centered on Young Israel of New Rochelle, a Jewish synagogue at the heart of one of the country's largest cluster of COVID-19 cases.

On Tuesday, very few people visited the normally busy retail strip along North Avenue in the neighborhood of Wykagyl, a short walk from the synagogue. No hand sanitizer was available at CVS, where a cashier said few customers have come into the pharmacy or the businesses nearby for the last week.

"It's definitely hurting us," said the proprietor of a nearby dry cleaner. "How long can we last?"

Mario Salvo, son of the owner of Deanna's Pizzeria, said he was dreading the school closures.

"It's going to make people more nervous — what's going on that we don't know about?" Salvo said.

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The number of confirmed cases recently topped 1,000 in the United States, with 30 deaths recorded as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. In New York, 212 people had tested positive for the virus as of midday Wednesday. With 121 confirmed cases, Westchester County has by far the highest number in the state, nearly all connected to New Rochelle. By comparison, New York City, which has six times as many residents as Westchester, has 48 confirmed cases.

The stark contrast led Gov. Andrew Cuomo to declare the New Rochelle area a "hot spot" Monday and said it has become a matter of "life and death."

Last week, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and County Executive Greg Latimer ate lunch and held a news conference at Eden Wok, a popular kosher Chinese restaurant, to urge people not diagnosed with or exposed to coronavirus to follow their normal daily lives (and wash their hands). Restaurant owner Josh Berkowitz told Gothamist that after their visit, he received both anti-Semitic and anti-Chinese email threats.

On Tuesday, Cuomo called the New Rochelle coronavirus cases a "very intense cluster" before announcing the containment plan. Places where groups of more than 25 people gather, such as the children's library, are to be closed within a mile radius of the synagogue.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.

Northwell Health Labs plans to bring in a mobile lab to dramatically accelerate testing of local residents and businesspeople. Cuomo recently invoked the South Korea model of massive testing to find active cases and isolate them, saying it is proven to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious virus.

The New York National Guard will be deployed to help with disinfection efforts and to take meals to those in self-quarantine and to children in the school district's free-and-reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs.

The containment zone's heart, Young Israel of New Rochelle, was identified after a 50-year-old man fell ill and had to be hospitalized. He was the second person in New York confirmed to have the new coronavirus.

He had been to several large celebrations at the synagogue. Many others who went to those events also tested positive, including two catering workers. Some of them infected their families before they knew they were sick. Rabbi Reuven Fink, who tested positive, wrote a letter to his community that was reprinted in The Times of Israel.

The local Starbucks, which is usually packed, had about eight customers at coffee break time Tuesday morning.

"Just looking at the overall statistical profile, I think I'm at low risk," Ben Chiles, a 54-year-old surgeon who lives and works in the neighborhood, told Patch. "I respect the situation. I'm not going to travel unnecessarily. But I'm not doing anything radically different. I think it's very important not to overreact. That causes even more disruption."

The cashier handed Chiles his venti caramel macchiato before he had a chance to order.

"See," Chiles said, smiling in pleased surprise. "That's what you get when you stick to your routine!"

Coronavirus in New York and beyond

• Coronavirus United States: Update For Wednesday, March 11
• New Rochelle Grappling With New Coronavirus Containment Zone
• To Avoid Coronavirus, Americans Over 60 Should Hunker Down: CDC
• Common-Sense Reasons Not To Panic Over Coronavirus