Crown Heights Racks Up Coronavirus Noncompliance Complaints: Data

CROWN HEIGHTS/PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Brooklynites in the zip codes covering Crown Heights and Prospect Heights called the city to complain about neighborhood businesses violating the city's coronavirus reopening rules nearly 300 times since the city entered "phase three" of its economic recovery, according to city data.

Businesses within the six zip codes that include parts of the two neighborhoods — 11213, 11216, 11225, 11233, 11238 and 11217 — racked up 289 "noncompliance with phased reopening" complaints in the two-week span from July 6 to July 22, according to data collected by 311.

By comparison, the zip codes making up nearby Park Slope had 131 compliant calls logged and the those making up Bed-Stuy — which shares some zip codes with Crown Heights — had 267 complaints total in the same time period.

Phase three businesses include: spas, tattoo parlors, piercing parlors, massage therapy practices, cosmetology salons, nail salons, tanning salons and waxing salons. Indoor dining was pulled from the phase over safety concerns, but city officials pledged to expand its outdoor dining program by combining it with its open streets initiative.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently threatened rolling back the city's phased reopening plan following a weekend of rowdy party scenes in neighborhoods such as Astoria, the Lower East Side and Inwood. Mayor Bill de Blasio also pledged to crack down on the party areas following the weekend.

New York implemented new regulations on outdoor drinking ahead of the weekend to combat crowding outside bars and restaurants.

Businesses are only allowed to serve patrons seated at tables six feet apart and customers must order food with their beverages. Walk-up service at bar windows was also nixed. Businesses with three violations will be shut down, according to the new rules.

But businesses in violation of the city's reopening rules may be skirting the regulations out of desperation. A study released this week by the Partnership for NYC claims that one-third of New York City's small businesses could be forced to close due to the economic toll of the pandemic.