COVID-19 update: A treat for health workers: Charles Oakley cooks meals at Interfaith Medical Center

June 5, 2020 Editorial Staff

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez (center in white) partnered with Councilmember Robert Cornegy (far left), the Charles Oakley Foundation (Oakley pictured standing inside of the truck) and Promobile Kitchen to donate meals on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn DA’s Office

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On the front lines of the war on COVID-19, there are many civilian heroes going out of their way, as volunteers and contributors. Also, many who are elected to serve are going the extra mile. In this column the Eagle hopes to give our readers an ongoing update on those fighting in the front lines.

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez partnered with Councilmember Robert Cornegy, the Charles Oakley Foundation and Promobile Kitchen to donate meals to healthcare workers at Interfaith Medical Center on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on Wednesday. “I want to say welcome to my friend C.O., who is not only here to be sexy, he’s about to cook for us,” Cornegy said. “Many of you know that he is a world-renowned chef, and you’re about to eat the best turkey burgers and turkey chili on the face of the Earth. Many of us had a chance to enjoy him banging in the paint for the New York Knicks.” Cornegy himself played basketball with St. John’s.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced that the state is expanding COVID-19 testing criteria to include any individual who attended any of the recent protests across the state. More information on where and how to get tested for COVID-19 is available at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov. “Our numbers have been going down every day, but now we have tens of thousands of people who have been protesting statewide that could lead to a new spread of the virus,” Gov. Cuomo said. “We’re going to open the testing facilities for all people who were at a protest statewide and encourage any individual who attended any protest to be responsible and get tested.”

NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg on Thursday issued a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio outlining the need for additional bus lanes as the City is expected to begin Phase 1 reopening next week, with bus ridership expected to increase. “As New York City prepares to reopen under Governor Cuomo’s New York Forward Plan, public transit will play a key role in ensuring the city’s return to normalcy,” wrote Feinberg. “In particular, a robust bus system will be crucial as workers look to return to their offices.”

Emergency Medicine Residents at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University held a die-in on Thursday to call attention to the long and unfortunate history of police brutality and distressing health disparities that continue to grip communities of color in the U.S. In solidarity, the residents laid on the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the same amount of time that George Floyd was restrained on the ground until he died. Downstate residents have been on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 in Brooklyn, the epicenter of the pandemic that has devastated communities of color and already claimed more than 106,000 American lives. More than 90 percent of those who have died of COVID-19 in the three zip codes immediately around Downstate were Black.