Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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Doctor Advises Americans To Avoid All Gatherings To Stop COVID Spread
By Lynda Lopez
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Coronavirus cases have been spiking throughout the country over the past weeks, and some believe some states should not be moving as quickly as they are to get the economy running again.
The New York Times reports much of the surge of new cases has been driven largely by states in the south and west that were among to first ease restrictions.
At least six states set single-day records on Thursday for daily coronavirus cases – Albama, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon and Texas.
As New York and New Jersey continue to see a significant drop in cases, there’s worry that travelers from surging states may lead to a spike in the Tri-State, but both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Phil Murphy have began easing restrictions to allow for some indoor and outdoor gatherings again.
Currently, areas in Phase 4 in New York are allowed to hold gatherings of up to 50 people and indoor gatherings at 33% capacity. Meanwhile, New Jersey permits outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people and indoor gatherings of 25% capacity.
WCBS 880’s Lynda Lopez spoke with Dr. Waleed Javaid, director of infection prevention and control and Mount Sinai Downtown, who cautions for more safety measures.
He says with areas still experiencing a rise in cases, there’s a chance the virus has not peaked in certain areas and the death toll could continue to increase.
“What we’re seeing across the country if the spike,” he said. “Hospitals are getting overwhelmed. I was listening in to some reports from Florida and other places that, literally, they are running out of space. This is very much the same or similar to what we saw in New York a few months ago.”
“The transmission of the virus takes time and when it does, it take about 10 to 14 days before we’d be the peak and then also mortalities falls a few weeks behind that as well,” Dr. Javaid explains.
The doctor thinks gatherings should not even be permitted at this stage and Americans should consider the fact that the pandemic is no over and the virus remains a real threat.
“I know it’s very hard harsh statement to say something like that but we need to think beyond today and beyond tomorrow beyond next week and look into months from now,” he said. “All activities we do today impact what happens tomorrow, so overall my final statement would be avoid gatherings if at all possible.”
He notes that while outdoor gatherings are better than indoor gatherings, that does not mean the virus still cannot be transmitted from person to person. Dr. Javaid says people still need to wear masks and need to practice social distancing.
Meanwhile, he says while younger people may think the virus does not affect them, they are wrong.
Many of the new cases in states with spikes are people from the younger generation and he believes the easing of restrictions may have contributed to that.
“You and I both heard the reports of a lot of people mingling, a lot of outdoor activities in certain states. I’m not saying one is equal to the other, but there is some degree of link between the activities – going to the beaches for example and parties – and having a higher number of cases. Even though we might see a higher number of younger people going to the hospital, the severity of the illness is almost always worse as the age progresses,” he tells WCBS 880’s Lopez.
Dr. Javaid says in a perfect world, he would ask everyone to avoid all gatherings until a proper treatment, vaccine or cure is found.
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NYC Businesses Seek Ways To Boost Consumer Confidence
By Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Personal care services such as nail salons, massage parlors, tattoo shops and tanning salons turned on their lights in Phase 3 of New York City’s reopening this week, but indoor dining was halted because the airborne coronavirus spreads in closed environments with poor ventilation. The City is encouraging business owners to adapt and listen to health experts to dictate their economic future.
“As people begin to feel safe, they’re going to come out,” said New York City Small Business Services Commissioner Jonnel Doris on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast with Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso, sponsored by BNB Bank.
Doris was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to lead the city agency through the pivotal survival and recovery period. He previously served as senior advisor and director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Enterprises. He also worked as chief diversity officer in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office of Storm Recovery.
“There’s going to be some change in customer behavior,” Doris pointed out. “Make sure that you are as safe as possible. Do face coverings, make sure it’s on, make sure that you use social distancing; that’s going to bring the confidence level back, and then, we’re going to be able to see, really, the customer foot traffic pick up.”
He told Connolly and Carousso the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) has sent 5 million Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items to City companies in the first three phases. He expects they’ll be able to distribute another 2.5 million masks, face shields, gloves and goggles.
“We’ve got a lot of resources for businesses that are ready to go particularly our restaurants who have really been hit hard during this time,” said Doris.
Restaurateurs had been preparing to welcome patrons inside by hiring and rehiring wait staff and ordering food from their suppliers, but now, many are turning to SBS for financial resources, including fundraising.
“Customers are eating out differently, they’re coming out different times, their likens have changed, they’ve been locked up for three months,” the City’s business leader said. “As they see and they hear from their customers, they are making changes and they’re pivoting.”
Doris said about 7,000 restaurateurs are engaged in the agency’s reopening program in which they provide tools and ideas for recovery.
“Financial resources and/or education really is key for the success of these businesses and that’s what we are able to provide,” he said.
Yudelka Carrera received operations training from SBS before she launched her catering and events-planning business Events By Yudy in 2015.
“During COVID-19, Yudy had to really transform her business from a catering company to preparing, now, and delivering lunches for people at home, healthcare workers, first responders and more,” Doris said.
President Donald J. Trump on Saturday signed an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) low-interest loan that is forgivable if business owners use it to pay their employees. The original deadline for small businesses to apply for the program was last Tuesday, but $130 billion remained in the fund. Congress unanimously approved the extension for assistance until August 8.
Many prominent companies received millions of dollars in loans, including P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Chop’t. The unintended assistance to large corporations has raised concerns that the government program funded owners with political connections. Doris is encouraging small businesses in need of capital to apply.
He points to three core principles for business owners in adapting to the so-called new normal: innovation, creativity and collaboration.
“We can’t do business like we’ve always done it before,” Doris said, continuing, “Industries got to work together, government and business needs to work better together, and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
Hear examples of how business owners pivoted to survive and the financial and educational resources available to New York City companies on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast on the RADIO.COM app or the media player above.
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Summer Businesses’ Blueprint To Recovery
By Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Seasonal businesses are hoping to mount a recovery starting with the 4th of July weekend, but that starts with safety.
Wendy Collins, co-owner of The Mission Inn Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey, told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by BNB Bank, that typically, she would be booked solid through August by now. However, she remains “cautiously optimistic” that last-minute bookings will continue as the Tri-State Area moves forward with reopening in phases.
“Now, it’s probably on average a 15 minute conversation every time the phone rings,” Collins said.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, customers would only ask one or two questions before booking a stay.
“The questions are extremely detailed in terms of social distancing, are masks required, what are your cleaning protocols, what’s happening in the town with the restaurants,” she said.
Collins lists the cleaning products she uses and strict health protocols, including contact-free check-in and check-out on The Mission Inn website.
“The game has changed,” she said of the hospitality industry. “Patience is critical. Everybody is playing with new rules and trying to figure it out as we go, and if we’re just patient to each other and kind to each other, we’ll get through it.”
Collins says Cape May businesses are calling 2020 the “year of survival.” For her, that begins with building on the trust of her customers – 60 percent of whom are repeat vacationers at her four year old bed and breakfast.
“We’ve got a lot of strong people here, a lot of strong entrepreneurs, and we’re just trying to tread water in 2020 and get back, and hopefully, looking ahead to 2021,” she said.
Gabrielle Long co-owns two locations of Kai-Kai Sandals in Montauk with her brother, Kai Costanzo, and a boutique named Summer Stock at Gosman’s Dock on “The End” of Long Island. They also own Inn at Old Harbor on Block Island.
“Everybody has been very understanding, and also, kind of grateful,” Long told Connolly and Carousso of the health procedures she and her brother implemented to keep their employees and customers safe.
“At least in Montauk, there’s lines out on the street for people picking up a smoothie or going into the hardware store when it gets too crowded,” she described as capacity limits and social distancing prevent the usual crowds from congregating in her shops, especially on summer weekends.
Long concurs with Collins’ assertion that “patience is important.” She adds that communication with customers waiting on line, to reiterate the protocols are for their safety and that they will be inside the store as soon as possible, will make them feel more at ease as everyone adjusts to the “new normal.”
Her workers all wear masks and have been trained to practice and enforce social distancing and sanitize the store.
“Some of these policies that we have in place are not bad for the future,” Long said as she plans beyond this unusual summer season. “We’re not going to go back to how it was, so we’ve got more space in the store, and that allows for more space for customer,s and when we’re allowed to have more customers, great.”
Hear how businesses in local summer vacation spots have prepared for reopening with an eye on recovery on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast on the RADIO.COM app or the media player above.
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NYC Restaurants Struggle To Make Profit During Phase 2 Of Reopening
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Restaurants typically operate on thin profit margins, but establishments are getting squeezed as they struggle to serve their communities eager to eat out in phase two of New York City’s reopening.
“You need approximately somewhere between 70-75 percent capacity in order to make a small profit,” said Melba Wilson the owner of the eponymous Harlem restaurant and president of the NYC Hospitality Alliance.
Wilson told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by BNB Bank, that the industry is excited to usher in phase two this week with outdoor dining permitted curbside and on the streets on nights and weekends. But, many restaurants failed to pivot during the peak of the pandemic to food delivery and that element is key for establishments to turn a profit.
“I, personally, at Melba’s was open 14 years before I decided to do take-out and I thought take-out was just bringing another body in the restaurant in order to handle the calls and it’s an entirely separate operation,” Wilson explained, adding, “Unless it’s something that you were doing previously, I find that a lot of my counterparts found it very difficult to pivot.”
She said it’s “very grim and very difficult” for the industry as a whole, but restaurateurs should get creative in marketing their establishments, knowing that their communities want to support local businesses.
“We’ve been cross-promoting and supporting so many other businesses in the community to make sure that our community thrives and that we stay alive,” Wilson said.
Among her creative marketing initiatives at Melba’s Restaurant are T-shirts, promoting and selling her cookbook and urging customers to buy gift cards at a discount. She also told WCBS 880 owners should advertise take-out and delivery to those passing by and people prevented from eating at restaurants outside due to statewide capacity limits.
Wilson laments that many landlords have not given breaks on rent payments to local restaurants and that will drive smaller eateries out of business.
“Most of us still have to pay rent, we have to pay Con-Ed bill, we have to pay insurance,” she said of industry-wide fixed costs. “Opening for outdoor seating right now is important and will allow us to have more guests that are going to come in, order take-out, but then they have a place to socialize, to sit outside in a safe environment.”
Hear how restaurants are reinventing themselves to recover on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast on the RADIO.COM app or the media player above.
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‘Back to Work Does Not Mean Back to Normal’: LI Businesses Prepare For Unusual Summer Season
By Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — There’s cautious optimism around Long Island’s recovery as the region sits in phase two of New York State’s reopening from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We need to rebuild confidence,” said Kevin Law, president and CEO of the Long Island Association.
In an interview with Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by BNB Bank, Law said businesses can only build consumer confidence by making safety its priority.
“Complying with the new state standards of personal safety and hygiene and social distancing and masks and sanitizers and plastic shield guards – all of those things not only will protect health, I think they will begin to restore confidence,” he said.
About 300,000 people returned to work when Long Island entered phase two of reopening last week, Law told WCBS 880.
“Back to work does not mean back to normal because it still means there are going to be a lot of restrictions,” he explained, adding that occupancy limits will exist through phase three, as outlined by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Law is a member of the Governor’s New York Forward Reopening Advisory Board, which decides whether the region moves onto the next phase. He says reopening is only part of the short-term plan for businesses throughout the state. Business owners must also determine how to recover, and then, reimagine their future while the government drafts relief legislation.
“What we’re trying to focus on is some other longer-term, economic development strategies whether it’s big projects to try to accelerate or maybe tax or regulatory policies that would benefit business and encourage growth, Law said.
In the end, he believes Long Island will bounce back, but he acknowledges there are some hurtles. There has been a political divide amid the pandemic between the City and the Island as it pertains to people fleeing east to work remotely and vacation on Long Island beaches.
“The east end has always relied on New York City residents to support its real estate economy and its tourism economy in terms of restaurants and bars and hotels,” Law noted, adding, “For some now to question New York City folks coming out here, that’s sort of, I believe, quite disingenuous.”
He said vacation spots in the Hamptons and Montauk will survive if Long Island embraces City residents this summer.
“Our economies are inexplicitly linked and we shouldn’t pit one region against the other region,” Law said.
Hear more about building consumer and business confidence on the road to recovery on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast on the RADIO.COM app or on the media player above.
