Coronavirus in N.Y.C.: The Latest

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It’s Wednesday. The tower lights of the Empire State Building blared red with a whirling red-and-white beacon to pay respect to health care workers, police officers and firefighters. Some people found it unnerving.

Weather: Early clouds give way to some sun, with a high in the mid-50s.

Alternate-side parking: Suspended through April 17. Meters are in effect.

Reinforcements are arriving, Mayor de Blasio said.

More than 500 paramedics and emergency medical technicians, 2,000 nurses and 250 ambulances are heading to New York City from across the United States to shore up a health care system that is being buried under an avalanche of coronavirus patients, Mayor de Blasio said yesterday.

[Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.]

The mayor announced the reinforcements while speaking at the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, which is being converted into an emergency hospital as the borough experiences a surge in coronavirus patients, especially at Elmhurst Hospital.

“Very soon this is going to be 350 hospital beds to protect the lives of New Yorkers,” Mr. de Blasio said, noting that 135 additional ambulances and 270 paramedics had already arrived. “They’re going immediately into action.”

The city’s death toll was at 1,096 yesterday, with more than 43,000 virus cases confirmed.

An additional 332 people in New York State have died, and the governor’s brother has the virus.

Governor Cuomo said yesterday morning that 332 more people had died in New York since Monday, bringing the state’s death toll from the coronavirus to at least 1,550. The number of confirmed virus cases topped 75,000.

As he delivered the news, Mr. Cuomo’s younger brother, Chris Cuomo, 49, a CNN anchor, announced that he had tested positive for the virus. The governor later said his brother had a fever, shortness of breath and chills.

The governor has appeared on his brother’s show regularly since the outbreak began, offering their sibling rivalry to viewers as a humorous diversion from the drumbeat of grim news.

An Amazon warehouse worker in Staten Island was fired after leading a walkout.

A group of workers walked off the job at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island on Monday, and Whole Foods Market employees staged a sickout yesterday, as front-line workers protested what they see as inadequate safety measures and insufficient pay for the risks they confront.

Amazon fired a worker who led the Staten Island walkout. Mr. de Blasio said yesterday that the city’s Human Rights Commission would investigate the firing.

From The Times

40% of N.Y. Tenants May Not Pay Rent This Month. What Happens Then?

He Said Mass Via Live Stream. Eight Days Later He Was Dead.

She’s Alone, 105 and in a Nursing Home Threatened by the Virus

Want more news? Check out our full coverage.

The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

Former State Senator Dean Skelos is seeking to end his federal prison sentence early because of fears over the coronavirus. [New York Post]

After delaying the start of online classes, the City University of New York is scrambling to distribute as many as 30,000 computers to students. [The City]

An upstate baker is helping to pay her bills by making cakes decorated to look like a roll of toilet paper. [Albany Times Union]

And finally: How should you do laundry now?

Whether you have a washer and dryer in your home or rely on a laundromat, there are several ways to reduce your risk of viral exposure or spread. The writer Sanam Yar recently interviewed experts about how to manage the task.

Here’s some advice for the many New Yorkers who use communal laundry rooms and laundromats. Find the full Q. and A. here.

I have a communal laundry room in my building. What’s the best etiquette?

Some buildings have started sending out instructions on how to navigate using the machines. If your building doesn’t have a system in place, Angelique Corthals, a biomedical researcher and professor of pathology at John Jay College, recommended establishing a laundry schedule among residents so that no more than two people (or one person, depending on the size of the room) are using the machines at a time and can maintain a six-foot distance between each other.

Sort your dirty laundry at home before heading to the laundry room, and fold clean laundry at home to minimize your contact with the laundry room’s surfaces.

Finally, be aware of what you and your clothing touch, and don’t bring your hand near your face until you’ve washed your hands after you’re done.

Is it safe for me to go to a laundromat?

Yes. If you are healthy and have run out of clean clothing, it is OK to leave the house and do laundry. The same general rules apply: Wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing and don’t touch your face.

What about dry cleaning? Or using wash-and-fold services?

When it comes to wash-and-fold services, experts said it was up to the person.

“If you feel you don’t want to venture out because you need to self-quarantine, then I can understand a laundry service,” said Nellie Brown, the director of workplace health and safety programs at Cornell University. “But if you’re basically healthy and not experiencing any odd symptoms, go on doing what you’ve been doing.”

For people who are part of a more vulnerable population and want to minimize their outside contact, wash-and-fold may be the best option next to washing clothes the old-fashioned way: by hand.

It’s Wednesday — flatten the curve.

Metropolitan Diary: In a bad mood

Dear Diary:

I had a job in a building on Sixth Avenue and 51st Street. I didn’t like the job. Most evenings after leaving work, I would walk up Sixth Avenue until I reached Central Park, and then I would either catch the subway or continue walking home from there. It was my routine.

One Friday evening, I was in a particularly bad mood after leaving work. I had also miscalculated what the weather would be like. It was chilly, and I needed to put my coat on.

I started to try to put it on while I was on the phone and holding my purse and a second bag. It wasn’t going well.

Suddenly, I felt my coat slipping over my arms. I turned and saw a woman standing behind me.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to intrude, but it looked like you were struggling.”

“I was struggling,” I said. “Thank you.”

— Meredith Murphy

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