The Briefly for March 18, 2020 – The "Mom and Dad Are Fighting Over Quarantine" Edition

Today - Low: 44˚ High: 53˚

Rain overnight.

Today's free stream from the Met Opera is Puccini’s La Bohème. Be patient, as their website is being inundated with people wanting to watch. Ridgewood's Nowawadays is streaming every night at 8pm. Caveat's free programming tonight is Nerd Nite. Governor Cuomo is the guest on today's edition of The Daily podcast from the Times. (Michael Barbaro, produced by Austin Mitchell, Adizah Eghan and Lynsea Garrison for NY Times) The late-night shows are off TV, but they're not off YouTube. Colbert gave a monologue from the bathtub while wearing a suit, of course. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) We all knew this would happen. The governor and mayor had been showing a unified front against the pandemic for almost a week, which is too long for their often strained relationship. Mayor de Blasio made waves by claiming that a shelter-in-place order might be coming in the next two days, but Governor Cuomo made certain to publicly state he's the only person that can make that order and has no plans to quarantine any city. (Alex Williamson for Brooklyn Eagle) Mayor Bill de Blasio was so intent on keeping city libraries open during the coronavirus outbreak that he went as far as making veiled threats about cutting their funding if they closed. What a leader. (Sally Goldenberg and Dana Rubenstein for Politico) "Our schools are important, he said. Here’s what we heard: Our lives are not." -An editorial from Emily James, an NYC teacher looking at the last few weeks. (Emily James for HuffPost) How to get around NYC safely during the coronavirus pandemic. (Caroline Spivack for Curbed) Uber, Via and Lyft pool rides in NYC are banned. The only people who should be getting into cars together are "real couples," according to the mayor. (Will Gleason for Time Out) What about Access-a-Ride? The MTA has made no such ruling, despite Access-a-Ride customers being among the city's most vulnerable. The MTA is "working on it." (Dana Rubenstein for Politico) Ridership is down 60% on the subways and 90% on commuter trains and the MTA is seeking a $4 billion federal bailout. (Christina Goldbaum for NY Times) This is how we know it's a true problem: Alternate side of the street parking has been suspended. (Adam Nichols for Patch) Here's how takeout alcohol sales work. (Nikita Richardson for Grub Street) $100 a tray for Japanese Hokkaido uni. Omakase boxes starting at $50. Can luxury restaurants go takeout? (Erika Adams for Eater) What is a restaurant? Is the corner store that mostly serves pupusas a restaurant? A close-up with Mirna’s Pupuseria in Flatbush as they face their future in our new reality. (Ligaya Mishan for NY Times) Is it possible to govern while socially distanced? We're getting closer and closer to the due date for the state's budget on April 1 and assemblymembers are being told to keep their distance. (Fred Mogul and Karen De Witt for Gothamist) It's like August in March. The 1% are heading to the Hamptons and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent houses. (Kevin Sun for The Real Deal) There have been a lot of comparisons to the 1918 Spanish Flu when talking about COVID-19, especially when saying that it became dormant in the summer and came back like the evil in the fall. How did NYC survive the 1918 Spanish Flu? (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) The Brooklyn DA will not prosecute low-level offenders to reduce the number of people exposed to COVID-19. (Brooklyn Paper) Video: A walk down a mostly empty Broadway in Astoria. (ActionKid) It is illegal for any store to raise the price for any product or service that could limit the spread of coronavirus by 10% or more. We can thank the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for the new rule to prevent price gouging. (Emily Davenport for amNewYork Metro) If you can ride a bike in the city, there may be a job for you. Whole Foods is looking for cyclists to deliver groceries. (Dave Colon for Streetsblog) By Thursday, the city's capacity for COVID-19 testing will be up to 5,000 tests a day. That doesn't mean that anyone who wants a test will get one, but it means that people who should have been tested already will finally be tested and we can move forward from there. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) If you're working from home and the apartment feels lonely, please remember that you can still foster a dog or cat. (Will Gleason for Time Out) Four players for the Nets have tested positive for COVID-19, including Kevin Durant. (Joe Patorno for amNewYork Metro) Bandcamp is waiving their cut of sales to show support for artists. If you've got a favorite band and want to show some support, go buy some mp3s. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan) Comic book readers: Call your local shop to see if they are accommodating curbside pickup for your new books this week. (George Gene Gustines for NY Times) Photos: You know who doesn't care about the coronavirus? Christo and Amelia, the Tompkins Square hawks. (Laura Goggin Photography) Some people won't ever listen, even if it means putting their entire community's lives at risk. The FDNY broke up a Hasidic wedding in Williamsburg on Tuesday after more than 200 people were in attendance. In the same building, a school was in session. The Times goes out of its way to state that these kinds of events are influenced by the teaching of "extremist leaders" and do not represent the Hasidic community. (Liam Stack and Nate Schweber for NY Times) Headline: "Brooklyn Ultra-Orthodox Community Faces Spike In Coronavirus Infections, Urgent Care Center Confirms" 🤔 (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) The Office of Nightlife is gathering information on the impacts for workers, performers, contractors, and businesses from COVID-19-related business closures and event cancellations. Please fill out the survey. (Nightlife Mayor Ariel Palitz) The Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge have put together a GoFundMe for their 100 staff members. (GoFundMe) Philippe G. Massoud, chef-owner of ilili and ilili Box has a GoFundMe to provide dry and canned foods, diapers and other necessities to his 130 staff and families. I'm not sure how I'm going to keep covering these GoFundMe efforts. There are hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who need help right now. (GoFundMe) If you're connected to a bartender or server or restaurant on social media, no doubt you've seen the requests for tips or support in whatever way is possible. The federal government has created out of thin air an additional $3 trillion-plus to flush into the economy. Where the hell is the help for the service industry? (Chris Crowley for Grub Street) Friday's looking to be a 70-degree day. Here are the 12 largest parks in the city so you can go outside but keep your distance. (Untapped New York) Brief hits: RIP Carolyn Egger, killed by a driver over the weekend in Jackson Heights. The driver was not charged. (Streetsblog) | A virtual tour of the Brooklyn Museum's ‘Studio 54: Night Magic’. (Brooklyn Based) | The fight over the Atlantic Yards is not over. (The Real Deal) | A time-lapse video of the once-in-a-decade Agave titanota's bloom, at the New York Botanical Garden. (Viewing NYC) | The gym ban applies to the gym in your residential building. (The Real Deal) | How to digitally borrow books from the NYPL. (Time Out) | Yes, my band does have a Bandcamp page, thanks for asking. (Bad Bloom) Thanks to reader Zlata for today's featured photo!