BY DONATHAN SALKALN | At what point does the safety of New York City tenants, employees, and delivery people supersede building management’s refusal to share apartment numbers of those who either died of, or have tested positive for, COVID-19? Why shouldn’t residents know if those apartments might have residents who are still using the hallways and elevators, talking to friends, or staff, while leaving a trail of the disease? And what if there is an emergency, like a leaking pipe, and a worker rushes into an apartment not knowing COVID-19 status of its occupants? It could be like entering a microscopic snake pit.

This has become a hazard—not only for front-line food distribution organizer Miguel Acevedo, president of the Fulton Houses Tenant Association, but for all who follow his lead in helping the needy. Acevedo is heading up the delivery of essentials to Fulton Houses’ elderly tenants, and in those in need who can’t leave their apartments due to the severity of the disease. Those performing such services have no idea what they might run into.

“Six people have died in Fulton Houses, yet NYCHA [New York City Housing Authority] is not telling us anything,” said Acevedo, who has a keen ear to anything concerning Fulton. “The Federal Government won’t let NYCHA give out any information. They are enforcing the privacy rights of the tenants. We don’t know who died, or what apartment they lived in. We need to go to those floors and give them a good cleaning.”

Acevedo, his words resonating beyond his cloth mask, added, “Normally, we would find out about a death within hours. Families would notify us and posters would go up in memory. But with the virus, it’s different. No one’s talking, and NYCHA won’t even give out phone numbers so we can call seniors about deliveries of food.”

Food distribution at NYCHA’s Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea Houses is being coordinated by the tenant associations, New York City Council Speaker (and Chelsea’s Councilmember) Corey Johnson, his Chief of Staff, Erik Bottcher, and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, with the backing of Manhattan Borough President Gail Brewer, New York State Senator Robert Jackson, New York State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, and U.S. Congressmember Jerrold Nadler.

Said Bottcher, “We’re getting truckloads of pantry boxes and produce from City Harvest, Fresh Direct, and others. The Dream Center has been coming once a week and distributing food at the Elliott-Chelsea Houses. [Church of the] Holy Apostles, near Elliott-Chelsea, has been giving out so much food each day.”

Using information from the New York registered voters database that includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, Speaker Johnson is circumventing the red tape, and setting up a “Phone Calls to Seniors” phone bank of volunteers to reach out to Chelsea’s elders, who may be in need. Said Bottcher, “NYCHA will soon be sending out a robocall to all its tenants, asking those in need to respond. That call will capture more people for this program.” Bottcher assured Chelsea Community News that all were being called, no matter what party they belonged to.

One virtual phone bank volunteer, Evelyn Suarez, a longtime Fulton Houses resident and former Vice President of the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, told this reporter she has only twice ventured out of her apartment during the epidemic. “I’m scared. Some people are not wearing masks and gloves and they came into the elevator. I had to leave. It’s like they don’t know how serious this is,” she said, adding, “The place is dirty, and the kids are still running around.”

Suarez gave me a sampling of her volunteer effort: “Over a couple of days, I’ve made over 45 calls. The majority aren’t home or don’t answer their phone… Those that answered said that they had family members delivering food, and thanked us for all were doing. But some said that they needed the food donations. I passed the information to Miguel Acevedo, and food hopefully got there.”

Lack of communication, like wind to a forest fire, spreads this deadly disease, resulting in tenants seeing clusters of ambulance visits to one address. Lack of any communication isn’t limited to Fulton Houses and its 945 apartments. At Penn South, with 2,820 apartments, Charles Bayor, Chair of the Penn South Co-op Council, said, “There are scattered reports of one or two in individual buildings —which I urged to report to the building management.” At the Elliott-Chelsea Housing campus, which includes 589 apartments, Darlene Waters, President of the Elliott-Chelsea Houses Tenants’ Association, said, “I haven’t heard of any cases of sickness or death related to the coronavirus.”

One tenant, who preferred to remain anonymous, lives in tall high-rise, with a doorman. He told me there have been multiple deaths in his building and three tenants are currently in quarantine. He learned this through tidbits of information—some from those peering out of their windows, seeing EMS pick-ups, and other information from the doormen. (What’s a twenty-dollar tip to a doorman, when lifesaving information might be found out?)

Shockingly, he learned that one infected COVID-19 victim had been passing him multiple times in the hall, when he was going downstairs to get his mail. “She’s an elderly woman, and she’s now in the hospital on a respirator. They say she is recovering and will soon be released. The question is, will she be coming back to this building, or be going to a nursing rehab center to get her strength back? Also, I’ve been told that roommates of those quarantined have been using the elevators.”

In early March, this reporter’s co-op board was provided with a comprehensive COVID-19 plan by the building’s management company, Solstice Residential Group. The plan would protect the welfare and safety of residents and workers at our two landmarked brownstones in Chelsea. Solstice, which manages over 5,000 units citywide, sent out letters to tenants explaining how they will handle COVID-19.

The plan’s protocol: Upon learning of tenant testing positive for COVI-19, Solstice will verbally communicate with the superintendent and/or building services staff, advising them “(i) that a positive COVID-19 case exists within the building (ii) the identity of the COVID-19 positive resident and (iii) staff requirements for enhanced environmental cleaning and disinfecting protocols as established by the CDC. This would protect building services employees who may have work related duties that may put them in direct or indirect contact with the affected resident (i.e. emergency entry into the apartment of an affected resident).”

As an industrial hygienist, combined with a Master’s degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Solstice CEO Alex Kalajian understood the potential impact that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have on building operations. “We mobilized sufficiently early enough in recommending to our clients for the closure of building amenities including gyms, playrooms and pools,” said Kalajian, “as well as establishing protocols for limitations on large scale movements into and out of our managed buildings.”

Kalajian continued, noting, “We also purchased early on, and in bulk, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and gallons of 70% alcohol and Aloe Vera gel for mixing. We centrally stored these crucial supplies in one of our upper west side buildings and invited all of our superintendents to pick up proportionately allocated supplies on an as needed basis.”

Added 75th Assembly District Leader and lawyer, Sylvia Di Pietro, “Tenants’ associations interact with the landlord, but they don’t have a legal responsibility in this. Ultimately it is the landlord that is to protect the welfare and safety of their tenants… You see the governor on TV every day. It’s the same way with him. The governor’s obligation is to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of New York State, and the mayor’s obligation is to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of New York City. It trickles down no matter where you live.”

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