“It is the most absurd thing ever to wear masks during games and practices or any other athletic event,” said  Cinque Stephens, an NYU basketball point guard. “As athletes we’re required to be vaccinated yet we have to show a “Vax Pass” to get into facilities.”

The CDC, highly recommends for vaccinated people to continue to wear a mask in public indoor settings. They also suggest that universal indoor mask wearing in a school setting, including visitors, is highly effective. 

NYU’s basketball season was canceled last year and this year they are required to wear masks at all times while participating in any activity in the Palladium, their campus training facility.

“From the second you walk in until you leave your mask is forbidden to drop below your nose,” said Stephens.  

Stephens said his concerns stem from watching  his teammate almost pass out while working out because they can’t breath with masks on. The school is essentially forcing you to get vaccinated which he believes  is a violation of freedom of choice.

While the NYU tennis team is not required to wear a mask while practicing on the court indoors, they must immediately put a mask on upon exiting the court. Teammates must wear  a mask in the van when heading to practice at their Randall Island facility.

“It is too hard to wear a mask while you play, too hard to get oxygen and way easier to overheat,”said Lucy Avant,  an NYU tennis player.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it is completely safe to wear a mask while exercising and their research showed that your heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, oxygen level and time of exhaustion are not outstandingly affected during physical activity. 

Guard/ forward from Wagner College, Kate Tokuhara is ready for her first season back since with fans and spectators. Photo by Melissa Wright

At Wagner University in Staten Island, vaccines are required, masks are required in the weight and training room,  but not during practice on the court. 

“We should not have to wear a mask during games and practices because we are already a contact sport so I feel like a mask won’t make much of a difference,” said Kate Tokuhara, a guard on their basketball team. ”Also, it is very difficult to run with a mask on.”

Jasmine Matthews, a forward on the NYU women’s basketball team said that wearing a mask is tough, but bearable. 

“Of course they are hard to breathe out of especially when your heart rate starts going and you’re doing a lot of activity,” she said.  “But I think a lot of us have gotten used to them.” 

 Matthews said she is excited about returning to the court for the first time since the pandemic struck in March 2020 and she will wear her mask with pride.

The post Some college athletes struggle under their masks appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The rally’s attendance was limited to members of the press, a few essential workers and a COVID-19 survivor. 

That Biden is delivering his entire speech in Grand Rapids with a mask on speaks volumes more than any remarks he’s delivering, and he knows it.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 2, 2020

Matt Hoffman, a grocery worker and resident of Imlay City, Michigan stood at the  podium  and urged people to vote Biden for a better America regardless of their political party. He also spoke about the impact of the pandemic on essential workers.

“I live in a small town and our community has been devastated by COVID-19 and the damage it has done to our economy,” he said.“Over these many months, there is not a day that goes by where workers like me are not putting our lives on the line.”

Across Michigan, essential workers have been at the forefront of the pandemic with very few receiving hazard pay. 

Biden’s trip to Grand Rapids, was his second visit to the state in less than a month. Before he commenced his  20 minute speech, he confirmed that he had been tested twice for COVID-19, and received negative results on both occasions. He also sent well wishes to Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, who had recently tested positive for the virus.  

“I hope that all of those fighting the virus, including the first family, rapidly recover,” said Biden.

The rally  comes on the heels of his abrasive debate session with the President. Biden, who tested negative, urged Americans to be patriotic and wear masks. 

“It’s not about being a tough guy,” he said.

Biden said that the President’s diagnosis showed the importance of taking the virus more seriously.

Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus after months of downplaying its danger, aroused confusion in the political world and fears among his aides that his diagnosis would backfire among voters and result in a political disaster, further dampening his chances of winning.

Biden sounding like a President-in-waiting at Grand Rapids. Not since Zorro has anyone drawn so much power from wearing a mask.

— Matthew d’Ancona (@MatthewdAncona) October 2, 2020

Biden currently leads Trump in the Michigan polls by 6.7 points as of today.

The primary goal of his rally was to discuss his “Build Back Better” economic plan, and his target audience was the middle class as well as essential workers who were on the frontlines of the workforce during the pandemic. Acknowledging the turbulence of the current times, Biden urged all Americans to unite.

“This cannot be a partisan moment. It must be an American moment. We have to come together as a nation,” said Biden. “Let’s get the heck up, and remember who in God’s name we are. This is the United States of America. There is nothing beyond our capacity.”

The rally was held in Kent County which is a suburban area  and a former republican stronghold that is turning democratic because of its increasingly growing and diverse population.

During his rally, Biden touched on familiar themes of   taxes, job creation, medicare, social security, child care and the economy. He also referenced the recently released job report, acknowledging that the jobs  created were insufficient.

“I do understand that this is a scary time, an uncertain time. I understand and I see you because I see the world from Scranton Pennsylvania where I grew up. A lot like Grand Rapids,” said Biden. 

Biden addressed essential workers again and promised them an increase in their wages if he won the presidency.

“For essential workers, we are not just going to praise you, we are going to pay you,” said Biden to the audience of frontline workers.

Hamadi Baccar, a democrat  and Michigan resident  said that Biden would make good on his promise by creating jobs through his economic plan.

“Increasing the pay to $15/hr will go a long way for people to lead better lives,” said Baccar. 

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Physician’s Assistant student, Paige Bowser, questions President Trump’s commitment to the safety of the American people after holding a large in-person, indoor rally in Nevada on September 13, 2020. Photo by Paige Bowser

“He [Trump] knows exactly what is going on,” said Paige Bowser, 26, a physician’s assistant student at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. “If he can’t put above his own wants and needs for this next election, then he doesn’t have the country’s best interest in mind.” 

Trump has rarely been seen in public wearing a mask, although the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the practice as crucial to slowing the spread of coronavirus back in March. It was reported that President Trump had expressed concerns of appearing “ridiculous” if he was to be seen masked — a sentiment which Leah Wainstock, 26, a registered nurse in Olathe, Kansas, took issue with. 

“In my mind, I say, ‘well Mr. President, I wear a mask and it makes me strong so that I can do my job and take care of people,’” said Wainstock. “As the president, he should be setting an example, and I think he hasn’t…” 

President Trump has not followed CDC guidelines for face-covering, and social-distancing measures by holding large in-person, indoor campaign rallies, such as the September 13th rally in Henderson, Nevada. The rally brought together over 6,000 attendees, most of whom were unmasked and in very close proximity to each other. 

Paige Bowser has little faith that the President’s intentions were good. 

“It makes it hard to believe that he truly cares about the wellbeing of the citizens of the United States if he is holding a rally like that,” she said. 

Registered nurse, Leah Wainstock, sees Trump’s intentional downplaying of the coronavirus as cowardly. Photo courtesy of Leah Wainstock

Trump has also chosen to intentionally downplay the coronavirus to the American public which was recently exposed by journalist Bob Woodward. This has also affected his reputation among healthcare workers. 

“If American people are dying, wouldn’t you as the sitting president want to do everything you could to protect your country?” said Wainstock. “I think it shows he’s a coward.” 

Xavier Bledsoe, 26, a medical student currently pursuing a double PhD and MD degree in Tennessee, believes Trump’s intentional deception stemmed from apathy toward the nation’s most vulnerable. 

Xavier Bledsoe, a student pursuing a double phD and MD degree, views the Trump administration’s dissemination of misinformation as comparable to the misinformation spread by anti-vaxxers. Photo by Xavier Bledsoe

“There are a couple of reasons…one of which is a lack of concern for the disenfranchised, the poor, and minorities…when the research came out that those are the groups that are predominantly harmed by Covid, the push from the White House came to open things back up again, against the CDC’s recommendations,” said Bledsoe. 

Bledsoe also expressed disdain for Dr. Scott Atlas, President Trump’s newest Coronavirus Taskforce Advisor.

“I am really disappointed that someone who is a member of this profession that carries a tremendous amount of responsibility, would use that responsibility poorly, in supporting policies that are not in the best interest of the people,” he said. 

Dr. Atlas, while highly praised by Trump, has been criticized by the scientific and medical communities for perpetuating falsities about coronavirus and the pandemic. He has, against expert consensus, proposed herd immunity as a possible solution to the rapid Covid spread, advocating for states to further open. 

For Bledsoe, the handling of the virus by the Trump administration is comparable to anti-vaxxer parents. 

“These are victims of misinformation, both in the case of children contracting preventable illnesses [from not being vaccinated], and also patients who contract covid,” he said “….they have heard misinformation and believed it and acted in a way that they thought was ideal but actually was not. So the people who are disseminating this information are responsible for those outcomes.” 

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But the cultural clash on masks and the xenophobia linked to contagious diseases fueled the rise of  anti-Asian sentiment. Wearing a face mask became a stigma  for Asian people in this country, but many continued to wear one to protect their health and the health of their community. 

 Here are photos of  Asians and Asian Americans  wearing face masks in March, 2020 in the city.

A masked man with his loaded handcart walks in the golden hour in Flushing, Queens. Photo by Bohao Liu

The fruit vendor in a white coat and behind a white mask in Chinatown, Manhattan. Photo by Bohao Liu

Wearing masks near a fruit stand in Flushing, Queens. Photo by Bohao Li

Crossing the street in Flushing, Queens. Photo by Bohao Liu

A butcher wears a mask in Chinatown, Manhattan. Photo by Bohao Liu

A woman sits with a mask on in Chinatown, Manhattan. Photo by Bohao Liu

A  worker wears a mask in Chinatown, Manhattan. Photo by Bohao Liu

Passersby wearing masks in Chinatown, Manhattan. Photo by Bohao Liu

Two cooks behind the roast meat and masks in Chinatown, Manhattan. Photo by Bohao Liu

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Employees at Brookyn’s New Lab could choose to wear a “proximity sensor” that buzzes whenever other colleagues get closer than 6 feet. Wearing a sensor is optional. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

Brooklyn’s New Lab employees can wear a proximity sensor, which is locked into a chest harness. It gives out a vibration feedback if participants get too close to each other. This could be escalated to auditory alerts if two people are walking within six feet of each other. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

At the front desk of New Lab in Brooklyn, the proximity sensors are separated into “clean” and “used”. Movement data is collected and analyzed by the company for future prevention. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

At New Lab in Brooklyn, face covering is required in common areas. Signs are set up for keeping people bearing “social distancing” in mind. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

New Lab, the Brooklyn-based tech hub also changes its bathroom capacity by only allowing three people entering at one time. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

Foodcellar, a local grocery store at Long Island City, requires cloth face coverings or masks for entry. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

Hygiene stations are set up in the common area at an apartment building called “Watermark” in Long Island City. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

A person sanitizes their hands at the hygiene station at the Watermark building in Long Island City. July 7. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

Long Island City’s Watermark apartment building posts social distancing guidelines. Photo by Joanna Lin Su

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 Since January, Singapore’s government has conducted three rounds of mask distribution for its residents. During the first 10-day collection period in February, each household could collect up to four disposable surgical masks. 

On April 3, the country’s government reversed its policy discouraging the use of masks after seeing a surge of community cases and a change in WHO guidelines. Qualms over surgical mask shortage after the announcement was quickly dismissed by a new round of mask distribution. This time, reusable and washable. 

This third round of mask collection was announced three weeks before collection started, when the country’s government announced plans for gradual reopening in May. The new reusable masks “are made of at least three layers of material, with a filtration efficiency of at least 95%, even after 30 washes,” according to the government’s website. 

“All the reusable masks, although is reusable, is not reusable for eternity,” trade and industry minister Chan Chun Sing said during a video interview on May 6. The durability of the earlier version of government distributed reusable masks was not mentioned in April. 

Aside from manual collection booths manned by government organized volunteers and staff, 24-hour vending machines are also installed for collection. Residents in Singapore, including foreign workers and students, can collect one reusable mask each using local identification.  

In more densely-populated communities, volunteers and staff are deployed near vending machines to assist residents. Residents had to first go through temperature screening and contact tracing before collecting their masks either manually or from vending machines. 

Meanwhile, reusable and washable masks are also sold in Singapore’s supermarkets. Razer, a US tech firm, also gave out surgical masks to adult users of Razer Pay using 20 vending machines set up across the island.

A row of mask distribution machines at Tampines Hub, Singapore. May 29, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

Data collection and exchange policy disclaimers before a row of machines. May 29, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

Two of the machines lie within a newly-built public housing complex, next to a temporary location of a community club. Bilingual signs directing residents to the machines are pasted on the ground level of several flats in the complex. May 28, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

Some Singaporeans or permanent residents collecting masks on behalf of their foreign family members, younger children and domestic helpers face difficulties at the machine. They turned to manual collection after collecting their own masks. May 28, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

A woman selects her mask from the mask distribution machine. May 28, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

A woman scans her IC (national identity card) for collection. May 28, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

A sheltered set-up of machines outside a community club in Simei, Singapore. 29 May, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

A staff member from the community club assists a resident with mask collection. 29 May, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

A staff member from the community club assists a resident with mask collection. 29 May, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

The machine display and instructions attached to the machine at Bedok, Singapore. 28 May, 2020. Photo by Yifan Yu

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But weeks before this became mandatory, people wearing it were mostly from the Asian American community which made them targets of racist attacks, when people assumed they had the disease as fears about the coronavirus spread.

Since the directive came into effect on April 17, 2020, more people in Brooklyn have adjusted to this new face covering lifestyle when stepping out. While most people are wearing surgical masks, others are making their own face mask from colorful fabrics and some are going all out with full face respirators which is required in a hazardous environment.  

However, as more people are using the masks and disposable gloves to protect themselves from the virus, the more these single use items are littering the streets.

Health experts warn of the danger posed by getting into contact with contaminated protective gears if not properly disposed of.  Environmentalists also say if not checked these PPEs could become an environmental hazard adding up to the plastic pollution long after coronavirus is eradicated.

Astor Place Subway Station, Manhattan. March 31, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A woman wears a mask she describes as fancy with a Chanel logo. Quincy Street, Brooklyn. April 28, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

Outside the entry way of a grocery store where a delivery truck had just pulled out. Kossuth Place, Brooklyn. March 31, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A woman wears her homemade mask. Broadway, Brooklyn. April 22, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

People’s Garden. Greene avenue, Brooklyn. March 31, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A woman wears two face masks, a grey one on top of a surgical mask. Quincy Street, Brooklyn. April 28, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

Broadway, Brooklyn. March 31, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A woman improvises with a sleep mask. Green Avenue, Bushwick. April 22, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

Spring flowers are beginning to bloom. Grove Street, Brooklyn. April 11, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A man in a full-face respirator waits in line in front of a grocery shop. Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn. April 22, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

Glove and cigarette butt discarded on the street. Patchen Avenue, Brooklyn. April 28, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A woman wears a face shield and surgical face mask for ‘double protection’ against the coronavirus. Broadway, Brooklyn. April 22, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

The wind carries a white glove over another on a sidewalk. Quincy Street, Brooklyn. April 28, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

A man wears a homemade face mask on his way to get some groceries. Broadway, Brooklyn. April 22, 2020. Photo by Narkwor Kwabla

This is a project of Lori Grinker’s NYU graduate photojournalism class.

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Governor Andrew Coumo announced today an executive order ordering people in the state of New York to wear masks or mouth and nose coverings in public spaces where they cannot maintain social distance. This will go into effect in three days.

At his daily press conference, Cuomo explained this includes places such as crowded streets, public transportation, busy neighborhoods and anywhere else where people can’t maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other individuals.

Disobeying  this rule will not subject anyone to civil penalties, at least for the time being.

“You’re not gonna go to jail for not wearing a mask,” Cuomo said. “We haven’t seen flagrant non-compliance.”

However, the governor maintained that that might just change if people don’t comply with the new rule and added that New Yorkers themselves would likely act if they see someone disregarding the rule.

Last week, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy announced a similar measure, ordering everyone to wear a mask in grocery stores.

New York is flattening the curve, with hospitalizations and intubations going down, but the state is still experiencing an average of 2000 new coronavirus cases per day. In total, there have been a total of over 100,000  confirmed cases and 10,000 deaths.

Cuomo said that the healthcare situation has stabilized, with New York having increased its healthcare capacity by 50% in one month. Two weeks ago, Cuomo called out for health professionals in other states to come in and offer their help. And at least 90,000 retired and active health care workers have come to aid in the battle, including 25,000 from outside New York.

“The fear of overwhelming the health care system has not happened,” Cuomo said today.

The state is now giving away a total of 100 ventilators to Michigan and 50 to Maryland, both states that have been experiencing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.

However, the fight is long from being over.

“We’re still in the woods,” he said. “Just because that number has plateaued, doesn’t mean it anytime to relax what we’re doing.

But, in good news, the governor said the numbers show that we can change the curve and control the spread.

Cuomo also touched on the reopening of the economy,  which he projected to take around 18 months, when a vaccine for the coronavirus is expected to be approved.

“I say it’s over when we have a vaccine,” Cuomo said.

Capitalizing on the completion of the Tappan Zee Bridge, which he campaigned on back in 2010, he said that we have to build a bridge from today to the “new normal”. He also offered up New York as a testing ground for a future vaccine.

It will be a “phased reopening” as  New York, could still see an increase in infection rate, if social distancing measures are lifted too soon, Cuomo said.

This phased reopening would be based on a model that would take into consideration two main criteria: how essencial a business is and what the risk of infection within the work environment is.

Reopening the economy will rest fundamentally on large-scale testing, Cuomo said. Everything from diagnostic to antibody, saliva, finger prick and blood sampling. So far New York has conducted a total of 500,000 tests, but Cuomo hopes that a yet to be approved by the FDA test could improve the numbers to up to 100,000 a day. The New York population is over 19 million.

Pointing to what happened earlier on with state and federal governments fighting over ventilators, the governor warned against a repeat of this with testing.

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