Make no mistake. Social distancing has fast become the new catchphrase of 2020. Yet, many Bronxites, from lovers to parents to MTA workers are simply not adhering to the required minimum 6-feet distance from others while in public, nor are they always wearing masks.

 

This, despite recommendations issued by the City’s health department since early April to do exactly that, and despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo eventually doubling the fine from $500 to $1,000 on Apr. 6 for anyone found not keeping their distance from others or not wearing a mask when out in public.

 

On Apr. 20, two lovebirds were spotted conversing intimately on the corner of Van Cortlandt Avenue East. The encounter ended with a romantic kiss, at which point they were interrupted by an annoying reporter.

 

The couple said they were from the same household, and when asked if they were carrying masks, since they were in public, the girl produced hers, which had been wrapped tightly around her wrist while the young male had none.

 

Minutes later a dozen MTA workers wearing bright orange and yellow jackets were spotted outside the Grand Concourse exit of the Kingsbridge Road Station connecting to the D line. The workers were huddled closely together in two groups. The apparent supervisor said his team of men and women were there to clean the subway cars.

 

The supervisor was asked why the workers weren’t following the required social distancing guidelines. “We’re trying to, but we’ve got to sign everyone in,” he said. Apparently, it’s more difficult than it looks.

 

By Apr. 21, it had already been reported that sixty-eight transit workers had died from COVID-19. On Monday, Apr. 27, Shams Tarek, a spokesman for the MTA apologized for not having responded sooner to a request from Norwood News for a comment on the situation involving the MTA workers on the Grand Concourse.

 

He was e-mailed several photos which showed the workers were in breach of the social distancing guidelines. Tarek vowed to look into the incident.

 

Meanwhile, a Bronx grandmother is stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to protecting her grand-daughter. She said her daughter, a resident of Country Club, continues to disregard social distancing guidelines despite warnings from State and City authorities, and is putting her grand-daughter at risk of exposure to the virus.

 

The grandmother, who declined to give her name, said she didn’t want to call the police on her daughter for fear of breaking up the family but was anxious nonetheless. “We have to take social distancing seriously,” she said. “And in New York, it’s common sense to ‘flatten the curve’ or we don’t get better.”

 

She added, “I don’t care about the adults, but the minor children have no voice. They need to do something about the parents that are receiving visitors, and visiting other people.”

 

The grandmother said she had researched the coronavirus topic. “I’ve read so many articles and have learned about it,” she said. “But, it’s all fake numbers, fake stuff. It’s politics. Some people just don’t believe this, and that’s crazy.”

 

 

She added, “I was one of those people who thought it wouldn’t be any worse than the ‘flu, but I woke up to reality and learned this is real.” She said, in her opinion, the situation would get worse before it would get better.

 

On hearing about the grandmother’s concerns, Council Member Fernando Cabrera said, “Wow! That’s rough and that’s the give and take”. Cabrera said it was his prayer that young people would understand that 50 percent of all seniors who contract COVID-19, die. “I mean that’s a crazy number, by the way,” he said. “Young people have died as well.”

 

Cabrera added that he knows people are tired of being confined to their homes. “I’m tired. We were created to be relational and so, I’m affected by this as well, he said. “But this is a period of time that we’re going to look back, and we’re going to have to ask ourselves, ‘Did we do the right things?’. It has to be dictated by love. Love is looking out for other people.”

 

Norwood News reached out to the NYPD to ask if a parent could be charged with child endangerment for not adhering to social distancing guidelines, especially if they continue to breach them repeatedly while a child is with them in the home. The NYPD has not yet responded on the matter.

 

In an effort to highlight the issue, Councilman Mark Gjonaj posted a message on social media on Apr. 18, asking people to send him photos of anyone seen violating social distancing guidelines along with details of the exact locations.

 

Social distancing is the best tool to prevent the spread of covid19 Unfortunately not everyone seems to be in the same page when it comes to it. #ReportSocialDistancingViolations in #D13 take a photo with an exact location & text it to 311-692 or visit https://t.co/xDGTV1FHKj pic.twitter.com/lDh7OoBZ66

— Mark Gjonaj – SIGN & SHARE TO SAVE SMALL BIZ 👇 (@MarkGjonajNY) April 18, 2020

At a food distribution site on Tuesday, May 5 at Throgs Neck Houses, Gjonaj reminded the public of the importance of social distancing.

 

“This is where common sense is needed,” he said. “You need to take care of your family and your self-interest. Do not jeopardize, do not gamble right now. While we have these measures in place, we expect everyone to adhere to them.”