Midnight January 25, 2020, Asian Americans usher in the Lunar New Year of the Metal Rat—representing new beginnings. Two months later, those new beginnings will become misfortunes, in particular for the small businesses of New York City’s Chinatowns. Over the next two weeks Lunar New Year celebrations continued across the city, quieter than usual—brought on by murmurs of a respiratory illness that originated from Wuhan, China—culminating with the almost-cancelled annual parade on February 9 in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Zero positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in New York City.

March 20, 2020, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announces his executive order “New York State on PAUSE,” directing all non-essential businesses statewide to close in-office personnel functions effective at 8PM on March 22, and temporarily banning all non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason. 18,101 total positive COVID-19 cases were reported in New York City.

Fourteen weeks into the Lunar New Year, the fortunes of many have been placed on pause while sheltering-in-place, awaiting that Economic Impact Payment or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance—if they qualify—with an eagerness to return to “normalcy”—before face masks, suspicious stares, and awkward shifts in body movement like a Walking Dead zombie when someone walks towards you, close by you, or next to you. The following photographs are some of what I’ve witnessed over the past fourteen weeks.

Individuals and families visit the American Society of Buddhist Studies temple on Centre Street to burn incense to Budai the “Laughing Buddha” and bow before Guanyin the Goddess of Mercy, wishing for fortune and good health in the new year. Temple assistants pull out batches of incense from the urn, just-lit, barely half-burned, and extinguish them to keep the growing smoke at bay. Will our wishes still come true?

The New York City Council’s Black, Latino & Asian Caucus celebrated Lunar New Year at City Hall. Elected officials, including Councilmember Margaret Chin, have been major supporters of Chinatown businesses, encouraging New Yorkers to shop and dine in the neighborhood over the two week celebration. This was my friend’s first time inside the council chambers.

Days before the Lunar New Year, a five-alarm fire struck 70 Mulberry Street, home to the Chen Dance Center, United East Athletics Associations, CMP (Career Mobility Partnership), and the archives of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). After weeks of inquiry to the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and a planned protest rally, tenant organizations were finally let back into the building on March 8 to retrieve their belongings, including precious historical documents and artifacts. DCAS has stated that 70 Mulberry Street will be demolished and rebuilt.

Price gouging on certain items or services, such as face masks, needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 is illegal. Hong Kong Supermarket on Hester Street was among those charged in early April by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and faces fines up to $70,000. You can report price gouging online, https://portal.311.nyc.gov.

The last time my friends and I had dinner and drinks together was March 15. The very next day, New York implemented rules that prevented restaurants and bars from providing dine-in service, but allow for takeout and delivery.

At the start, Chinatown had over 110 eateries open for takeout and delivery. As of late April, only 42 are still operating, according to the Chinatown Partnership’s daily updated list, www.chinatown.nyc/open-essential-businesses.

Although the city is on PAUSE, people can still go outside for recreational exercise to stave off quarantine fatigue. On weekends I usually run 10K across the Manhattan Bridge from Chinatown to DUMBO, Brooklyn. To maintain proper social distancing, I decided to change-up my routine and route to 5K up along East River Park.

Running with a face mask is difficult but gets easier with each run. In April, Governor Cuomo issued an executive order requiring everyone to wear a face mask/covering when out in public due to the possibility of spreading the virus even without exhibiting any symptoms. Not everyone has followed that order yet.

New York City will distribute 100,000 free face coverings over the first weekend of May.

Clean Streets ambassadors, considered essential workers, continue to clean the streets of Chinatown and keep an eye out for suspicious activity during PAUSE. Overall crime in the city is down, but store robberies have increased by 75 percent.

Several restaurants have donated lunch to the ambassadors as thanks for their hard work, facilitated by a newly formed group, Heart for Dinner—which has also donated meals to seniors at the Chinese-American Planning Council.

Taking a Friday afternoon stroll along a desolate Fifth Avenue, I spotted workers plastering Governor Cuomo’s slogan for New York during this public health crisis, onto where the ice skating rink would be during the holiday season at Rockefeller Center. Stay #NewYorkTough everyone.

Grocery shopping has become difficult over the past few weeks for residents in Flushing, Queens as supermarkets close. However, some have begun to reopen recently. SkyFoods on College Point Blvd. has been shuttered since late March due to staffing issues—cashiers fearing their own safety, even with personal protective equipment and monetary incentives. The supermarket still opens up for its business customers, but slowly finds its shelves becoming un-stocked of new inventory.

Friday night, the sun hasn’t set, the streets are quiet except for the sound of passing traffic. A mask-less couple walks along the Bowery holding hands, carrying the takeout dinner they just purchased in Chinatown. Heading northbound on my way home, I wonder to myself what dating will look like in the age of COVID-19? Instead of flowers and chocolates, do we now gift masks and toilet paper? “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”

Food insecurity has been an issue for low-income communities. In Chinatown, 46 Mott has begun serving 100+ free daily meals to anyone in need of a hot meal and beverage. New York State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou spent her Sunday pouring hot tea for individuals lined up around the corner in the rain for something to eat.

New York City provides free meals for all individuals, weekdays, at over 400 distribution sites, www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/free-meals.

Anti-Asian harassment and attacks have been on the rise even before the first confirmed positive case of COVID-19 in New York City. Because of this, the Guardian Angels, a volunteer group, began making street patrols around Chinatown in early March.

The New York City Commission on Human Rights has received 248 reports of COVID-19-related discrimination since February, 42 percent of them anti-Asian incidents. I was harassed on the subway for wearing a face mask.

It’s now May, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The 41st annual heritage festival hosted by the Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans has been cancelled. As of May 6, 2020, New York State continues to be on PAUSE until May 15, pending further evaluation by the governor.

14,005 New Yorkers city-wide have died so far.

---

Notes
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,COVID-19: Data, www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page