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At the Library, Last Call for Beauty and Books At the Library, Last Call for Beauty and Books
(32 minutes later)
New York has been roiled with closures of cultural institutions since the effort to stop the coronavirus kicked into high gear last week.New York has been roiled with closures of cultural institutions since the effort to stop the coronavirus kicked into high gear last week.
But for a certain kind of New Yorker, the news on Friday that the New York Public Library would be closing the soaring Rose Main Reading Room in its 42nd Street flagship — along with its 91 other locations across Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx — at least until April 1 caused a special kind of sadness and alarm.But for a certain kind of New Yorker, the news on Friday that the New York Public Library would be closing the soaring Rose Main Reading Room in its 42nd Street flagship — along with its 91 other locations across Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx — at least until April 1 caused a special kind of sadness and alarm.
The Rose reading room, lined with two levels of bookshelves and huge arched windows overlooking Bryant Park, is one of the great spaces of New York. It’s a Grand Central Terminal for the bookish, complete with (in more ordinary times) crowds of tourists snapping photos from a designated zone near the entrance.The Rose reading room, lined with two levels of bookshelves and huge arched windows overlooking Bryant Park, is one of the great spaces of New York. It’s a Grand Central Terminal for the bookish, complete with (in more ordinary times) crowds of tourists snapping photos from a designated zone near the entrance.
The room, an interior landmark stretching the length of two city blocks, is a place to consult some of the 18 million volumes in the research collection, use the computers, do homework, or simply stare up at the magnificent 52-foot coffered ceilings with murals of pink-streaked clouds. It’s one of the city’s rare bits of luxurious transcendence that is truly open to all.The room, an interior landmark stretching the length of two city blocks, is a place to consult some of the 18 million volumes in the research collection, use the computers, do homework, or simply stare up at the magnificent 52-foot coffered ceilings with murals of pink-streaked clouds. It’s one of the city’s rare bits of luxurious transcendence that is truly open to all.
“For some people, their getaway is the beach or a spa,” said Lyubov Ginzburg, an independent scholar who had rushed over to consult a few books on Friday after she heard about the closing. “For me, it’s the library.”“For some people, their getaway is the beach or a spa,” said Lyubov Ginzburg, an independent scholar who had rushed over to consult a few books on Friday after she heard about the closing. “For me, it’s the library.”
At 3 p.m., three hours before closing, the reading room was hardly deserted. But the crowds were markedly thin, several regulars said, compared with the roughly 5,000 who visit each day, according to the library’s statistics. (There has been a 15 percent drop since March 1, the library said.)At 3 p.m., three hours before closing, the reading room was hardly deserted. But the crowds were markedly thin, several regulars said, compared with the roughly 5,000 who visit each day, according to the library’s statistics. (There has been a 15 percent drop since March 1, the library said.)
Some seemed to be taking a languorous approach to the crisis. In the northern section of the room, reserved for researchers, one young man was dozing with his head on the table, next to a splayed-open copy of “500 Great Military Leaders of World History.” In another corner, a man was munching contraband doughnuts from a plastic carton. (Food is forbidden.)Some seemed to be taking a languorous approach to the crisis. In the northern section of the room, reserved for researchers, one young man was dozing with his head on the table, next to a splayed-open copy of “500 Great Military Leaders of World History.” In another corner, a man was munching contraband doughnuts from a plastic carton. (Food is forbidden.)
But mostly, people were busy, some with the bookish equivalent of the panicked rush that has emptied some grocery stores around town.But mostly, people were busy, some with the bookish equivalent of the panicked rush that has emptied some grocery stores around town.
“I’m sorry, time is of the essence,” said Lenore Beaky, a retired English professor at LaGuardia Community College, when asked if she had a few minutes to talk.“I’m sorry, time is of the essence,” said Lenore Beaky, a retired English professor at LaGuardia Community College, when asked if she had a few minutes to talk.
She relented when asked about the stack of books in front of her, including one called “Heaven: A History.” For the past few months, she had been coming to the library a few times a week to work on a project that was jump-started by the discovery of a previously unknown letter by Anna Mary Howitt, a 19th-century British feminist she had discussed in her long-ago Ph.D. dissertation.She relented when asked about the stack of books in front of her, including one called “Heaven: A History.” For the past few months, she had been coming to the library a few times a week to work on a project that was jump-started by the discovery of a previously unknown letter by Anna Mary Howitt, a 19th-century British feminist she had discussed in her long-ago Ph.D. dissertation.
“I see we’ll have digital access for a lot,” she said of the closure. “But I’m not happy, I’m afraid.”“I see we’ll have digital access for a lot,” she said of the closure. “But I’m not happy, I’m afraid.”
Tablets and laptops predominated (including some perched on angled, posture-improving lecterns). But some patrons, like Ms. Beaky, had old-fashioned piles of dead-tree matter, wrapped with request slips bearing their names.Tablets and laptops predominated (including some perched on angled, posture-improving lecterns). But some patrons, like Ms. Beaky, had old-fashioned piles of dead-tree matter, wrapped with request slips bearing their names.
One of them, Daniel Winocour, when asked if he was a scholar, shrugged. He has been coming to the library every day, he said, since retiring as a reference librarian at the Queens Public Library. (The Queens and Brooklyn public library systems, which are separate, had remained open, but on Sunday evening they announced that they too would close, starting Monday.)One of them, Daniel Winocour, when asked if he was a scholar, shrugged. He has been coming to the library every day, he said, since retiring as a reference librarian at the Queens Public Library. (The Queens and Brooklyn public library systems, which are separate, had remained open, but on Sunday evening they announced that they too would close, starting Monday.)
Mr. Winocour was reading the ancient Greek historian Polybius, in the original, with the help of Liddell and Scott’s famous Greek-English lexicon.Mr. Winocour was reading the ancient Greek historian Polybius, in the original, with the help of Liddell and Scott’s famous Greek-English lexicon.
“I have the abridged Liddell and Scott at home,” he said. “But some of the words Polybius uses aren’t in it.”“I have the abridged Liddell and Scott at home,” he said. “But some of the words Polybius uses aren’t in it.”
Mr. Winocour, who has a master's degree in linguistics, said his main research project concerned the Bronze Age. And oh, he also had a stack of Russian dictionaries. “I’ve been trying to read Chekhov,” he said.Mr. Winocour, who has a master's degree in linguistics, said his main research project concerned the Bronze Age. And oh, he also had a stack of Russian dictionaries. “I’ve been trying to read Chekhov,” he said.
Asked about camaraderie, Mr. Winocour said regulars would sometimes nod at each other in recognition, but generally there was not a lot of chitchat. Danny Wong, a freelance architect who works there several days a week, seconded the assessment.Asked about camaraderie, Mr. Winocour said regulars would sometimes nod at each other in recognition, but generally there was not a lot of chitchat. Danny Wong, a freelance architect who works there several days a week, seconded the assessment.
“We practice a kind of social distancing already,” Mr. Wong said. “When you come here, you’re in isolation but still in proximity to other people.”“We practice a kind of social distancing already,” Mr. Wong said. “When you come here, you’re in isolation but still in proximity to other people.”
Updated June 30, 2020
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
But soon, even more distance would be required. About an hour before the 6 p.m. closing, the sun dipped below the top of the huge arched windows, and golden light came streaming in. One woman in the researcher section, who would give her name only as Alexa, got up to snap some surreptitious smartphone photos and started to leave.But soon, even more distance would be required. About an hour before the 6 p.m. closing, the sun dipped below the top of the huge arched windows, and golden light came streaming in. One woman in the researcher section, who would give her name only as Alexa, got up to snap some surreptitious smartphone photos and started to leave.
She had just moved to the city from Chicago, and had come in Friday for the first time, looking for interior design books she couldn’t find in any local bookstores. After the closure, she said, she’d be back.She had just moved to the city from Chicago, and had come in Friday for the first time, looking for interior design books she couldn’t find in any local bookstores. After the closure, she said, she’d be back.
“It’s quiet, it’s beautiful, nobody’s going to bother you,” she said. “What more could you ask for?”“It’s quiet, it’s beautiful, nobody’s going to bother you,” she said. “What more could you ask for?”
Right before last call, Ms. Beaky returned her stack of books to the desk, where requests are moved up and down from a book bunker underneath Bryant Park via a cute red trolley. “I got through them all,” she said, with a look of relief.Right before last call, Ms. Beaky returned her stack of books to the desk, where requests are moved up and down from a book bunker underneath Bryant Park via a cute red trolley. “I got through them all,” she said, with a look of relief.
Did she have enough at home to continue her research?Did she have enough at home to continue her research?
“At first, I was panicked I wouldn’t have enough to do,” she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “But I think it will be O.K.”“At first, I was panicked I wouldn’t have enough to do,” she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “But I think it will be O.K.”