'From White Gloves to Latex, the Doormen of New York' diff viewer (13/14)

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From White Gloves to Latex, the Doormen of New York	From White Gloves to Latex, the Doormen of New York
2020-07-02 19:26:53 UTC	2020-07-02 22:14:34 UTC (about 3 hours later)
They are the white-gloved sentries, standing guard at New York City’s better addresses, so signature a feature of life here that we tend to forget that in other metropolitan centers like Paris, London, Chicago or Boston uniformed doormen (and, less often, women) barely exist.	They are the white-gloved sentries, standing guard at New York City’s better addresses, so signature a feature of life here that we tend to forget that in other metropolitan centers like Paris, London, Chicago or Boston uniformed doormen (and, less often, women) barely exist.
They form a small army, some 35,000 residential doormen, concierges, porters, handymen and supers represented by a powerful union, 32BJ. They open doors, of course, load cars, receive packages, pass dogs off to professional walkers and in general make themselves indispensable to an ease of life many in this demanding town take for granted.	They form a small army, some 35,000 residential doormen, concierges, porters, handymen and supers represented by a powerful union, 32BJ. They open doors, of course, load cars, receive packages, pass dogs off to professional walkers and in general make themselves indispensable to an ease of life many in this demanding town take for granted.
Yet as protectors of the border between public and private, doormen play a role crucial to the currents of the metropolis, one never more evident than now when the front line of a global pandemic is one’s threshold.	Yet as protectors of the border between public and private, doormen play a role crucial to the currents of the metropolis, one never more evident than now when the front line of a global pandemic is one’s threshold.
“Yes, it’s a job, but we also try to keep the building as a home,” said Alberto Ventura, 65, who has worked the door at the same Park Avenue building for 42 years. “With the virus, we’re trying to take it a day at a time and be as calm as we can.”	“Yes, it’s a job, but we also try to keep the building as a home,” said Alberto Ventura, 65, who has worked the door at the same Park Avenue building for 42 years. “With the virus, we’re trying to take it a day at a time and be as calm as we can.”
Reassuring staidness has long been a selling point at doorman buildings like those that flank Park Avenue, with its long stretch of level cornice lines, as well as at the august edifices ornamenting Fifth Avenue, Central Park South and Central Park West.	Reassuring staidness has long been a selling point at doorman buildings like those that flank Park Avenue, with its long stretch of level cornice lines, as well as at the august edifices ornamenting Fifth Avenue, Central Park South and Central Park West.
In places like these, where the buildings have names that seem filched from Thomas Hardy or street numbers that send the blood of real estate agents racing, the inescapable tumult of city life is stops at windowed wooden bi-fold doors, inset with ornamental iron grilles.	In places like these, where the buildings have names that seem filched from Thomas Hardy or street numbers that send the blood of real estate agents racing, the inescapable tumult of city life is stops at windowed wooden bi-fold doors, inset with ornamental iron grilles.
Once past the mahogany portals, residents and visitors alike experience an almost sedative calm and a security induced in large part by the assembled elements of a universalized department-store version of taste.	Once past the mahogany portals, residents and visitors alike experience an almost sedative calm and a security induced in large part by the assembled elements of a universalized department-store version of taste.
Almost inevitably there are marble floors with truffle insets, acres of Persian carpets, hard-backed settees upholstered in maroon leather, silk-shaded ginger-jar table lamps casting light on phalaenopsis orchids planted in generic tole jardinières.	Almost inevitably there are marble floors with truffle insets, acres of Persian carpets, hard-backed settees upholstered in maroon leather, silk-shaded ginger-jar table lamps casting light on phalaenopsis orchids planted in generic tole jardinières.
These days, of course, every surface, no matter how perfected, has become a potential site of danger, and it has become the job of Mr. Ventura and others in his line of work not just to swab elevator buttons with Lysol five times daily, but also to restore the psychic equilibrium of those to whom bad things are not supposed to happen.	These days, of course, every surface, no matter how perfected, has become a potential site of danger, and it has become the job of Mr. Ventura and others in his line of work not just to swab elevator buttons with Lysol five times daily, but also to restore the psychic equilibrium of those to whom bad things are not supposed to happen.
At increased risk to themselves, the staffs at most high-end buildings throughout the five boroughs find themselves scrambling to institute hygienic measures. They are also enforcing daily changing guidelines, establishing ad hoc networks of notification, caring for the old and vulnerable left behind by an exodus that has rendered the Upper East Side a ghost town.	At increased risk to themselves, the staffs at most high-end buildings throughout the five boroughs find themselves scrambling to institute hygienic measures. They are also enforcing daily changing guidelines, establishing ad hoc networks of notification, caring for the old and vulnerable left behind by an exodus that has rendered the Upper East Side a ghost town.
“We’re not a hazmat crew but we’re doing what we can,” Jimmy Brennan, 40, the resident manager of a cooperative building on Fifth Avenue, said of his nine-member team. “The trick here is anticipating the needs and problems before they come up.”	“We’re not a hazmat crew but we’re doing what we can,” Jimmy Brennan, 40, the resident manager of a cooperative building on Fifth Avenue, said of his nine-member team. “The trick here is anticipating the needs and problems before they come up.”
At Mr. Brennan’s building in the East 70s, that meant appealing to his board of directors — well before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued stringent updated safety guidelines — for a go-ahead to shut down the gym and common areas, to suspend nonemergency contractors, to seal off floors left vacant by tenants who fled the city and to establish a phone tree and daily wellness check-ins with those that remained.	At Mr. Brennan’s building in the East 70s, that meant appealing to his board of directors — well before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued stringent updated safety guidelines — for a go-ahead to shut down the gym and common areas, to suspend nonemergency contractors, to seal off floors left vacant by tenants who fled the city and to establish a phone tree and daily wellness check-ins with those that remained.
“Our population is mostly aged 60 to 100, 85 is a pretty common number here,” said Mr. Brennan, a third-generation building manager whose extended family oversees 30 separate buildings around New York. “History will judge whether it was better for us to be proactive than reactive. But, for now, I’d rather be effective than popular.”	“Our population is mostly aged 60 to 100, 85 is a pretty common number here,” said Mr. Brennan, a third-generation building manager whose extended family oversees 30 separate buildings around New York. “History will judge whether it was better for us to be proactive than reactive. But, for now, I’d rather be effective than popular.”
There is a conundrum in all this, one not lost on Mr. Brennan. As guards at the front lines of a highly communicable virus, the doormen and porters at his building safeguard tenants by exposing themselves. “There is no choice, really,” he said. “That’s the job.”	There is a conundrum in all this, one not lost on Mr. Brennan. As guards at the front lines of a highly communicable virus, the doormen and porters at his building safeguard tenants by exposing themselves. “There is no choice, really,” he said. “That’s the job.”
Although workers united under the banner of the union earn good wages, few can afford to live in Manhattan, let alone escape to the putative security of a weekend refuge.	Although workers united under the banner of the union earn good wages, few can afford to live in Manhattan, let alone escape to the putative security of a weekend refuge.
“It’s scary and I’m nervous,” said Frankie Echevarria, 45, a longtime doorman at the Lafayette, a 146-apartment cooperative on East 9th Street in the Village.	“It’s scary and I’m nervous,” said Frankie Echevarria, 45, a longtime doorman at the Lafayette, a 146-apartment cooperative on East 9th Street in the Village.
“I keep my distance, but I try to stay positive,” he added, noting good-naturedly that it was with some reluctance that he has begun policing for new coop rules banning open houses; food deliveries past the front desk; or tenants congregating in common areas. “People think New Yorkers are hard-core and tough. But, really, we’re just pussycats.”	“I keep my distance, but I try to stay positive,” he added, noting good-naturedly that it was with some reluctance that he has begun policing for new coop rules banning open houses; food deliveries past the front desk; or tenants congregating in common areas. “People think New Yorkers are hard-core and tough. But, really, we’re just pussycats.”
Naturally, Mr. Echevarria said, he routinely dons latex gloves and lavishly deploys the building’s stock of Clorox to deter cross-contamination. Yet exposure to the coronavirus continues to hold added terror for him, he said, since his wife suffers from a serious immune disorder. “At the end of the day, though, we’re here to help,” Mr. Echevarria said.	Naturally, Mr. Echevarria said, he routinely dons latex gloves and lavishly deploys the building’s stock of Clorox to deter cross-contamination. Yet exposure to the coronavirus continues to hold added terror for him, he said, since his wife suffers from a serious immune disorder. “At the end of the day, though, we’re here to help,” Mr. Echevarria said.
The Lafayette, a large building with an activist board, was quick to compile a phone tree so volunteers could assist the staff in aiding the homebound. Its longtime resident manager, Jay Miranda, 48, said it’s “a nice little community here.”	The Lafayette, a large building with an activist board, was quick to compile a phone tree so volunteers could assist the staff in aiding the homebound. Its longtime resident manager, Jay Miranda, 48, said it’s “a nice little community here.”
	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.
Still, there may be few among the 300 residents of the building who could easily come up with the doormen’s surnames, which appear once a year on an annual staff list produced by the board of directors at Christmas and may be forgotten as soon as tip envelopes are addressed.	Still, there may be few among the 300 residents of the building who could easily come up with the doormen’s surnames, which appear once a year on an annual staff list produced by the board of directors at Christmas and may be forgotten as soon as tip envelopes are addressed.
“It’s easy to undervalue them,” said Adam Soffer, a private mortgage banker at Wells Fargo. Symphony House, where Mr. Soffer lives, was designed by the architects Emory Roth & Sons and is considered among Manhattan’s premier addresses.	“It’s easy to undervalue them,” said Adam Soffer, a private mortgage banker at Wells Fargo. Symphony House, where Mr. Soffer lives, was designed by the architects Emory Roth & Sons and is considered among Manhattan’s premier addresses.
“But if ever there were a time to overvalue them, it’s now,” said Mr. Soffer, who recently had takeout dinners delivered to his building’s night crew. “These guys are on the front lines for the rest of us.”	“But if ever there were a time to overvalue them, it’s now,” said Mr. Soffer, who recently had takeout dinners delivered to his building’s night crew. “These guys are on the front lines for the rest of us.”
Alarmingly, those front lines refuse to stay fixed, said Rudy Mercado, 40, the resident manager at a 39 story cooperative on the Upper East Side. Back in February, Mr. Mercado requested funds from his board of directors to buy surgical masks for doormen, valets and porters, air filters for elevators and clear plastic sheeting to cover call buttons.	Alarmingly, those front lines refuse to stay fixed, said Rudy Mercado, 40, the resident manager at a 39 story cooperative on the Upper East Side. Back in February, Mr. Mercado requested funds from his board of directors to buy surgical masks for doormen, valets and porters, air filters for elevators and clear plastic sheeting to cover call buttons.
When it was reported that the virus can survive on inert surfaces like cardboard and plastic, he went back to them for money to install an Ozonator tent for packages. “Normally, we get about 60 a day,” Mr. Mercado said. The number quadrupled once people began to shelter indoors. “Now it’s like Christmas,” Mr. Mercado said.	When it was reported that the virus can survive on inert surfaces like cardboard and plastic, he went back to them for money to install an Ozonator tent for packages. “Normally, we get about 60 a day,” Mr. Mercado said. The number quadrupled once people began to shelter indoors. “Now it’s like Christmas,” Mr. Mercado said.
“I don’t know that it would help,” he added, of the tent, which helps disinfect the packages. “But I can’t imagine it would hurt.”	“I don’t know that it would help,” he added, of the tent, which helps disinfect the packages. “But I can’t imagine it would hurt.”
Managers, doormen and valets, with their quiddities and quirks, help set the tone for the singular ecosystem that is any given apartment building, as Mr. Soffer, the banker, explained. The relationship between them and residents, as with concierges in Paris, is an unusual combination of familiarity and distance, formality and — during moments like this — tenderness.	Managers, doormen and valets, with their quiddities and quirks, help set the tone for the singular ecosystem that is any given apartment building, as Mr. Soffer, the banker, explained. The relationship between them and residents, as with concierges in Paris, is an unusual combination of familiarity and distance, formality and — during moments like this — tenderness.