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At New York’s ‘Museums of Plants,’ the Art Is Blooming Lonely At New York’s ‘Museums of Plants,’ the Art Is Blooming Lonely
(about 16 hours later)
Phil Macaluso, a gardener, bikes to work at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden four days a week from his home about a five-minute ride away. The garden is closed, but the trees and everything else in Brooklyn are still growing, even if other aspects of the city’s life have come to a standstill.Phil Macaluso, a gardener, bikes to work at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden four days a week from his home about a five-minute ride away. The garden is closed, but the trees and everything else in Brooklyn are still growing, even if other aspects of the city’s life have come to a standstill.
The garden’s 52 acres of cherry blossoms, azaleas, crab apple trees and daffodils are reaching their peak beauty now, and though there are few around to witness it, the two dozen gardeners still work to keep the plants flourishing, the pests and weeds at bay, the lawn mowed.The garden’s 52 acres of cherry blossoms, azaleas, crab apple trees and daffodils are reaching their peak beauty now, and though there are few around to witness it, the two dozen gardeners still work to keep the plants flourishing, the pests and weeds at bay, the lawn mowed.
“It’s a garden, you know? It’s not a natural forest,” said Mr. Macaluso, 52. “So without people working it, it just kind of goes back to its natural state. We can’t keep it up to the horticultural level that Brooklyn deserves without going in and working.”“It’s a garden, you know? It’s not a natural forest,” said Mr. Macaluso, 52. “So without people working it, it just kind of goes back to its natural state. We can’t keep it up to the horticultural level that Brooklyn deserves without going in and working.”
Gardeners like Mr. Macaluso and his colleagues at botanical gardens around the city have been deemed essential workers, a designation they agree with. The maintenance required to keep gardens of this size operating and beautiful is endless, with one season’s tasks ongoing even as preparation for a new season begins.Gardeners like Mr. Macaluso and his colleagues at botanical gardens around the city have been deemed essential workers, a designation they agree with. The maintenance required to keep gardens of this size operating and beautiful is endless, with one season’s tasks ongoing even as preparation for a new season begins.
“People who visit botanical gardens, this is like a museum of plants,” said Colin Kirk, a gardener at the Queens Botanical Garden. “They’re different than people who visit parks. They’re really interested in gardening.”“People who visit botanical gardens, this is like a museum of plants,” said Colin Kirk, a gardener at the Queens Botanical Garden. “They’re different than people who visit parks. They’re really interested in gardening.”
Mr. Kirk bikes to work, too, from his apartment in Jackson Heights. For days after the pandemic hit, he always carried around a note from the garden’s executive director declaring him an essential worker, just in case someone in authority stopped him.Mr. Kirk bikes to work, too, from his apartment in Jackson Heights. For days after the pandemic hit, he always carried around a note from the garden’s executive director declaring him an essential worker, just in case someone in authority stopped him.
He can’t afford to miss any time in the garden — in a pre-pandemic world, Mr. Kirk and three other full-time gardeners had 20-plus volunteers and several seasonal interns to help tend the garden’s 39 acres. Now, it’s just the four.He can’t afford to miss any time in the garden — in a pre-pandemic world, Mr. Kirk and three other full-time gardeners had 20-plus volunteers and several seasonal interns to help tend the garden’s 39 acres. Now, it’s just the four.
“There’s a million things to do,” Mr. Kirk said.“There’s a million things to do,” Mr. Kirk said.
At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, there are 15 gardeners each day tending to the garden’s 250 acres — there are 54 total, working on staggered shifts throughout the week.At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, there are 15 gardeners each day tending to the garden’s 250 acres — there are 54 total, working on staggered shifts throughout the week.
Many of the city’s botanical gardens are having to make do with limited staffs, with some gardens laying off or furloughing workers. Some gardeners have taken pay cuts and are working shorter hours.Many of the city’s botanical gardens are having to make do with limited staffs, with some gardens laying off or furloughing workers. Some gardeners have taken pay cuts and are working shorter hours.
“My fear is what the future will look like when it boils down to it,” said Lenny Paul, a foreman at the Brooklyn garden and president of the local union chapter of District Council 37 that represents botanical garden workers in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. “I mean, are we going to have more pay reductions? Are members going to be laid off? We don’t know.”“My fear is what the future will look like when it boils down to it,” said Lenny Paul, a foreman at the Brooklyn garden and president of the local union chapter of District Council 37 that represents botanical garden workers in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. “I mean, are we going to have more pay reductions? Are members going to be laid off? We don’t know.”
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on Staten Island has put some staff on partial furloughs to make up for lost revenue but has decided to keep its grounds open. “We continue to do everything we can to maintain consistency and stability for our staff, as well as a safe and healthy facility for all of our visitors,” a representative for Snug Harbor said in a statement.Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on Staten Island has put some staff on partial furloughs to make up for lost revenue but has decided to keep its grounds open. “We continue to do everything we can to maintain consistency and stability for our staff, as well as a safe and healthy facility for all of our visitors,” a representative for Snug Harbor said in a statement.
Deanna Curtis, a senior curator and landscape project manager at the New York Botanical Garden, said the mood in the gardens is different without visitors. “When I’m on site now, with even the reduced horticulture staff, if you’re out and about doing something on the grounds, it can be a long time before you even see anyone,” she said. “It just has this eerie quality.”Deanna Curtis, a senior curator and landscape project manager at the New York Botanical Garden, said the mood in the gardens is different without visitors. “When I’m on site now, with even the reduced horticulture staff, if you’re out and about doing something on the grounds, it can be a long time before you even see anyone,” she said. “It just has this eerie quality.”
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has found some ways to spread the blossoms outside its gates, the horticulture director Ronnit Bendavid-Val said. Staff cut dozens of daffodil bunches on Tuesday and brought the bouquets to medical professionals at a nearby hospital; another 800 pansies went to Green-Wood Cemetery.The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has found some ways to spread the blossoms outside its gates, the horticulture director Ronnit Bendavid-Val said. Staff cut dozens of daffodil bunches on Tuesday and brought the bouquets to medical professionals at a nearby hospital; another 800 pansies went to Green-Wood Cemetery.
But still, Ms. Bendavid-Val added: “It does feel like a loss. This incredible explosion of gorgeous blooms right now, and it’s like, where’s the people? People should be seeing it and loving it and appreciating it.”But still, Ms. Bendavid-Val added: “It does feel like a loss. This incredible explosion of gorgeous blooms right now, and it’s like, where’s the people? People should be seeing it and loving it and appreciating it.”
Updated July 7, 2020 Updated July 15, 2020
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
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.
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.
Two employees in Brooklyn usually tend to the indoor pavilions and greenhouses each day, with another three working outside. Mr. Macaluso, a general grounds crew gardener who first came to the garden as an intern more than a decade ago, spends most of his time taking care of the grass.Two employees in Brooklyn usually tend to the indoor pavilions and greenhouses each day, with another three working outside. Mr. Macaluso, a general grounds crew gardener who first came to the garden as an intern more than a decade ago, spends most of his time taking care of the grass.
“You love the peace and quiet,” Mr. Macaluso said. “We get to go and enjoy the garden with nobody else there. In my particular case, I operate a lot of machinery cutting the lawn and doing things, so I don’t have to keep my head on a swivel to watch the little kids running around.”“You love the peace and quiet,” Mr. Macaluso said. “We get to go and enjoy the garden with nobody else there. In my particular case, I operate a lot of machinery cutting the lawn and doing things, so I don’t have to keep my head on a swivel to watch the little kids running around.”
Though there is a tranquillity to wandering alone through dozens of tree-lined acres in full bloom, the gardeners said they miss the regulars — the neighbors who come routinely with their cameras and their questions about how to do this or that.Though there is a tranquillity to wandering alone through dozens of tree-lined acres in full bloom, the gardeners said they miss the regulars — the neighbors who come routinely with their cameras and their questions about how to do this or that.
“I chose to work in a public garden,” Mr. Macaluso said. “I didn’t want to go work on a private estate or do landscaping or brownstone terraces and things like that, because I think myself and a lot of the gardeners in public gardening see it as a public service.”“I chose to work in a public garden,” Mr. Macaluso said. “I didn’t want to go work on a private estate or do landscaping or brownstone terraces and things like that, because I think myself and a lot of the gardeners in public gardening see it as a public service.”
“You want those gates to be open so people can come in,” he added. “It’s a little bit sad that you can’t share it with everybody.”“You want those gates to be open so people can come in,” he added. “It’s a little bit sad that you can’t share it with everybody.”