Mayor works with Sunset Park to tackle neighborhood’s recent uptick in COVID-19 cases

Mayor Bill de Blasio says a "cluster situation" is not to blame for the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

News 12 Staff

Aug 17, 2020, 9:15 PM

Updated 1,510 days ago

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Mayor Bill de Blasio says a "cluster situation" is not to blame for the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

Based on intensive testing the city has been doing in the past few days, he says the real cause seems to be individual households with specific problems.
"What we are finding is actually a very, very strong response the vast majority of households working readily with our test and trace team to safely separate, because they understand the extent of the challenge, and they're working with us to keep the disease contained so it doesn't spread as a whole," says de Blasio.

He adds that so far, they have seen a 90% compliance rate with families.

The city also ramped up testing in Sunset Park for both for the virus and antibodies. It not only offers free testing at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, but also free transportation to get to the testing site all this week.
Shuttles will be available every 30 minutes Monday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The pickup and drop off locations are at Sixth Avenue and 44th Street, and Seventh Avenue and 60th Street.

There were also two illegal raves in Sunset Park this past weekend, where hundreds of people came together.
The mayor says they were both broken up quickly and organizers will be held accountable. Still, he is asking Brooklyn residents to be responsible and to follow social distancing protocols to keep everyone safe.