NEW YORK CITY — Excitement is in the air as New Yorkers prepare for phase three of reopening — but there’s also fears of lax social distancing, especially in the city’s trendiest ZIP codes, according to data.
New Yorkers made nearly 2,400 social distancing complaints to 311 since phase two began June 22, data shows.
Social distance snitches are nothing new during the coronavirus pandemic — New Yorkers made about 59,000 complaints about their neighbors getting too close for medically advised comfort since late March, data shows.
But what’s new after phase two began is where the complaints overwhelmingly come from. Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, Chelsea, and Long Island City were in the city’s top 10 ZIP codes for social distancing complaints in the week since the city opened back up ever so slightly.
- 10014 ZIP code, Greenwich Village — 70 complaints as of July 2
- 11209 ZIP code, Bensonhurst – Bay Ridge — 57 complaints
- 11101 ZIP code, Long Island City – Astoria — 53 complaints
- 10028 ZIP code, Upper East Side — 53 complaints
- 10036 ZIP code, Chelsea – Clinton — 36 complaints
- 10002 ZIP code, Union Square – Lower East Side — 35 complaints
- 11372 ZIP code, West Queens — 34 complaints
- 10019 ZIP code, Chelsea – Clinton — 33 complaints
- 11375 ZIP code, Ridgewood – Forest Hills — 32 complaints
- 11249 ZIP code, Williamsburg — 31 complaints
- Most, but not all, weren’t even close to the top 10 ZIP codes for social distancing complaints before then, data shows.
Many of those ZIP codes have heavy concentrations of bars and restaurants.
Other neighborhoods with big food and drink scenes also saw social distancing complaints rise in June. Astoria had 500 violations reported in three ZIP codes covering the neighborhood.
But it appears complaints dramatically rose in Manhattan since phase two began. The borough lagged behind Brooklyn in overall social distancing complaints before then.
After June 22, Manhattan had 745 complaints compared to Brooklyn’s 604, data as of Thursday showed.
Social distancing problems caught the eye of Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week.
“Citizen compliance is slipping. That is a fact,” he said.
Cuomo warned that the coronavirus could have a resurgence in such conditions and urged New York City to “enforce” compliance.