Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Weekly Advocacy Alert, October 7: Download COVID Alert NY App Today!

By Dance/NYC

A purple square featuring an image of a smartphone with a touch screen. On the screen is a purple background with a geometric shape resembling New York State with words that read

Dance/NYC is working with our constituents, partner organizations, nonprofit coalitions, and in alliance with Dance/USA to conduct city, state and federal level advocacy on behalf of the dance community during this crisis. Here are some updates:

This week, New York State launched the COVID Alert NY App. Stop the spread of COVID-19 and receive exposure alert notifications without compromising privacy or personal information. Download the app for iPhone or Android.

FEDERAL

1. The House passed the Heroes 2 bill which would provide $158 billion in aid. Check out this one-page summary of the Revised House Heroes Act.

2. Secretary Mnuchin offered a $1.62 trillion COVID relief proposal that included $250 billion for state and local governments. For more details on the proposed relief package, visit Rollcall.com.

3. The President signed the Continuing Resolution. This Stopgap funding bill allows the federal government to continue operating through December 11.

4. Census extended to October 31st:
a. U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh issued an order to continue counting through October 31.
b. Get your friends and family to take the census. Visit www.my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020.
c. Download and share the Black Census campaign toolkit. This toolkit, from Hester Street, provides messaging materials for targeted outreach, crafted specifically for the 12 NYC neighborhoods with the highest percentages of Black residents and the lowest Self-Response Rates in the City.

5. Dance/USA Updates:
a. Use Dance/USA’s advocacy action alert to contact your Congressional delegation to urge immediate action to provide pandemic relief for the arts sector, including the dance community.
b. Download Dance/USA #Dance2Vote tool kit.

NEW YORK STATE

1. New York State Legislature is meeting on October 14th on Access to Capital for Small Businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about submitting testimony, requesting to be invited to provide oral testimony, and attending the hearing at the NYS Senate and NYS Assembly.

2. An Executive Order was passed allowing jobless New Yorkers to become poll workers for the upcoming election without losing their unemployment benefits. Learn more about Governor Cuomo’s new Executive Order in this article from the New York Daily News.

NEW YORK CITY

1. Voter registration for New York State residents closes on October 9th. Register today, find your polling site, request your absentee ballot, or manage your online mail-in ballot by visiting Vote NYC or calling 1-866-Vote-NYC (6-9-2).
a. Join the #NYCDANCEUNITES campaign. Launched on October 2nd, five of New York City’s acclaimed dance companies have joined together to create a new online initiative to urge the dance community to do their civic duty and vote. Learn more and download the campaign graphics for social media here.

2. NYC COVID-19 Updates:
a. NYC imposes new regulations on non-essential businesses and schools in ZIP codes designated as COVID hotspots. These include temporarily prohibiting "high-risk activities" such as indoor dining and accessing gyms, and imposing capacity restrictions on houses of worship. Visit this article in The NY Times for all of the details regarding the new regulations.
b. The Commissioner of Health will issue orders to enforce State regulations in hotspots related to social distancing, mask compliance, and capacity limitations. Failure to comply can result in penalties up to $10,000 per day. NYC has imposed fines up to $1,000 for those refusing to wear face masks.
c. 27% of all positive cases were from 20 hotspot ZIP codes. If you are experiencing COVID symptoms or believe you were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID, get tested. Find a testing site near you.

3. Engaging in a community action in support of dance workers? Submit to be listed on the #ArtistsAreNecessaryWorkers Campaign Activations page. Visit the page for events, actions, and platforms that are independently led by the NYC dance community.

4. Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls to address our questions, needs, and plans for the future as a field. Calls occur every Thursday, 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m. Register!