No Coronavirus Cluster in Sunset Park, de Blasio Says

After a Scare, There’s No Coronavirus Cluster in Sunset Park, de Blasio Says

By Kathleen Culliton, Shannan Ferry, Spectrum News Staff, and Justine Re Brooklyn

UPDATED 11:54 PM ET Aug. 17, 2020 PUBLISHED 4:39 PM ET Aug. 17, 2020 PUBLISHED 4:39 PM EDT Aug. 17, 2020

There is no cluster of coronavirus cases in Sunset Park, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday, after the city conducted contact tracing for the neighborhood, which has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

In his coronavirus press briefing, the mayor noted the city conducted 7,300 door-knocks and 5,200 tests, as well as made 77,000 robocalls and 35,000 live calls.

"We do not have a cluster situation," the mayor said. "We do see individual households with specific problems."

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Five days ago, the mayor raised red flags about Sunset Park's 228 positive cases, which spurred the city to launch a hyperlocal attack on the spread of COVID-19, an effort that included increased testing and outreach.

The 228 positives came from about 3,300 tests conducted over the prior two weeks in Sunset Park, which had about a 7 percent infection rate, well beyond the citywide average of 1 percent.

The New York City Sheriff’s Office on Sunday said it made multiple arrests after busting two illegal raves early Sunday morning in the neighborhood. Both raves crammed more than 100 people indoors, with the majority not wearing face coverings, and witnesses told NY1 a rave at a warehouse on 51st Street by 2nd Avenue had reached capacity, leading to more than 200 people to congregate outside on the street, most not wearing masks. It’s not clear how long the raves were going on and if they were connected to the coronavirus uptick in Sunset Park.

Two people that NY1's Justine Re spoke with in Sunset Park thought the city hasn’t given out enough information.

“I think the city could have done a better job reaching out to people in different languages,” said one person in the neighborhood. “I think the outreach could have been more effective.”

“You would think they would have people walking around the health department or signage," said another.

It’s still not clear what caused the uptick. The mayor warned residents may have come from neighboring areas to be tested in Sunset Park.

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