New report from state comptroller shows how hard the Bronx was hit by pandemic

Closed businesses on a street near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report Tuesday laying out in painstaking detail how the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx and what the borough will need to bounce back, according to News12 The Bronx.

DiNapoli met with Bronx leaders Tuesday to discuss the report and he was stark in his appraisal.

“Prior to the pandemic, the Bronx was really on a roll in terms of population increase, job growth,” DiNapoli said. “Because the borough was hit so hard, with many people really suffering consequences of the disease, it really points to the need for there to be a particular focus as we deal with the recovery that the Bronx is not left behind.”

In particular, the report found that the Bronx had the most severe outcomes among the five boroughs, with the highest hospitalization and death rates, though it did not have the highest rate of COVID-19 cases.

Bronx employment also took a significant hit, with employment in the second quarter of 2020 falling 18 percent with respect to 2019. Bronx unemployment ultimately peaked in May 2020 at just under 25 percent, the highest rate among the boroughs, the report found.

But the comptroller told Bronx officials there were signs a recovery was already underway.

“We've actually seen in the Bronx a number of small businesses— small in that it’s five employees or less — starting up right now,” DiNapoli said. “I think that entrepreneur spirit that is often tied to an immigrant community is certainly an advantage.”

But DiNapoli and the report both emphasized the need for more resources for the hard-hit borough to continue the city's recovery.

The report concluded:

Sustained outreach will also be necessary to improve programs to distribute food to those in need, enroll eligible participants into rent relief programs, and most importantly, vaccinate the general population in the borough. The state and the city must track performance of these dollars to ensure that the Bronx receives a fair share of relief — one that corresponds to the serious damage it has sustained. Continued investment in the borough, some of which was put on hiatus during the pandemic, should also help aid recovery. As the City’s economy returns to a new normal, the Bronx’s economy should rebound too.

DiNapoli added, "One-fifth of the city population resides in the Bronx, so if we want the city to bounce back, we need the Bronx to bounce back."

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow