By: Howard Riell
They say numbers don’t lie. But they certainly tell stories – including the story of New York City in this time of pandemic.
And the story is an unusual one, as the New York Times recently chronicled in its statistical look at how the coronavirus has changed life in the Big Apple. For example:
* 2,637%: Increase in unemployment claims. “During the week of March 22, nearly 144,000 unemployment claims were made in New York City,” Times editors Corina Knoll, Azi Paybarah, Jacob Meschke and Elaine Chen noted. “That constituted a 2,637 percent increase from last year, when the same time frame yielded about 5,300 claims.”
* 7%: Decrease in trash collection in Manhattan. Information for the month of March from New York City’s Department of Sanitation shows “the amount of refuse collected from Manhattan residences shrank by nearly 7 percent compared to the borough average for that month over the last five years.”
* 3,000: Number of applications to Foster Dogs. With not much to do and the need for contact, people have been reaching out to man’s best friend. “Interest in fostering pets has surged in the city, as many New Yorkers find themselves looking for companionship and having more time at home to care for a pet,” the Times pointed out.
* 18%: Decrease in morning electricity usage. The stats began to show a decrease once offices, businesses and schools started to shut down. By the end of March, the Times noted, “the city’s energy use was down by more than 10 percent, according to the New York Independent System Operator, the agency responsible for managing the state’s electric grid. The change was most pronounced on weekday mornings, when usage would normally spike as people started their days and businesses opened. With nonessential workers ordered to stay home, it appeared that many were awakening later than usual.”
42%: Increase in complaints about loud televisions. The TV has turned out to be the indispensable piece of equipment for New Yorkers trapped at home, and many try and drown out the sounds of normal life by pumping up the volume. “New Yorkers’ patience with noisy neighbors has run thin, particularly when it comes to blaring televisions, which prompted a 42 percent increase in 311 complaints in March compared to last year, according to NYC Open Data,” the Times wrote. “Complaints of loud talking and music increased by 12 and 30 percent across the city. Similarly, residential noise complaints, a broad category that’s also one of the most common, rose significantly in every borough, peaking with a 33 percent increase in Staten Island. New Yorkers are especially irritated with helicopter noise; grievances about helicopters have tripled across the city.”
