Queens community marks 5 years since COVID-19 lockdowns began in NYC
Saturday marks five years since New York City announced citywide lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the hardest hit areas of the city was Elmhurst, Queens.
Nurse remembers Elmhurst Hospital as "a warzone"
A moment of silence was held at a community vigil Saturday outside Elmhurst Hospital, which was one of the country's busiest hospitals during the pandemic.
"The hospital behind us became the epicenter of the epicenter during the pandemic," Sen. Jessica Ramos said. "We lost tens of thousands of people just in this area of Queens."
A gathering like Saturday's wouldn't have even been possible at the time without social distancing and masks. Aggressive lockdowns were in place citywide, and hospitals, especially Elmhurst, were packed with patients.
"When I think back at this, I think of a warzone," said Janice Fana, a registered nurse and mother of five. "Patients were lined up stretcher to stretcher, no space."
Fana has worked at Elmhurst Hospital for over 20 years. She watched as the hospital went into pandemic response mode.
At one point in March 2020, it lost 13 patients to COVID-19 in a 24-hour span.
"It was a shocker, and it affected me, personally. I would go home and tears would stream down my face," she said.
What improvements are still needed after pandemic?
Five years later, communities are looking back at what they consider as lessons learned from the handling of the pandemic and reflect on what could still be improved upon.
"Since the start of the pandemic, we sadly have only seen nurse shortages and doctor shortages deepen," Ramos said.
"Access to food was not great before. It's still not great now," said Sandro Navarro, Ramos' district director.
Others called out transparency from lawmakers and even medical centers themselves when it comes to disclosing patient deaths at nursing homes, some of which ended up becoming morgues during the height of the pandemic.
Bronx District Leader Christine Culpepper De Ruiz says her family is still traumatized over the sudden loss of her mother-in-law.
"She died alone," she said. "When so many things are hidden from family members of victims who passed away, like at nursing homes, it stays traumatic for longer periods of time because we want to know why did it have to happen?"
She says five years still hasn't been enough time for her and her family to get closure.
