National Guard enforces New Rochelle coronavirus ‘containment area’
The National Guard rolled into New Rochelle early Thursday, establishing a mile-radius coronavirus “containment area” within the hard-hit community.
The drastic measure will see large gathering spaces, like schools and houses of worship, shuttered for two weeks.
Among the National Guard’s first orders of business was helping to distribute food to families within the zone who have kids who have been forced to stay home from nine schools where they would normally receive breakfast.
“Here we’ve handed out 150 kids’ breakfasts to 25 families this morning,” said Staff Sgt. Raymel Romero, stationed at New Rochelle High School.
“The breakfasts are cereal, milk, cereal bars, [and] the bags have pancake mix, canned food,” said Romero, a 28-year-old veteran of two tours in Afghanistan.
Elsewhere in the zone — the center of which is the Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue, where the area’s patient-zero lawyer worships — the Guard was dishing out meals at the Westchester Community Opportunity Program assistance group’s Lincoln Avenue location.
“The National Guard members have been here since 7 a.m., unloading the food from the trucks, packaging and bringing out the food,” said Daniel Bonnet, WESTCOP’s director.
“It’s rice, pasta, granola bars, canned goods, cans of soup, juices, juice boxes,” he said, noting that the supplies don’t require refrigeration and each bundle is meant to feed a family of four for three days.
But chaos reigned, according to one area activist, who said childless opportunists were snatching up supplies meant for families with kids.
“This is a free-for-all!” said the 40-year-old woman, who declined to give her name. “People with no kids are coming up and taking food.
“This is important,” she continued. “There are people who depend on going to school to get breakfast, lunch. And with two weeks or six weeks with no school, the parents on a fixed income are not going to be able to afford to feed their kids.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
One man without kids who came to stock up said he did so for fear of mixing with the masses in a grocery store.
“I don’t want to go to the supermarket,” said Stephen Jones, 53. “Because of the virus. … I have a number of medical conditions.”
Civilians are still allowed to come and go from the zone, Metro-North trains will maintain regular service and businesses including grocery stores will not be forced to shutter.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Westchester County had tallied 121 confirmed cases of the potentially deadly disease, representing more than half the state total.