Statement on Coronavirus COVID-19
Last week, the Crisis Response Team of the YWCA of the City of New York (YW-NYC) met to discuss COVID-19 and the likely effects on the YW-NYC community—the young people in our programs and their families, and our staff and their loved ones. Our response team immediately began implementing new procedures to allow operations continuity, including expediting the transition to tech vendor PC Power Center, Inc. and implementing remote access to our data and systems. The novel coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented in our city, our nation and the world, and we continue to monitor news as it unfolds. The safety and wellbeing of our community is our top priority.
Our YW-NYC headquarters and Family Resource Center staff have recently begun working from home to adhere to recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for social distancing and unnecessary travel. With the closing of NYC Schools beginning today, March 16th, our Out-of-School-Time program employees have also begun working from home. We are planning to continue to offer our leadership and STEAAM programming remotely to the high school girls involved in our Girls Initiatives and coordinate with our public-school partners to explore if any after school programming is an option. The YW-NYC remains flexible in its approach.
We don't yet know how this all will play out in the coming weeks or months. Please take precautions with your own families by following protocols to stem the spread of the virus:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
- Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
Thank you to the entire YW community—our staff, students, families, partners and donors. We will continue to communicate our response to the situation as it unfolds. We remain, as ever, committed to our mission of eradicating racism and empowering women, and to serving New York City kids and their families to the best of our abilities.
Respectfully,
