Midtown's Community Board 5 Closes Office

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A Midtown Manhattan community board is closing its office and transitioning to remote meetings for the foreseeable future to combat the spread of coronavirus in New York City.

Community Board 5 — which covers areas of Manhattan from Central Park to Union Square between Eighth and Madison avenues — closed its 450 Seventh Ave. office on Tuesday, District Manager Wally Rubin wrote in a statement posted to the board's website.

"Committee meetings for now will take place remotely. It's gonna be fun - like a pajama party except, rather than pillow fights, we'll continue to discuss serious community issues with our usual civility, thoughtfulness and flair. Watch our website for details," Rubin wrote in the statement.

Many other community boards in New York City are taking similar precautions as city and state officials recommend practicing social distancing and discourage large gatherings.

Twelve New York state residents have died and 1,374 residents have tested positive for coronavirus as of Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Ten thousand people have been tested and, since Monday, 432 new positive cases were confirmed, said Cuomo.

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