311 Receives 4K Social Distancing Complaints In Just 1 Week

NEW YORK CITY — A once-unthinkable type of complaint started springing up on New York City's 311 logs as the coronavirus pandemic bore down on the city: social distancing.

New Yorkers lodged 4,270 social distancing complaints since March 28, the day 311 operators started giving the novel calls their own descriptor, according to city data which logged the calls up to April 5.

And no borough's residents made more calls about people huddled together in stores, along sidewalks and on park trails than Brooklyn's.

Brooklyn had 1,480 social distancing calls between March 28 and April 5, city 311 data shows. The other boroughs' call counts are as follows:

• Manhattan, 1046
• Queens, 969
• Bronx, 604
• Staten Island, 171

Social distancing effectively became the law of the land after Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a "stay-at-home" order. Cuomo on Monday announced he would extend the order until April 29 and raise the fine for social distancing violations to $1,000.

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The 11201 zip code covering downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights had 70 social distancing complaints — the second-most in the city. Many of those centered near Albee Square and Gold Street, near a shopping center that houses a Trader Joe's and a food hall, according to data.

Borough Park's 11219 zip code — a coronavirus hot spot — wasn't far behind with 67 complaints, data shows.

Park Slope became an early emblem of zealous self-appointed social distancing enforcement when videos went viral of residents shouting warnings from balconies at passersby on the street.

And it appears the Park Slopers are more likely to call 311 to complain about social distancing. Operators logged 47 complaints from the 11215 zip code — the 19th-most out of city zip codes.

In Manhattan, the East Village had most reports with 51.

But the neighborhood with the most individual calls was that with the zip code 11101, which covers Sunnyside and Long Island City. 311 operators received 76 calls from residents.

Most calls in every borough involved people in stores or commercial properties.

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