🌱NYC COVID Sees 70% Decrease: Data + U-Haul Truck's 'Violent Rampage'

Good morning, New York City, and happy Valentines Day! ❤️💕

• NYC's COVID-19 cases have been decreasing
• A U-Haul driver injured eight people before being arrested in Brooklyn
• City office workers are spending $12 billion less per year then they were pre-pandemic, a study finds

But first, today's weather: Sunny and breezy. High: 55 Low: 44.

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Here are the top five stories in New York City today:

1. COVID-19 cases have been steadily decreasing since the start of the new year, along with hospitalizations and positivity rates, city data shows. Mayor Eric Adams ended a vaccine mandate for city workers last week but added that it could come back if needed. Jay Varma, a former senior health advisor to ex-mayor Bill De Blasio, said he is concerned that the policy change came to soon. (New York City Patch)
2. A U-Haul truck driver went on a "violent rampage" on the streets of Bay Ridge yesterday, injuring eight people before being arrested near the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said there is no reason to believe terrorism is involved in the incident, and the suspect's name was not released as of Monday afternoon. (New York City Patch)
3. In order to combat traffic accidents and incidents, the NYPD is teaming up with the Department of Transportation, and considering where a road redesign could solve problems. One such case is along Eastern Parkway, where panhandlers have been fatally struck by cars while standing in the "painted median" of a Crown Heights intersection. (Subscription/New York Daily News)
4. The Department of Corrections has a new program to provide detainees at Rikers Island with tablets to use for messaging loved ones, although corrections officers will collect a fee for some services. Meanwhile, the department is considering banning physical mail and packages at the city's jails. (Gothamist)
5. New York City office workers are spending an average of $12 billion less per year then they were pre-pandemic, and the change is most noticeable on Mondays and Fridays when the lines at many such spots are significantly shorter, a new Bloomberg News study found. (Bloomberg)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• Valentine's Day at Amali NYC (5 p.m.)
• Book Discussion at the New York Public Library for New Yorkers 55+ (5:30 p.m.)
• Love Can Really Hang You Up the Most — Chelsea Table & Stage (7 p.m.)
• F*CK V-Day: 2/14 Single But Not Alone Mixer @Berry Park in Williamsburg (7:30 p.m.)

And there's lots more to do in Patch's V-Day events guide.

From my notebook:

• There's a new "clubhouse" in Chelsea for cab drivers to relax between shifts. It features "TVs, video games, a gym, and space to pray." (AMNY)
• A conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain with locations in New Jersey is opening its first location in Flushing, Queens. Yum! (Commercial Observer)
• Central Park Zoo officials are rethinking its strategy for capturing their Eurasian eagle-owl Flaco, now that he's learned to hunt on his own. The zoo said it is waiting for "when the situation is right." (New York City Patch)
• A neighbor has started a GoFundMe for a 65-year-old cancer patient in Forest Hills who owes $3,700 in back rent. (New York City Patch)
• Another casino proposal has just come on the scene — this time it's a chain called Bally's that wants to open a casino next to the Trump Links golf course in The Bronx. (Subscription/New York Daily News)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update.

— Dashiell Allen

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming New York City Patch newsletter? Contact me at patchnyc@patch.com