COVID Outbreak Closes Crown Heights Assembly Member's Office

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A coronavirus outbreak has forced Assembly Member Diana Richardson to close her Brooklyn office, according to the elected official.

The Empire Boulevard district office, which sits on the Crown Heights border, will stay closed for the "foreseeable future" given the outbreak of the virus, Richardson said in an email alert on Friday.

"I have instructed everyone to quarantine and we are reaching out to anyone we have come in contact with this week," she said. "My constituents always come first, so hopefully we can return to work as soon as possible."

Richardson's office did not immediately respond to a request from Patch for more details.

The 43rd Assembly District extends over a large portion of Crown Heights, from Empire Boulevard to Dean Street, as well as Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Wingate and Flatbush.

Richardson advised residents to reach out to their community boards, council person, state representative or police precincts should they need assistance during the closure.

"This is also a reminder to all of us that COVID-19 is still a risk and to remain vigilant. Please stay safe and healthy, we a mask and please get vaccinated!" she wrote.

The outbreak in Richardson's office comes as the neighborhood, as well as the rest of New York City and state face a coronavirus uptick.

Citywide, seven-day positivity averages for the week ending Dec. 4 were the highest they have been since early September, data shows.

The ZIP code where Richardson's office is located, 11225, had a 2.36 percent positivity rate as of Dec. 4, according to city data. Though an uptick from earlier this month, the rate slightly is lower than the citywide and Brooklyn positivity, which both stood around 3 percent, according to the data.

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