Malliotakis asks mayor why South Brooklynites are left out of face covering distribution areas

Where are the masks?

That is what Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis is asking Mayor Bill de Blasio after his announcement that the city will be distributing over 100,000 face coverings in parks across the city free of charge from Saturday, May 2 until Tuesday, May 5 leaves Southern Brooklynites with few places to go.

One of the few areas distributing the face coverings in the South Brooklyn area is at the Sunset Park Recreation Center, 4200 Seventh Ave.

According to Malliotakis, it’s not enough as it excludes neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge, Dyer Heights and Bensonhurst.

 “The Mayor always talks about being the fairest big city but even when it comes to something as simple as distributing face masks, which everyone needs, his administration neglects parts of the city,” she told this paper. “There is absolutely no excuse for not distributing masks in at least one park in Southern Brooklyn. I’m calling on city officials to adjust their plan and add park distribution sites in South Brooklyn neighborhoods.”

On Thursday, April 30, de Blasio discussed the need for masks as weather conditions improve during his daily briefing.

“(We) want to make it easy for people to have face coverings, so we’re going to start to give them out free in our city parks,” he said. “We know it’s going to get warm. We know people don’t go to the parks. Again, want people to keep some real limits on that, but I want everyone to have a face covering. Sometimes someone just forgot it at home, that we understand. Some people having trouble finding one. Okay, we’re going to start giving them out for free. 100,000 will be given out starting this week, and we’ll keep going from there. We’re going to focus on parks where we expect a lot of people to be. We’re going to focus on communities that have been the hardest hit by the disease.”

 He then referred to nyc.gov/facecoverings for a list of several sites.

Malliotakis added that ideal locations such as Shore Road Park, Owl’s Head Park, John Paul Jones Park, Dyker Park and McKinley Park were omitted from the list of distribution areas. 

The Mayor’s office told the assemblymember that face coverings will be distributed in areas other than the spots listed on the map.

“I am told by the Mayor’s Office that ‘the fixed locations were about physical storage and staff’ and they will ‘hand out distribution in areas not served by the fixed locations,’” she said. “I asked for a list of locations so I could share with my constituents.”