The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order last week, effective January 26, 2021, requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all international air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the US. Under this order, nearly all travelers aged two or older including US citizens must show a negative viral test within three days of departure or documentation of recovery from COVID-19. The CDC will consider waivers of testing requirements for passengers coming from countries with little or no testing capacity, including certain places in the Caribbean.
Read moreSOAR
A mural by famed Clinton Hill artist Voodo Fé lights up a drab construction site on Fulton Avenue in Brooklyn. The twenty-foot wide mural shows an eagle in flight and is meant to “depict the diversity of the world, inspiring us to rise above all odds.” The mural was created as part of the City Canvas pilot program, a NYC Department of Cultural Affairs initiative that adds artwork to sidewalk sheds and construction fences in NYC. The artist, whose work can be purchased at The Spot on Myrtle Avenue, chose to depict an eagle since it’s “a great representation of how through all, the good, bad, and ugly – we continue to ‘SOAR.'” Which is exactly the type of energy we need to take into 2021.
LIGHT YEAR
On the first Thursday of every month at the Pearl Street Triangle in DUMBO, the Manhattan Bridge is used as a backdrop for a video installation as part of the art project titled “LIGHT YEAR.” Originally created for the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage to celebrate the United Nations’ declaration of 2015 as the Year of Light and Light Art, “LIGHT YEAR” has since become an international project, with presentations in DUMBO, Berlin, and live streamed online. Over the years, “LIGHT YEAR” has featured the work of hundreds of artists and curators from around the world. This week’s video installation by artists Philip Vanderhyden, Colleen Keough, Rebecca Shapass, and Eric Souther was “Thresholds and Beyond,” which explored the “place where disparate realities meet, overlap and create hybrid realities.”
DHS Publishes Final Rule to Eliminate H-1B Visa Lottery and Adjudicate H-1B Petitions Based on Highest Salary
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the publication of a final rule this week that will “modify the H-1B cap selection process, amend current lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect the economic interests of U.S. workers and better ensure the most highly skilled foreign workers benefit from the temporary employment program.” This final rule will end the H-1B visa lottery and instead allow USCIS to adjudicate H-1B petitions based on registrations starting with the highest salary level and going down, as Stuart Anderson explains in Forbes.
Read moreThe US Now Requiring Negative COVID-19 Test for Air Travelers from the UK
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that effective December 28, 2020, American and foreign national air passengers arriving from the United Kingdom to the United States must test negative for coronavirus via the PCR or antigen test no more than seventy-two hours before departure from the UK to the US. The CDC notes that this order comes after UK public health authorities announced the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 which may be up to seventy percent more transmissible than previously circulating variants. Numerous countries have announced new restrictions on UK travelers due to this new variant.
The CDC notes that this “additional testing requirement will fortify our protection of the American public to improve their health and safety and ensure responsible international travel.” In a statement, CDC explains: "Passengers are required to get a viral test (i.e., a test for current infection) within the 3 days before their flight from the U.K. to the U.S. departs, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test result (in hard copy or electronic) to the airline. Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers before they board. If a passenger chooses not to take a test, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger."
See You Next Year!
As 2020 thankfully draws to a close, we were able to get out of the apartment and see this lovely tree at Fort Greene Park. While it’s not quite as large and magnificent as the tree at Rockefeller Center, this tree is doing its best, just like all of us. Bye, 2020. Hello, 2021.
Scenes from a Snowstorm 2020
What else did 2020 need? How about a major snowstorm? Yes, please. This week a powerful nor'easter hit New York City and the northeast with heavy snow and high winds. With at least ten inches recorded in Central Park, it was the biggest December snowstorm in New York City in ten years since a blizzard in 2010 dumped twenty inches. We made our way (carefully) around New York City amid the snowstorm and were able to enjoy a few peaceful moments of freshly fallen snow before it turns to dirty slush. Oh yes, don’t forget to wear a mask!
The Holidays at Hudson Yards
On a chilly day this week we checked out the incredible holiday light display at Hudson Yards. More than two million white lights are featured throughout the shops, the Vessel (which has extended holiday hours), the Edge observation deck, and the outdoor areas. With Hanukkah starting this week, Hudson Yards is also celebrating with traditional sweets and treats and arts and craft activities. If you go, be sure to social distance and wear a mask!
Judge Orders Full Reinstatement of DACA Program
Last week on December 4, 2020, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the US District Court in Brooklyn ordered that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must immediately fully reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, reversing a memorandum issued this summer by Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf that restricted the program to those already enrolled. Judge Garaufis ordered that DHS post a public notice stating that it is accepting new, initial DACA applications with work permits that are valid for two years and that DACA recipients are eligible to apply for Advance Parole for international travel. Judge Garaufis also directed the government to notify immigrants eligible for DACA to let them know of the change.
Read morePoint of Action
Point of Action by Studio Cooke John invites residents and visitors alike “to contemplate the experience of seeing one another—and being seen.” The installation consists of six-foot circles affixed onto the Flatiron Public Plazas that create nine “spotlights,” each with its own vertical metal lighted frame. Lights embedded on each metal structure illuminate and frame the viewer who can step into the spotlight and connect with viewers across the plazas. “We are at a threshold during this pandemic,” Nina Cooke John, Founder and Principal of Studio Cooke John, says. “Now that our eyes have been opened to realities that have been with us all along, how do we move forward? My hope is that Point of Action makes people think about how we connect to the people we see every day so that we can move forward together.” Point of Action is on view through January 1, 2021 in the Flatiron Public Plazas on Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street in Manhattan.