Paul Vallone (Twitter)
April 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Two Queens council members are self-quarantining for the coronavirus, each announced yesterday on Twitter.
North Flushing Council Member Paul Vallone announced he has recently tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms, while Astoria Council Member Costa Constantinides said he has been self-quarantined since Sunday night after running a fever.
Vallone said his underlying Sarcoidosis compounded his symptoms, but that they are manageable.
“My family and I remain at home and have been self-quarantining, resting and healing together,” Vallone said in a statement posted on Twitter. “I feel blessed to have had manageable symptoms and I am on the road to recovery.”
He added that his staff have been working from home and have had no direct contact with him since the start of March. His office remains open via phone for Northeast Queens constituents.
Constantinides said he has experienced minor symptoms after catching a fever Sunday night and was advised to stay home instead of going for a test to confirm he has COVID-19.
He spoke candidly about the toll the virus is taking in a statement on Twitter.
“I’m slowly getting better, but trust me this is not something you want,” he wrote. “Even for the healthy among us, it can wear you down. Sleep is incredibly difficult on top of it. You’re equally fearful and frustrated.”
Costa Constantinides (twitter)
He urged New Yorkers to stay home as much as possible.
“The nice weather will still be there at the other end of this,” Constantinides wrote.
“Because even if you think you’re being safe, it might not be enough,” he added. “We owe it to our first responders to be this vigilant. We all hear the ambulances all day and night. Let’s give them a break by staying home. ”
He also said that he is continuing to work remotely to make sure everyone has the help they needed right now.
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4 Comments
They are littering the streets and sidewalks with used mask and gloves. This can not be healthy.
I want to personally thank the three Queens Borough President candidates, Costa Constantinides, Liz Crowley, and Donovan Richards. While you have all accepted massive contributions from big developers, and while those big developers have constructed a huge number of massive buildings, which in turn have brought in thousands upon thousands of new relocators, from many different cities and states. Not one of you has done anything about creating new hospitals. Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside, have grown exponentially, yet our services have remained the same. No additional police, fire fighters, EMS, sanitation, and certainly no new hospitals.
In-fact hospitals have shut down and, not one of you has shown the least bit of concern. Now as we are faced with the COV-19 crisis, all of your constituents are paying the price. People are dying because of your greed, lack of vision, and lack of concern. What have you three done in the last eight years as elected officials? You have prioritized bike lanes, hundreds of millions of dollars on bike lanes. Speed cameras, red light cameras, releasing violent criminals from prison, no bail for even the most violent criminals, free college for illegals, driver’s licenses for undocumented residents. Oh, and they gave Astoria park another multi-million dollar make over that was nothing but a waste of money.
And I say again, the three of you collectively have done nothing concerning new hospitals, or the lack of hospitals. Perhaps that is why Queens is number one in Cov-19 cases and deaths in the five boroughs. You want to blame your eight years of neglect on the president, why don’t you instead blame yourselves.
People who live in the new developments make more money and have better access to better healthcare like private doctors in addition to being able to buy food and preventative supplies. Some of them left the city when they found out they could work from home or their jobs temporarily closed. IMO some of those that stayed are essential workers and the people still delivering food and keeping all these restaurant’s in astoria open. Those are not the people that i am worried about. I am worried about those that make less money, live off benefits, seniors, the disabled and so many less fortunate working families.
And let us not forget about the numerous workers in nyc who work off the books get paid cash and will find it hard or not be able to apply for unemployment benefits because they have no proof of income and employment. Living in a neighborhood with new costly developments does have some perks for the community because of the people it houses.