In Two Phone Calls, I Learned Just Who Counts in New York
My TV show is a very safe place to work. My son’s school — well, it might check air circulation with a yardstick and toilet paper.
This summer, I participated in two back-to-back phone calls about resuming some semblance of normal life in New York City — which for me means resuming work on a television show and sending my 9-year-old son, Max, back to school.
The differences in these phone calls could not have been starker, and taught me a great deal about in whom and what we invest in the era of Covid-19.
On the call related to my show, I heard about the many tours the industrial hygienist had taken of the set and about the renovation of some of our work spaces to be Covid-safe. Out of an abundance of caution, even some spaces that looked fairly healthy had been eliminated.
I also heard about how the crew and production staff would be divided into strict pods; they would be tested before they started work and then tested one to three times a week. Actors, who need to remove their masks, would be tested every day. Anyone coming to New York from out of state would need to quarantine for two weeks before being allowed on set.
Air purifiers have been purchased, filtration systems have been upgraded, and an entire department has been created solely to deal with safety protocols and testing. And Covid-upgraded vans and shuttles, along with extra parking lots, were available to ensure that everyone had safe transport to work.
The second call was a meeting of the parents association at my son’s public school. I heard that teachers and administrators could choose to be tested for Covid before the school year began, and that people entering the school could decide whether they wanted their temperature taken. CONTINUE READING: Opinion | Cynthia Nixon: The Coronavirus Has Laid Bare New York's Public School Inequities - The New York Times