Morning Headlines: SNAP Delays Hit New York Grocers, Health Officials Warn of Rising Viruses, and State Investigates False Text Alert

Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: New York grocers say sales at their stores in the last week dropped by as much as 25% because of the delay in SNAP benefits. WNYC's Karen Yee reports.

Karen Yee: Grocers who spoke to WNYC say they saw some of their customers leave the store in tears when they realized at checkout there was no money left on their food stamp cards. Others paid on credit cards or only took a handful of items. Juan Jimenez manages the Cherry Valley Marketplace in Elmhurst.

Juan Jimenez: [Spanish language]

Karen Yee: He says he helped cover some of the costs for his customers from his own pocket because he couldn't be apathetic. Other grocers say they ordered fewer meats and produce to avoid waste and had to lower prices of all items before they went bad.

Michael Hill: SNAP funding is expected to resume once the government reopens. The city's health commissioner is urging New Yorkers to get their flu, COVID, and RSV vaccines before the holidays. Dr. Michelle Moore says there's an upswing of respiratory viruses right now, including an 80% increase in emergency room visits for the flu compared to last week. Dr. Moore says vaccines are safe. It reduces the risk of severe symptoms and doctor visits, and if you've already been inoculated, she says there are other ways to stay.

Dr. Michelle Moore: Stay home if you're sick. That helps to cut off the spread of viruses. Another thing you can do is wear a mask if you're going to be in crowded locations where others may be sick or contagious. Then we always recommend hand hygiene.

Michael Hill: To find where you can get vaccinated, you can visit the New York City Health Map. You can also look up locations based on your insurance. Governor Hochul's office says a third-party vendor is to blame for a false message that went out to nearly 200,000 of subscribers to official state text alerts. The text went out on Monday. It claimed a transaction on their Bank of America card failed to go through and directed them to call a specific number.

They received a follow-up text on Tuesday, warning the message didn't come from the state and that they shouldn't reply to it or call the number. The state Department of Information Technology Services says the county that handles its text hotline is investigating the cause. Brooklyn-based Mobile Commons has not responded to a request for comment. 49 with clouds right now, mostly sunny, and 51 for a high. West winds gusting to 30 miles an hour, and then tonight a low of 38 with high winds.

Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More soon.

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