Roosevelt Purvis slips a white 3M mask over his dreadlocks and Yankees hat as he ambles along East 143rd Street in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Lincoln Hospital is two blocks away. Sirens mix with birdsong.
Purvis, 59, is in the epicenter of a pandemic. The coronavirus and its consequences are clear to him. His godson, Lee Green, a former St. John’s basketball player who went on to join the New York City Police Department, was one of the earliest victims in the borough. Purvis thumbs a remembrance card. His friend—more like a brother than a godson—was 49.