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Mayor Mamdani says three people died in Upper East Side Legionnaires cluster; city launched early investigation
Summary
Mayor Zoran Kwame Mamdani told reporters the city opened an investigation into a Legionnaires cluster on the Upper East Side after two confirmed cases, has directed immediate cleaning of implicated cooling towers and is continuing inspections and enforcement; he said three New Yorkers have lost their lives in connection with the cluster.
Mayor Zoran Kwame Mamdani provided a public‑health update at La Bodega after announcing the OPEN executive order, saying the city moved early to investigate a Legionnaires disease cluster on the Upper East Side and took immediate remediation steps.
Mamdani said three New Yorkers have died in connection with the cluster and expressed condolences to the families. He said the administration opened an investigation on Thursday, July 2 after two confirmed cases rather than waiting for the prior trigger of three cases in a tight area and time frame. "We did not wait for that," he said.
The administration directed buildings with an initial positive test result to clean and disinfect their cooling towers and instructed cooling‑tower operators citywide to follow summertime treatment requirements intended to reduce Legionella bacteria. City teams are continuing inspections and enforcement under applicable public‑health laws, Mamdani said, and the New York City Health Department is coordinating the response.
The mayor urged New Yorkers that they can continue to use tap water and typical appliances safely while officials pursue targeted testing and remediation. For the latest public guidance, he directed residents to nyc.gov/legionnaires.
Ending: city officials said inspections and enforcement will continue and indicated that the administration will provide updates as the investigation proceeds.
