NYC unveils new Legionnaires safety measures after 11 deaths in Upper East Side cluster

Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a new plan Tuesday to strengthen the city’s response to Legionnaires’ disease as officials work to get ahead of future outbreaks.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a new plan Tuesday to strengthen the city’s response to Legionnaires’ disease as officials work to get ahead of future outbreaks.

The new measures follow 11 deaths and more than 90 cases linked to this summer’s Legionnaires’ cluster on the Upper East Side. They also come a day before an oversight hearing at City Hall, where council members are expected to question city officials over their response and handling of the outbreak.

“When New Yorkers’ health is at stake, government cannot wait for the crisis to pass before asking how it can do better. Our response to the Upper East Side cluster was fast and aggressive, and we are building on what we learned to make our systems stronger, enforcement faster and public health response more transparent,” Mamdani said in a statement.

Among the new measures announced Tuesday, the Mamdani administration says the health department’s cooling tower lookup tool will expand into a citywide mapping feature, making all registered cooling towers across the city visible to New Yorkers. The feature will include tower history and compliance. The tool is set to be launched by next spring.

The city will also explore proactive measures that include the creation of a scientific advisory panel to “evaluate emerging cooling tower technology” and “explore alternative cooling technologies” in an effort to reduce the city’s reliance on cooling towers. The city’s health department plans to appoint a chair and panel members in a matter of months.