Villages

Con el mayor número de casos de COVID-19 esperados en dos o tres semanas en el estado de Nueva York, los hospitales del Condado de Suffolk están añadiendo camas. Los profesionales médicos locales están estresados y hay escasez de equipo. A los oficiales de gobierno les preocupa que el público no está tomando la amenaza del coronavirus lo suficientemente en serio.

As of Sunday, cases in New York State were doubling every six days, a rate of increase slightly lower than earlier this week. The state had over 59,000 cases, with Suffolk County reporting 5,023 cases and 40 virus-related deaths.

The state revised an executive order on Friday to halt all nonessential construction during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Friday that eight more people in the county had died from COVID-19. There are now 331 cases across Suffolk.

An order by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has extended the distance-learning measure at least until April 15.

East Hampton Village has its third confirmed case of COVID-19, Mayor Richard Lawler announced in a statement on Thursday, and there are now 2,735 confirmed cases countywide, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in his daily update on the crisis. 
       

“We need to support those on the front lines of crisis, particularly the health care workers,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said. “None of us have direct experience with this, even in my 27 years of government experience I’ve never faced anything like it.”

In learning to cope with the shutdown of public assembly and commercial activity amid a health emergency, many profess a new appreciation for life and its myriad joys. 

Unable to sell a 1,000-pound catch of fluke last week, Capt. Chuck Morici of the dragger Act 1 spent three days filleting the fish at Montauk commercial dock and offering it for free straight from his boat. On Saturday morning, he gave it away from the back of his pickup truck in downtown Montauk, a big handwritten sign announcing, “Free Fish.”

East Hampton Town’s essential services are functioning, despite mandates to reduce staffing and implement the social distancing practices critical to controlling the now-explosive growth in COVID-19 infections in the tristate area. 

With the full wave of COVID-19 patients still expected to be a few weeks out in New York State, Suffolk hospitals are scrambling to add beds, local medical professionals are feeling taxed, equipment is in short supply, and officials are worried that the public is not taking the threat of infection seriously enough.

Live, from East Hampton: Your town board members will take part in a virtual video meeting on Friday that will be streamed on LTV’s Channel 22 and online.