It was one of those things you think could happen anywhere but in your own town, but Covid-19 proved it would not discriminate, starting with its official arrival here in March 2020. The pandemic proceeded to surf two distinct waves on the East End, finally yielding to hope in early 2021 with the beginning of vaccine distribution. Here's a look at some of its major milestones over the past year.
March 8, 2020
Suffolk County confirms that its first Covid-19 patient, a 40-year-old man, is hospitalized at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
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March 12, 2020
First East Hampton Town patient, a woman in her 70s, tests positive.
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March 13, 2020
East Hampton Town and Village declare state of emergency.
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March 16, 2020
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo closes schools for two weeks. Gyms, bars, movie theaters, and casinos are also closed. Restaurants are restricted to takeout and delivery only.
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March 18, 2020
Stony Brook University opens county's first coronavirus testing site in a large parking lot.
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March 19, 2020
A Shelter Island resident is confirmed to have Covid-19. The virus now has a presence in all five East End towns.
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March 20, 2020
Governor Cuomo closes all nonessential businesses.
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March 23, 2020
Suffolk County surpasses 1,000 cases of Covid-19.
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March 25, 2020
Local food pantries report a surge in numbers of people seeking their help.
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March 26, 2020
The governor extends school closures to April 15 as Suffolk County surpasses 2,700 cases of Covid-19. The death toll reaches 22.
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March 30, 2020
A Covid-19 test site opens in Riverhead, the East End's first, though appointments are hard to come by.
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April 1, 2020
Within a 48-hour time span, 25 more deaths are reported in Suffolk County, bringing the total to 69.
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April 3, 2020
Covid-19 cases in the county near the 10,000 mark, including 477 on the East End.
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April 9, 2020
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital workers are celebrated with a car parade. Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo extends school and nonessential business closures through April 29.
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April 10, 2020
In a day’s time, 52 deaths and more than 1,500 new cases of Covid-19 are reported in Suffolk, bringing the totals to 414 fatalities and 20,320 cases.
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April 11, 2020
First federal stimulus checks begin arriving in bank accounts and mailboxes.
April 12, 2020
New York State adds a Spanish-language option to its coronavirus hotline.
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April 14, 2020
Governor Cuomo signs executive order mandating mask-wearing in public where social distancing is not possible.
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April 24, 2020
Nearly all of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s medical professionals and other staff members take an outdoor "dance break." The YouTube video goes small-town viral with 4,000 views in about two days.
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April 25, 2020
The pandemic continues its assault on Suffolk County, which sees almost 900 new cases in a day's time.
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April 28, 2020
A twice-weekly Covid-19 testing site opens at HRH Care in Southampton Village.
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May 1, 2020
Governor Cuomo cancels in-person school attendance for the remainder of the school year.
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May 3, 2020
Covid-19 hospitalizations in Suffolk County decline for 13 straight days.
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May 5, 2020
The governor signs an executive order making mental health services free from insurance co-payments.
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May 7, 2020
The Hampton Jitney, having suspended service for about five weeks, resumes limited trips for essential travel only.
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May 13, 2020
The musician Jon Bon Jovi opens a food bank at the Clubhouse in Wainscott.
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May 14, 2020
County Executive Steve Bellone announces plans to launch a massive contact-tracing effort.
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May 15, 2020
Governor Cuomo announces certain low-risk recreational activities can resume; cheers ring through local tennis clubs.
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May 16, 2020
Elective surgeries resume at hospitals statewide.
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May 22, 2020
The governor reopens state beaches, with capacity limited to 50 percent. Small gatherings of up to 10 people are now permitted.
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May 26, 2020
The Ladies Village Improvement Society cancels its annual summer fair in East Hampton for the first time in 124 years.
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May 27, 2020
Suffolk County is cleared for phase-one economic reopening. Construction, agriculture, fishing, hunting, forestry, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and retail (with some restrictions) can begin doing business.
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June 2, 2020
Hundreds of people show up to a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bridgehampton, almost all wearing masks.
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June 5, 2020
The Hampton Classic cancels its annual horse show.
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June 10, 2020
East Hampton and Sag Harbor villages allow restaurants to offer outdoor dining.
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June 12, 2020
Suffolk County goes 24 hours without a Covid-19 fatality. The death toll stands at 1,945.
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June 18, 2020
Southampton Town reopens its playgrounds and skate parks for youth.
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June 21, 2020
Hospitalizations in the county drop below 100 for the first time since March 22.
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June 24, 2020
Lobbying for crisis pay, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital nurses picket outside the buildings.
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July 8, 2020
Long Island enters phase four of economic reopening plan. Gatherings of no more than 50 people are now allowed.
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July 20, 2020
Nearly 42,500 people in Suffolk County have tested positive for Covid-19 since early March, though the infection rate has been steady at 1 percent for one week.
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July 21, 2020
The Artists and Writers Softball game, played every year since 1966, is canceled.
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July 25, 2020
The Chainsmokers, a popular electronica music duo, performs at Nova's Ark in Water Mill, where videos capturing flagrant violations of public health laws go viral.
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Aug. 8, 2020
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital goes one week without admitting a Covid-19 patient.
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Aug. 24, 2020
Gyms reopen in New York State.
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Sept. 12, 2020
Citing overcrowding, Sag Harbor Village police shut down an outdoor HooDoo Loungers concert.
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Sept. 20, 2020
The East Hampton Town Trustees adapt to the Covid era and hold their 30th-anniversary Largest Clam Contest virtually. (Michael Fromm's two-pound, 1.6-ounce quahog is the winner.)
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Oct. 31, 2020
Halloween looks a bit different this year, with no street closures in East Hampton Village and noticeably fewer trick-or-treaters.
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Nov. 8, 2020
Covid-19 infection rate rises to 3.8 percent, raising alarms about another surge.
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Nov. 11, 2020
The virus is officially on the upswing again. A new 10 p.m. closure time is imposed on bars, restaurants, and gyms, and gatherings are capped at 10 people. Governor Cuomo also extends the 10-person gathering limit to private homes.
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Nov. 23, 2020
Riverhead and Hampton Bays are deemed "yellow zones," outpacing other areas in Suffolk in Covid cases and falling under new restrictions put in place to stop the spread.
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Nov. 25, 2020
The Montauk Lighthouse's Christmas lights display is canceled.
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Dec. 14, 2020
A Long Island nurse receives the first dose of a brand-new vaccine administered in New York State.
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Dec. 20, 2020
A victim of the pandemic economy, Scoop du Jour serves up its last ice cream cone in East Hampton Village.
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Dec. 21, 2020
In the thick of the holiday season, "living-room spread" of Covid-19 accounts for 75 percent of new cases.
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Dec. 30, 2020
Suffolk County records more than 2,000 cases of Covid in a single day, the highest since the start of the pandemic.
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Dec. 31, 2020
A historic year for East End real estate comes to a close, with $1.6 billion in house sales in the final quarter of 2020 alone.
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Jan. 4, 2021
Second federal stimulus checks begin to be distributed.
Jan. 6, 2021
East Hampton opens a daily drive-through Covid-19 test site on the campus of Town Hall.
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Feb. 13, 2021
More than 300 are vaccinated at the first clinic established in East Hampton Town, at the former Child Development Center of the Hamptons.
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Feb. 14, 2021
Governor Cuomo relaxes restrictions on bars, restaurants, and gyms, which can now stay open until 11 p.m.
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Feb. 17, 2021
Suffolk County records its 3,000th death from or related to Covid-19.
Feb. 19, 202
Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island holds a one-day pop-up vaccine clinic at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
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Feb. 22, 2021
The death toll from Covid-19 in the United States surpasses 500,000. Word comes from the Montauk Friends of Erin that the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Montauk is canceled for the second year.
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