Coronavirus

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced over the last several days key initiatives including an investigation into the impacts of Covid-19 on children and an extension of the statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse to file claims.

Este viernes pasado el Supervisor de East Hampton Town, Peter Van Scoyoc, anunció que se abrirá un nuevo sitio de testeo para Covid-19 en el pueblo de East Hampton. Proyectado para entrar en funcionamiento el viernes 15 de mayo, el sitio estará ubicado en los estacionamientos de los campos deportivos de Pantigo Place.

On a day when Suffolk's Covid-19 cases topped 40,000, county executive laments that World War II veterans, the most vulnerable to the virus, cannot be celebrated with public expressions of appreciation.

A Covid-19 testing site is expected to begin operation at parking lots by the ball fields on Pantigo Place in East Hampton on Friday, May 15, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc announced on Friday. 

“The nursing home is the optimum feeding ground for this virus: vulnerable people in a congregate facility . . . where it can spread like wildfire through dry grass,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. That is proving to be true on the East End and across the country.

The number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in Suffolk County decreased by 54 on Thursday. "Hopefully this means we're back on our downward trend," said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone at his daily briefing. 

Health experts say it’s still too early to gauge with absolute certainty the impact of antibodies on Covid-19 and whether they will guard against reinfection long term, “but we have to hang our hat on something,” said Dr. George Dempsey of East Hampton Family Medicine.

As East End hotels prepare to welcome summer guests in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the new must-have amenities will include face masks made from luxurious fabric, chic dispensers for hand sanitizer, body temperature scanners, aesthetically pleasing dividers to ensure people maintain six feet of social distance, and other items that allow people to feel safe and pampered.

As a means of offering gratitude to the health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic, WLNG is “roadcasting,” taking its Rolling Roadcaster bus to the East End’s hospitals.

David Falkowski, who has operated his Bridgehampton farm, Open Minded Organics, since 2003, has become a bit of a roadside philosopher during the Covid-19 pandemic, and we could all use a little of his sound and uplifting advice.

With school closures extended through the end of the academic year, educators are beginning to consider what the opening of next year might look like.

The committee agreed at its first meeting last week to “make sure we don’t have a second wave” of Covid-19 infection “by opening too soon, by being careless when we open, by not looking at social distancing,” said Deputy Town Supervisor Sylvia Overby.

For the second day in a row, the number of patients hospitalized with confirmed Covid-19 cases in Suffolk County rose, though the county still met a 14-day decline in overall hospitalizations based on a three-day rolling average of that figure.

In an effort to limit the number of people at East Hampton Village beaches, the village announced on Monday that beach parking permits will be required and no daily parking passes will be issued starting May 15.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that state-regulated health insurers are now required to provide free mental health care for health care employees who are on the front lines of the fight against the virus.

The number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in Suffolk County rose in the past 24 hours, marking an end to 13 straight days of declining hospitalizations, and possibly dealing a setback to plans to reopen after the New York on Pause mandate is lifted on May 15.

There are now 813 people in hospitals across the county, down from a peak of 1,658 on April 11. However, there were 889 new Covid-19 cases reported by Sunday as of 3 p.m.

The Hampton Jitney is taking reservations in anticipation of restarting limited service for essential travel on Thursday and is running "training trips to practice new safety protocols."

The East Hampton Village election for mayor and two seats on the board has been moved from June 16 to Sept. 15.

The Nassau/Suffolk Joint Summer Operations Task Force was established to offer hope for the summer, albeit one unlike what Long Island’s residents and visitors are accustomed to.

Durante las últimas dos semanas el número total de casos de Covid-19 en el South Fork se ha mantenido estable, y Stony Brook Southampton Hospital está dando de alta a tanta gente como la que está admitiendo durante este mismo período. Sin embargo, no ha habido una disminución en el número de nuevos casos reportados.

Even as he looked back on April as "a month of tremendous pain and grief" in which Suffolk lost over 1,100 residents, County Executive Steve Bellone also struck a hopeful tone in his press briefing on Friday afternoon, pointing to signs of "inspiration, strength, and resiliency."

Three local high schools will participate in an Islandwide tribute to high school seniors Friday at 8:20 p.m. (20:20 military time).

State officials do not think it’s possible to reopen schools this year "in a way that would keep our students and educators safe.”

While traditional food aid organizations have ramped up their efforts during Covid-19, OLA has found some homebound communities are still in urgent crisis and in need of rapid food help.

“Even though everybody is optimistic that the number is going to go down. . . . The big question is when are we going to see a full decline,” said Robert Chaloner, the hospital's chief administrative officer.

The summer arts scene will look very different this year, even if rules for gatherings are relaxed here. Expect to see outdoor play readings, limits or appointments required for access to gardens and art venues, and the return of the drive-in movie, with anticipated reopenings beginning in July.

The very things that have made Sag Harbor Village a popular destination — its mix of shops, restaurants, parks, and cultural institutions — will complicate the process of emerging from the Covid-19 shutdown.

The East Hampton Historical Society is using social media not only to engage homebound community members with programs but also to encourage people to share their at-home experiences.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has outlined a regional, phased plan to reopen parts of New York State “at the appropriate time.”