Ensuring that businesses and residents comply with measures meant to stop the spread of Covid-19 remained at the top of the agendas for the East Hampton and Sag Harbor Village Boards this week.
Both boards met by teleconference at the end of last week and discussed steps they have taken to encourage social distancing and compliance with a statewide closure of all but essential businesses.
Sag Harbor Village’s code enforcement officers are on the lookout for businesses that are not complying with protocols spelled out under the New York State on PAUSE order, Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said at a special meeting of the village board via a Zoom teleconference on Friday.
On March 27, the village banned businesses from operating self-service food and beverage stations in an effort to prevent people from breaching the social distancing guidelines. Mayor Mulcahy said that prior to the ban she and Thomas Gardella, the deputy mayor, had “politely” asked retail stores, including coffee vendors and Buddhaberry, the frozen yogurt shop, to stop allowing self-serve. “All but one had complied,” she said.
“Buddhaberry didn’t want to change their business model . . . [but] this is something that is more important than one business.”
The village is monitoring landscaping contractors to ensure they are doing only essential work, such as spring cleanup, and is watching construction sites to ensure that just one person is working at a time.
The outbreak has led to two sanitation issues in the village caused by the prevalent use of disposable antibacterial wipes and plastic gloves. Aidan Corish, a trustee who serves as the board’s liaison to the village’s wastewater treatment system, said there had been two recent blockages in the system due to residents flushing antibacterial wipes “There’s no such thing as a flushable wipe,” he said.
Mr. Corish’s colleague James Larocca said the village’s streets and sidewalks have been increasingly littered with plastic gloves and asked residents to dispose of them properly.
The meeting was cut short unexpectedly after the teleconference was hacked by someone who used the system’s chat function to write a series of racial slurs and profanities.
Plastic gloves that people are using to protect themselves from contracting the virus have also been increasingly seen on East Hampton Village streets and sidewalks, East Hampton Village Mayor Richard Lawler said during a village board teleconference last Thursday. “That has become a big issue for us,” he said, and urged residents to dispose of the gloves properly.
The village removed benches from the commercial district and beaches to discourage people from flouting the social distancing guidelines. The Main Beach pavilion and benches in front of it have been taped off, said Mr. Lawler, who went on to list other measures the village has recently taken to deter public gatherings. All village buildings except for the Emergency Services Building are closed to the public, he said, and meetings of all village boards will be held by teleconference.
Those who need to contact village officials and staff can do so by phone or email. East Hampton Village is granting a 60-day extension for building permits due to expire in the next 60 days.