Villages

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 End food pantries and other social services organizations are seeing a surge of people in need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, their directors said this week. 

The Sag Harbor School District on Wednesday announced "more than one member of our school community" has been diagnosed with COVID-19, making it the second local school to confirm at least one case.

The school, which has students in prekindergarten through 12th grade, including international boarding students, said it is not known how the faculty member contracted the illness. The test result came in late Monday night.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suffolk County rose to 1,880 on Tuesday, as the county executive reported more virus-related deaths for the sixth day in a row and officials scrambled to increase the number of hospital beds across the region.

The Hampton Jitney paused its Jitney and Ambassador bus service between the South Fork and New York City effective Monday. 

Steve Bellone will offer an update on Suffolk's response at 6:30 p.m. as cases in the county rise to nearly 1,500.

As of Sunday evening, East Hampton Town had 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Southampton Town, 16, Shelter Island 2, and Southold Town 91. Officials plead with people to practice social distancing.

School districts and day care centers here are answering the governor’s call to help parents and caregivers who are first responders, health care workers, and other essential employees during the COVID-19 response.

El reglamento sigue un anuncio similar realizado por el Metropolitan Transportation Authority para los autobuses de la ciudad de Nueva York y el Long Island Rail Road. Efectivo se está aceptando únicamente en las máquinas de tickets, y una aplicación llamada MTA eTix está disponible para pagar las tarifas digitalmente.

Some of the key takeaways from this week's news about COVID-19 in New York State, Suffolk County, and our South Fork communities.

Suffolk Transit buses are going cashless and taking other measures to increase public health safety as the effects of COVID-19 continue to grow.

Con el esfuerzo de proveer información acerca de la pandemia del COVID-19 a nuestra comunidad de habla hispana, el East Hampton Star está colaborando con la Organización Latino-Americana para traducir artículos al español.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office released a list of those businesses considered essential while an executive order designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 is in effect. Businesses not on the list must arrange for all of their employees to work from home or cease operation by 8 p.m. Sunday or face fines.

"These are legal provisions; they will be enforced. There will be a civil fine and mandatory closure for any business that isn't in compliance," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday as the state's virus cases topped 7,100.

Suffolk Legislator Bridget Fleming said on Thursday that hoarding food is unnecessary because supply chains that serve retail food stores are operating normally.

The East Hampton Library will host an online program for students beginning to think about applying to college.

The South Fork is caught up in a rapidly accelerating public health emergency as the COVID-19 pandemic moved from dire warnings two weeks ago to declarations of states of emergency in all of the towns and villages on the North and South Forks this week.

The Plain Sight Project, which is creating a database of East End slavery, is seeking sharp-eyed volunteers to work remotely.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, East Hampton’s religious organizations have suspended in-person services, as well as Sunday school and all other gatherings and classes, trying digital streaming instead.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo this week ordered schools statewide to close through March 31 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some districts here had already announced plans to close for two weeks. Many administrators believe the closure will be extended.

Suffolk County's first mobile testing site for the novel coronavirus is at a Stony Brook University commuter lot. Testing is by appointment and only for those who meet stringent criteria.

While most people have been told to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19, first responders do not have the luxury of closing up shop.

Businesses of all sorts in New York State ground to a screeching halt this week, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced a near-total shutdown of commercial activity and ordinary life.

Shelter Island has its first confirmed case of the virus, which has already been reported in East Hampton, Southampton, Riverhead, and Southold.

In photographs, how businesses and residents reacted as coronavirus precautions began to take hold.

The airport itself has not closed and flights can still come in and out.