Coronavirus on Long Island: Updates from June 17

MTA: 95% of customers wearing masks

MTA customers complying with the requirement of wearing masks is up to 95%, New York City Transit president Sarah Feinberg said Wednesday. Feinberg — speaking at a webinar hosted by AMNY — also said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has no immediate plans to discontinue overnight shutdowns of the subway system so that trains and stations can be deep-cleaned.

“No offense to our riders. We love having you in the system. But you would not believe how much easier it is to clean when you’re not there,” she said.

Feinberg added that, depending on the success of the MTA’s pilot program using ultra violet light to disinfect trains, future orders of subway cars may include the UV technology built in.

The Long Island Rail Road also is continuing efforts to put returning riders at ease. LIRR customer service ambassadors remain deployed at more than 40 stations throughout the system, distributing facemasks and hand sanitizer to customers, and helping promote social distancing on platforms, in trains, and on ticketing lines, according to union leader Nicholas Peluso.

“We do this all the way from Long Island out to Penn and Jamaica,” said Peluso, national representative of the Transportation Communication Union. “We’re out there . . . to help the customers feel safe in returning back to some sort of normalcy throughout Long Island.” — ALFONSO A. CASTILLO

Bellone again appeals to federal government for financial help

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone again called for the federal government to pitch in as the county faces more than an $800 million budget hole over the next three months, and up to a $1.5 billion deficit over the next 15 months, because of the coronavirus crisis.“Our immediate need right now is $1 billion in federal relief,” he said.Bellone noted that it was the federal government, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that recommended shutting down the economy to try to reduce the virus’ spread. “We did that and it worked. We flattened the curve here … but there was a cost to this, of course,” he said.Now, he said, the federal government needs to step up -- a theme he sometimes centers on in his daily briefings.As for daily coronavirus statistics, Bellone said COVID-19 hospitalizations rose slightly in the most recent 24-hour period measured, to 129 from 121. Two fewer patients, or 35, were in ICU beds, and one person died in the time frame. – NEWSDAY STAFF

Curran: COVID-19 hospitalizations in Nassau fall under 100

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said Wednesday that COVID-19 hospitalizations declined by 11, to 98, in the past 24 hours.

Curran, who offered her daily briefing at Wantagh pool, also said the number of ventilated COVID-19 patients at the county’s 11 hospitals declined by three, to 21.

Curran said the Long Island Region remains on track for a Phase 3 reopening a week from today. That would allow for the reopening of food services and personal care businesses such as nail salons. She reminded county residents that the pools at Wantagh, Nickerson, Cantiague, Christopher Morley and North Woodmere parks will open July 3, with limited capacity and other protocols in place. The pools will be open to county residents only, she said. 

For more information, go to nassaucountyny.gov/openparks.

Cuomo: NYC on track to enter Phase 2; LI on track for Phase 3

New York City and Long Island are still on track to enter Phase 2 and 3, respectively, of their reopening on Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Wednesday.

Cuomo also said at his news briefing that close to 60,000 COVID-19 tests were done in New York State on Tuesday and 17 deaths were reported for the day, down from 25 coronavirus fatalities Monday.

Cuomo, speaking from Albany, said the state is seeing its lowest number of new coronavirus cases and deaths. But, noting that 20 states are now seeing an increase in infections, he added that “the federal government is making a mistake.”Cuomo dismissed claims by the federal government that the higher number of cases is because more tests are being done.

“It is undeniable that more people are getting sick when more people are going into hospitals,” Cuomo said.

The governor also said that the number of COVID-19 deaths projected in the United States by August has risen to 149,690 people, according to the model being used by the federal government. – NEWSDAY STAFF

De Blasio: Announcement “very, very soon” on outdoor dining

New York City officials will make an announcement on outdoor dining “very, very soon,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.

The city is currently in Phase 1 of its reopening and could enter Phase 2, when outdoor dining is allowed, as soon as Monday. De Blasio, however, has warned that the start of Phase 2 might be delayed.

At his daily briefing Wednesday, de Blasio was asked about the possibility of closing streets or using parking spaces for dining.

“There’s a lot of different options on the table,” de Blasio said. He said officials would put out a policy soon. – NEWSDAY STAFF

Small decline in COVID-19 patients at Northwell hospitals

Northwell Health on Wednesday said it had 361 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the 19 hospitals it owns and operates, essentially flat from the same period last week, when the health system reported 367 COVID-19 patients. The less than 2% decline is the smallest percentage drop Northwell has registered since the numbers started coming down after April 10.

"It's all relative, and the numbers are much lower than they had been," said Terry Lynam, a Northwell spokesman. "But COVID isn't going away. This is going to be our new reality."

Lynam said that only 27 coronavirus patients are on ventilators. "It's not like only the sickest patients are left in the hospital," he said, adding that 17 COVID-19 patients were admitted to a Northwell facility over the last 24 hours. A positive note: Northwell is down 89% from the peak, and most hospitals continue to show week-over-week declines.

LIJ-Forest Hills in Queens, and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore have shown minor increases. -- DAVID REICH-HALE

Cuomo on coronavirus: ‘You can’t lose the focus’

Amid declines in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations statewide, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was asked Wednesday morning on “Good Morning America” how concerned he is that New Yorkers are letting their guard down.

“I’m concerned because it’s human nature,” he said in a pretaped interview. “… you can’t lose the focus and the discipline, because you tell me how New Yorkers behave tomorrow, I will tell you the infection rate a week from tomorrow. It is that closely linked.”

Among the things that keep him up at night, he said, is speculation that there will be a second wave of the virus, and spikes of new cases that are appearing in some other states.

“We still don’t know where we’re going with this,” he said. “No one can tell you.”

Cuomo was asked by interviewer Amy Robach whether he regretted not shutting down the state earlier, amid criticism that lives could have been saved if he had done so.

“Well, we didn’t have the information then,” he said.

Robach also asked if he felt responsible for New Yorkers who died in the pandemic.

“New Yorkers who died did not die because we failed them,” he said. “…everyone who died, we did everything we could.” – NEWSDAY STAFF