Coronavirus on Long Island: Updates May 1-3

DeBlasio: NYC producing its own coronavirus tests

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday said the city is now producing coronavirus test kits and will have 30,000 ready by the end of the week.

At his coronavirus update, the mayor said the tests are being made with 3D printers and the plan is to produce 50,000 per week.

De Blasio also underscored the need for residents to continue social distancing protocols even while acknowledging the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to have passed.

He talked about the “boomerang” effect if New Yorkers ease up on restrictions too soon.

"What should motivate us to be aware of to be worried about that will keep us on the mission and focused? The ugly word: boomerang, " de Blasio said. "That's the thing you do not want in this city.”

—Newsday Staff

Bellone: Three phases to Suffolk reopening
Suffolk will reopen its economy in three phases, County Executive Steve Bellone said at his Saturday afternoon coronavirus briefing.
Scaled up testing with tracing is the first piece, he said. Both diagnostic and antibody testing needs to be done, and made accessible by offering it at such places as pharmacies, Bellone said.
Identifying new positive individuals and tracing “will prevent new infections,” he said. “We’ll need an army of tracers.”
He noted that state officials have partnered with former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to come up with a plan to assemble these tracers.
The second phase of Suffolk’s safe reopening plan involves all sectors of the economy – including government, businesses, schools and houses of worship, Bellone said. On Friday, he said, he met virtually with Long Island officials to determine how to reopen in a coordinated way.
The public following social distancing and other safety measures is the final piece of the reopening plan, Bellone said.  “Today is a beautiful day and people want to be out … and be out with a face covering.”
In the past 24 hours, he said 24 people had died in Suffolk, bringing the county total to 1,227, Bellone said. He added that 52 people had left Suffolk hospitals in the past 24 hours with 851 patients still hospitalized. Newsday staff

LIers flock to state parks, beaches amid warm weather
Sun-filled Long Island state parks and beaches beckoned to the quarantined crowds on Saturday, prompting several to stop accepting visitors by mid-morning.
As of 10 a.m., the state Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation web site said the following sites had reached capacity: Shadmoor State Park, Amsterdam Beach State Park and Camp Hero in Montauk; Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in Smithtown; Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale; Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay; and Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River. 
By noon, Field 6 at Jones Beach State Park, Field 5 at Robert Moses State Park and Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in Huntington had also been closed, the state said.
A parks official said Friday that extra park police have been assigned and are coordinating with State Police to provide additional law enforcement coverage at Montauk-area state parks. – JOAN GRALLA

Cuomo: Transit workers to be tested for antibodies; survey shows 12.3% infection rate
The state will test transit workers in the New York City region for coronavirus antibodies, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday.
Cuomo also announced the results of an antibody survey in which more than 15,000 people were tested – the largest such survey in the nation, he said. The survey is meant to develop a baseline infection rate, Cuomo said.
Of those tested, 12.3% had antibodies for the coronavirus, indicating they had been infected with the virus at some point. That is a decrease from last month, when the results of an initial survey of nearly 3,000 people showed an 13.9% infection rate.
The infection rate of those tested in New York City was 19.9%, down from 21.2% last month. The Bronx had the highest infection rate, at 27.6%.
Cuomo also said Saturday that 299 people died from the coronavirus on Friday, up 10 from Thursday. -NEWSDAY STAFF

Northwell: Number of COVID-19 patients continues to drop
Northwell Health on Saturday said the number of COVID-19 patients at its 19 hospitals fell to 1,538, a drop of more than 100 in the last day and a decrease of about 25% in the last week. The number is down 54% from the peak of 3,360 more than three weeks ago.
"It's very encouraging," said Terry Lynam, a Northwell spokesman.
Despite the large drops, Northwell and other health systems said there has been an alarming decline in regular emergency department visits as patients continue to avoid hospitals.
Northwell, Mount Sinai South Nassau and Stony Brook Southampton all said volume is down about 50%.
"Patients with urgent medical issues should not put their health on hold," said Joe Calderone, a spokesman for Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside. "We are taking all necessary steps to ensure patient safety. People should not hesitate to seek medical help at the hospital." – DAVID REICH-HALE

Cuomo orders delay in school board, budget votes

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued an executive order Friday to delay school board elections and budget votes statewide until June 9.

The order was done in an effort to keep New Yorkers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long Island school districts, which had scheduled school board and budget elections for May 19, had already postponed the voting until June.

The school board elections and budget votes will be conducted by mail and all qualified voters will be sent an absentee ballot with return postage paid.

The executive order also delays local special district and village elections until Sept. 15. 

"We've made great progress to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but we still don't know when this pandemic will end and we don't want to undo all the work we've already done to flatten the curve," Cuomo said.

"We don't want to put New Yorkers in a situation where they are possibly putting their health at risk, so we are delaying school board elections and conducting them by mail and delaying all local special district and village elections to help limit any unnecessary exposure to this virus among both voters and poll workers." — NEWSDAY STAFF

Remdesivir to be used at NYC public hospitals

The antiviral drug remdesivir will be used at New York City's public hospitals, following the FDA's approval Friday of the drug for emergency coronavirus patients, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Evidence would determine whether it's effective, de Blasio told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Friday evening.

"If it's a game-changer, thank God," he said, adding: "I think this one has to be a kind of, you know, trust-but-verify situation."

The city into next year is anticipating "a big one-two punch we have to get ahead of" — the coronavirus pandemic and ordinary flu season, de Blasio said. He urged people to get a flu shot.

He said that the municipal workforce in cities like New York could face furloughs or layoffs if the federal government did not provide localities with a bailout.

"Right now, I'm in the hole $7.4 billion," he said, referring to the shortfall in tax revenue. — MATTHEW CHAYES

Curran announces opening of New Cassel-Westbury COVID-19 testing site

Another COVID-19 testing center has begun operating in Nassau County, this one in Westbury, County Executive Laura Curran announced Friday.

Testing will be conducted at the Westbury Health Center, 682 Union Ave., Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., by phone appointment only (516-396-7500).

Friday’s announcement comes after Nassau County opened three other COVID-19 testing facilities in Hempstead, Freeport and Elmont.

All four testing locations are accessible by NICE Bus, which is currently not collecting fares. Services are provided without regard to insurance or immigration status, and multilingual staff are present at all sites, a statement by Curran’s office said. All four county facilities also provide those who get tested with a free box of food supplies.

“We need a robust testing system in place to begin a safe reopening, and that's why our focus has been testing, testing, testing,” Curran said. “If you meet the testing criteria, now is the time to call and make an appointment.” — NEWSDAY STAFF

Bellone announces way forward in Suffolk

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone outlined the steps being taken to reopen the county at his daily briefing on Friday.

In announcing the “Suffolk County Forward” initiative, Bellone said the county is getting close to having 14 consecutive days of declining hospitalizations for COVID-19. In the last 24 hours, he said, 98 people had left hospitals.

“We’re seeing signs of strength, hope and resiliency” throughout the county, Bellone said, citing the release of a Suffolk volunteer firefighter who had spent 38 days in the hospital, 20 of those on a ventilator.

Suffolk Forward is working on reopening plans with government officials, labor leaders, business people and other stakeholders, he said. They are identifying what is needed to safely reopen schools, businesses, public works, nonprofits and houses of worship.

“We can’t get it wrong,” he said.

Bellone noted that more than 1,100 people died of COVID-19 in May, bringing the Suffolk County total to 1,203. On April 1, the county total was 69 deaths, he said. — NEWSDAY STAFF

Small groups gather to protest stay-at-home order

Across Nassau and Suffolk on Friday, small groups of protesters gathered to challenge Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s stay-at-home order.

In Commack, several dozen protesters, draped in American flags and bearing signs reading “Save Our Suffolk” and “End the Lockdown,” called for an end to the order. Many carried signs supporting President Donald Trump or Make America Great Again gear.

“So many people are suffering,” said Cassandra Mulligan of West Islip, who said she has lost two friends to the virus. “But I really feel like it’s time to reopen.”

Peter Fournier of Lake Ronkonkoma said the percentage of people dying compared to those infected does not warrant an extended lockdown. “People are ready to get back to work,” Fournier said.

A smaller afternoon protest in the Green Acres parking lot in Valley Stream was quickly broken up by Nassau police. Protesters stayed in their vehicles but hung signs reading “Make America Independent Again” and “We Are All Essential.”

“We want to do what the CDC recommends, but it’s time to get back to work,” said Lisa Pecora of Whitestone, Queens. – ROBERT BRODSKY

Cuomo expanding mental health services for front-line workers

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, noting that the COVID-19 crisis has compounded the mental health crisis, said Friday that he is expanding efforts to provide mental health services to front-line workers.

Cuomo said the state will offer those workers free mental health services, while directing insurers to waive all cost sharing and deductibles for mental health services for essential workers through the crisis. The state will partner with Kate Spade New York Foundation and Crisis Text Line on a 24/7 emotional support services for front-line health care workers, he said.

Cuomo cited the psychological strain the crisis has caused for many people, noting that three out four Americans say their sleep has been affected. There also have been increases in domestic violence cases, which he said is a “national epidemic, statewide epidemic.”

Cuomo also said he will be talking with hospitals Friday for more details about new COVID-19 cases. He said the state is still seeing about 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus every day, and a focus is determining where those cases are coming from. "We want to get more specific information on the new cases coming in the door … to see if can get a more specific target," Cuomo said.

The aim is to determine if the new infections are from essential workers, or if people who have been staying home are being infected by someone they live with. – NEWSDAY STAFF

Northwell says it has more non-COVID-19 patients
Northwell Health on Friday said the number of COVID-19 patients at its 19 hospitals has fallen to 1,652, a drop of more than 50% from its high point of 3,360 more than three weeks ago. Northwell has reported a 20% drop in the last seven days.

The New Hyde Park-based health system also said it has more hospitalized non-COVID-19 patients, 1,683, than COVID-19 patients for the first time since the pandemic took hold in the region.

Earlier in the week, Northwell said it had cleared Syosset Hospital of coronavirus patients and began performing more oncology procedures there, including breast and OB-GYN surgeries. Northwell, like all health systems on Long Island, is waiting for the governor's approval before it starts offering elective surgeries. – DAVID REICH-HALE

NYC to open streets to pedestrians to encourage social distancing
New York City will open more than seven miles of streets to pedestrians starting Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

The move is intended to encourage social distancing, de Blasio said, particularly with warmer weather expected this month.

A total of 4½ miles will be opened inside parks to ease crowding, according to a slide presented during de Blasio’s daily press briefing. Another 2.7 miles of streets adjacent to parks will also be opened.

Temperatures are expected to hit the 70s this weekend, and de Blasio expects warmer weather this month will pose a new challenge in the fight against the coronavirus. Young people in particular, he said, are restless.

But while progress has been made in fighting the virus, de Blasio said, “The bottom line is, we cannot let up now.” – NEWSDAY STAFF