Reopening Long Island starts tomorrow
How Long Island will reopen
Jose Dominguez, 83, of Rockville Centre, hopes to reopen his Pioneer Barber shop soon. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
“We are going to bring the last of what we call the tracers … and they will come online today and Long Island will open tomorrow,” Cuomo said Tuesday.
Long Island's nonessential businesses will reopen in phases, with specific guidelines and heightened protocols for companies and customers. Here's answers to some of the questions you might have about each phase, including which businesses will open when.
Cuomo also cautioned that the region needs to stay alert to react quickly to any resurgence of the virus. He said the "control rooms," which in Nassau and Suffolk include county executives Laura Curran and Steve Bellone, respectively, as well as other business and civic leaders, need to monitor the data on the virus to guide their actions and consider whether the reopening is going smoothly.
"I’ve said to these county executives, 'Watch the numbers and when you see a cluster of cases, jump on it,'" he added.
Cuomo also called for a grand new program to “supercharge” the economy statewide, reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” in the Great Depression.
"We want that economy to come roaring back. And that’s not going to happen just by wishing it to be so," he said from the New York Stock Exchange as the symbolic heart of American capitalism resumed activity for the first time in months. "We have to take an affirmative action, we have to be part of that. And today is Page One of that chapter.”
The numbers as of 3 p.m.: 39,974 confirmed cases in Nassau, 39,199 in Suffolk, 199,301 in New York City and 363,836 statewide.
Search the following map of Long Island cases and view more charts showing the latest local trends in new cases, testing, hospitalizations and more.
This map shows coronavirus cases in different Long Island communities, with the darker-shaded regions having higher concentrations of positive tests. Suffolk data is as of May 25, and Nassau data is as of May 23.
Expect more coronavirus monitoring at work
Get ready for a clash between health measures and privacy rights when employees begin returning to a workplace where their every move could be tracked.
Temperature scans, immunity badges, a “bio passport” and even smartphone apps that record all the steps you take are just some of the tools technology companies are gearing up.
Under the goal of protecting public health and limiting further coronavirus outbreaks, software developers and employers are looking at dramatically ramping up workplace surveillance.
That will raise a whole host of issues, legislators and experts said.
Will the public adjust to surveillance and dismiss privacy concerns, much in the way it accepted new intrusions after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks?
The issue is emerging so quickly, there aren’t federal standards to oversee it completely. But New York State lawmakers say they’re preparing legislation to begin to tackle it.
Within 5 months, a dad, mom and son gone
Josephine Baltzer with her son, George Jr., and hushand, George Sr., in an undated photo. Credit: Baltzer Family
For 62 years, they were rarely apart.
Josephine and George Baltzer brought their son, George Jr., everywhere they went, whether it be to the grocery store or on a trip to Europe.
Now, within the span of five months, the world has lost all three.
George Sr. died after complications from pneumonia on Dec. 15. He was 87. Josephine and Georgie still had one another, however, and were living in adjacent rooms at Oyster Bay Manor, an assisted living facility in Oyster Bay.
And then last month, mother and son both came down with COVID-19 and died two days apart. Read their story.
Learn more about Long Islanders who we have lost to the virus.
Brothers auction off baseball cards for COVID-19 aid
Brothers William and Alexander Manolarakis of Fort Salonga started the Twitter account @CardsforCOVID to auction off their baseball card collection. Credit: William Manolarakis
When William Manolarakis was 12, he came across a Hideki Matsui baseball card — and it was a game changer. Since then, he and his younger brother, Alexander, have amassed a sprawling collection of roughly 10,000 cards.
Now, the brothers, ages 22 and 19, are auctioning them off to help local organizations during the pandemic, inspired by the charity work of Boston Red Sox beat reporter Chris Cotillo.
Cotillo raised more than $57,000 by auctioning off his baseball cards and autographs on Twitter, and William said he got in touch with him to "model" their efforts after his.
The brothers will tweet out a photo of a card with a description from their account, @CardsforCOVID, and note the auction's closing time, starting bid and which charity will benefit. Anyone can reply with a bid and when the auction closes, they message the winner with instructions.
In 15 days, they have raised more than $3,600 for local causes, William said.
"The whole process has made us feel better during this whole pandemic by being able to give to others," Alexander added.
More to know
A Nature's Bounty employee works in the production area making vitamins and nutritional supplements. Credit: The Nature’s Bounty Co.
More than 250 jobs will be added at Nature’s Bounty Co.'s Suffolk County factories to meet increased demand for vitamins because of the coronavirus, officials said.
Higher rates of infection have consistently been documented by coronavirus testing at community health centers in Nassau and Suffolk, where the preponderance of patients are minorities with low incomes, compared to the overall county populations, data show.
Two more Long Island camps have made the decision not to open this summer because of COVID-19.
Nassau County will offer $500,000 in loans to help small businesses, nonprofits and landlords struggling during the pandemic in a bid to distribute up to $10 million to the entities from a new state lending program.
Two local businesses have closed for good, BounceU and KZAM of Farmingdale, both children's recreation places, citing COVID-19 concerns as the reasoning.
The Giants and Jets are not playing football in New Jersey just yet, but an announcement by Gov. Phil Murphy opened the door for the teams to return to their practice fields and shared stadium at some point.
News for you
Jared Brown, 21, of Melville has been babysitting for Melissa Rand of Jericho virtually since the coronavirus hit. On Zoom, he plays games with the Rand children. Credit: Jared Brown
Hire a sitter. Need a break? With many day care centers closed, and nannies and babysitters on hold, some Long Island parents are turning to a new source of child care: virtual babysitters.
Drive-in movies at the Coliseum. NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum has announced a last-minute drive-in movie program that will begin this Friday night with the animated film “Trolls.”
Sorry, Parrotheads. Jimmy Buffet fans will have to wait until 2021 to enjoy their annual parking lot tailgate and concert at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater. The band's concert, originally set for Aug. 4, has been postponed to next year, as was the Doobie Brothers’ 50th anniversary concert. Many other shows at the venue have been canceled.
That pizza's from Chuck E. Cheese? There's a new spot on Grubhub serving pizza and wings for takeout and delivery only called Pasqually's. The "virtual kitchen" is actually operating out of Chuck E. Cheese locations but promises a "more flavorful, more premium pizza experience” than what you're used to from the chain.
New material from J.K. Rowling. To help entertain children and families stuck at home, the "Harry Potter" author is publishing a new story called “The Ickabog,” which will be free to read online.
Your socially distant social calendar. From virtual cooking and painting classes and museum tours to speaker series and a folk fest, check out our updated list of local events to find something fun yet safe for you and your family.
Plus: Wondering how you're going to occupy your children this summer? Join us tomorrow at 10 a.m. for our latest free webinar, which will feature a discussion and Q&A on how to plan your kid’s summer with Jen Snyder, of Homeschool New York, and Robbie Gothelf, of Timber Lake Camp. Reserve your spot.
Get real-time updates about the virus' impact on Long Island by visiting our live blog.
Commentary
Three ways to boost the Three R's online. Several years ago, New York’s highest court ruled that every student has a right to a “sound, basic education,” Roger Tilles, who represents Long Island on the state’s Board of Regents, writes in a column for Newsday Opinion.
In the years since, the state has struggled to define exactly what that means. But in the age of COVID-19-induced remote learning, no child can receive even a basic education without adequate access to technology.
Doing so requires three things — a teacher who can fluently deliver instruction online, a device on which the student can access the lessons and do his or her work, and the internet connectivity needed to keep that teacher and student connected. There is work to do in all three areas.
In many parts of our state, there is virtually no internet infrastructure to serve students’ homes. Some districts are moving school buses with Wi-Fi “hot spots” through neighborhoods for an hour at a time to give students a glimpse of the internet. We can simultaneously admire this creativity and mourn its inadequacy to deliver meaningful, interactive educational experiences for students and their teachers.
