NY colleges get new guidelines from Cuomo
Cuomo: Colleges with 100 new cases will go remote for 2 weeks
A Molloy College student moves belongings into Fitzgerald Hall on Tuesday. Credit: Charles Eckert
New York colleges would be shut down for two weeks and revert to online learning if they have 100 confirmed cases, or a number equal to 5% of their total population.
Officials would then reassess the situation to see if the college should reopen, Cuomo said. The decision came as some colleges around the country that have reopened with in-person instruction have seen a spike in cases, he said.
“We should anticipate clusters. When you have large congregations of people, anticipate a cluster. We know that," he said. “Be prepared for it. Get ahead of it … We expect it. We want to be prepared for it."
Students will be allowed to remain on campus during the remote learning phase. The colleges will be forced to stop in-person instruction if they hit either of the two thresholds — whichever is lower, Cuomo said.
Meanwhile, in New York City, teachers in the public school system will get 30 minutes at the start of each work day to coordinate between remote and in-person instructors who will be staffing the system beginning this fall, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.
The number of new positives reported today: 47 in Nassau, 36 in Suffolk, 315 in New York City and 791 statewide.
The chart below shows the number of new cases in New York City and in the state in recent days. Search a map of cases and view more charts showing the latest local trends in testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
These bars show the number of new coronavirus cases confirmed each day.
Experts cautiously optimistic on schools reopening
A panel of teachers, medical and school transportation professionals were cautiously optimistic Thursday about schools reopening for in-person learning, but called on parents and students to do their part to prevent the spread of the virus.
There is "a really good chance we could make it work," Dr. Christina Johns, senior medical adviser for PM Pediatrics, said at a Newsday Live webinar entitled School & COVID-19: Remote Learning and In-School Safety. But, she said, "I think we're going to be learning as we go," adopting "smarter and safer strategies" based on what works and what doesn't.
Above all, the experts said, families should assess the risks of sending their kids to school versus remote learning and decide, if possible with consultations with medical experts, what’s best for them — especially if any family members are in "at-risk" categories.
Long Island tries to get city businesses to come to the suburbs
A prototype of the cover page of a promotional insert for Site Selection Magazine's September/October issue. Credit: Site Selection Magazine
Economic developers on Long Island will launch an advertising campaign next month aimed at luring companies to the suburbs that don’t want to be in cities with large numbers of coronavirus cases, officials said.
The Island’s eight industrial development agencies and the tourism promotions agency Discover Long Island are organizing an insert for Site Selection Magazine’s September/October issue. With a monthly circulation of about 48,000, the magazine is read by CEOs across the globe and the real estate consultants they hire to find the best locations for offices, factories, laboratories and warehouses.
The insert, called the Long Island Intelligence Report, will be written by Site Selection journalists but paid for with advertising, the officials said.
“There is strong name recognition of Long Island, but people don’t know anything about it,” said Kristen Jarnagin, CEO of Discover Long Island. “We want them to know that we’re a business-friendly place. We want to be proactive, to reach out to them.”
Pandemic brings performance sets to actors' homes
Danny Higgins, artistic director of EastLine Theatre, reads from "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" in the yard of his Malverne home this month. Credit: Linda Rosier
With theaters closed and stages silent, there's a group of Long Island actors — many in their 50s or older — who have been performing Shakespeare solo outdoors, typically in a backyard, driveway or elsewhere on their property.
They're part of Shakespeare in the Yard, an EastLine Theatre project in which actors present monologues (delivered to other characters) and soliloquies (delivered to an audience) outdoors from 37 Shakespeare plays.
It gives actors a chance to perform Shakespeare safely — and audiences a chance to see them via social media. The performances are posted on social media and have gotten hundreds of hits.
“Not only to keep the creative juices flowing,” said EastLine’s artistic director Danny Higgins, “but to allow our artists, the people who get their fix with us, to still all do that.”
More to know
Theater owners held a press conference at the Malverne Cinema and Art Center to call on Cuomo to let cinemas reopen their venues.
Lord & Taylor is closing all 38 of its stores, including four on Long Island, and starting going-out-of-business sales, the retailer said Thursday.
The Labor Department reported that just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, which dropped from 1.1 million the week before.
Rep. Lee Zeldin sought to portray President Donald Trump as delivering for Americans on the pandemic at the Republican National Convention Wednesday, saying his much-criticized performance actually was “phenomenal.”
Cajun restaurant Bayou Jones in Merrick has closed, and served its last meal on Aug. 2.
State education officials announced Wednesday they have relaxed key classroom and in-vehicle requirements for people seeking a driver’s license to accommodate social distancing prompted by the coronavirus.
News for you
A group of mothers who are part of the Stroller Strong Mamas exercise program jog around Riverhead's Stotzky Memorial Park on Aug. 18. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Finding community in stroller fitness classes. They're called the Stroller Strong Mamas and can be found on a socially distanced runs or walks while pushing their kids in strollers. And the pandemic hasn't slowed them down.
For businesses transitioning to virtual events. Businesses and local groups have transitioned to virtual presentations, and it seems like that will continue for some time. Here are some ways to boost their engagement.
Virtually tour a celebrity museum. Actor, director and playwright Sal St. George took on a new role as a virtual tour guide. One Monday each month, the Medford resident and his son take visitors via Zoom to museums devoted to show business legends. Check it out.
Plus: In need of a pick-me-up? Check out these pet photos submitted by Newsday readers.
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Commentary
Credit: Matt Bodkin
Long Island cartoonist Matt Bodkin, as seen on Saturdays in Newsday, draws on traffic, politics, education, sports and more.
Check out more of Matt Bodkin's Long Island cartoons here.
