LI lost 10,000 more jobs than expected
Long Island lost 93,500 jobs last year
A man walks past a New York State Department of Labor office in Flushing on May 14. Credit: Charles Eckert
The new number of job losses for the year – 93,500 – was more than previously thought and was a key finding from the state Labor Department's annual revision of the previous year's unemployment data, said Shital Patel, labor market analyst in the department's Hicksville office.
"We had a much larger decline in the number of employed residents last year, but no real change in the number of unemployed," she said.
A decrease in the number of employed residents in concert with a negligible change in the number of unemployed residents – those out of work but actively job hunting – suggests that more Long Islanders may have left the labor force, either through early retirement, a shift to secondary education or by becoming what economists refer to as "discouraged workers."
"It didn’t really show up in the unemployment rate but there was a sort of change in the picture of what happened last year," Patel said.
The Island’s jobless rate for 2020 was revised, up from 8.4% to 8.5%, Patel said. The state also revised April’s record-breaking jobless rate from 16% up to 17.5%, raising an already high watermark even higher.
COVID-19 vaccinations in New York: On Wednesday morning, New York residents could start making vaccine appointments for shots at 10 new state-run vaccination sites, including three on Long Island.
The chart below shows the cumulative percentage of New Yorkers who got one dose of a vaccine and those who have been fully vaccinated.
This chart shows the percentages of New Yorkers who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and those who have been fully vaccinated.
Search a map of new cases and view more charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
How did you get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment? If you’ve been able to land an appointment, what worked for you? How many websites did you check? Did checking at different times of the day help? We want to hear from you — fill out this form to tell us.
If you haven't been able to get an appointment, try checking the resources in our guide.
LI schools still waiting for updated COVID-19 guidelines
Perry Fuchs, left, teaches astronomy class at Plainedge High School to socially distanced, shielded students in September. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
During a national debate over how far apart people should be in schools — 6 feet or 3 feet — Long Island school leaders say they're waiting for the state to update reopening guidelines before considering changes to COVID-19 distancing protocols.
Educators agreed they want more students back in schools — but six-foot distancing guidelines don't allow them to bring all students back at once, due to limited space in classrooms.
"What we have to do, and what we’ve always done, is follow the science. And it seems like there’s a growing body of research saying 3 feet would be an appropriate distance in schools," with physical barriers in place, said Lawrence Superintendent Ann Pedersen.
CDC leaders are considering whether students can be seated closer together with masks and other physical partitions. Many districts have been adhering to CDC standards, in addition to state guidelines when implementing reopening procedures.
Two LI Catholic schools closing amid pandemic costs
The St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead is one of two closing. Credit: Google Map
Two more Catholic grammar schools on Long Island — including one nearly a century old — are closing largely because of the impact of the pandemic, church officials said Tuesday, bringing to five the number closing in a year.
St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead and St. Raymond School in East Rockaway will close in June, at the end of this academic year, said Sean Dolan, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The diocese shut three others last June, and will be left running 33 in Nassau and Suffolk counties after the latest closings.
Both schools suffered enrollment declines for years, but the pandemic sharply reduced donations at Masses and fundraising efforts, dealing a final blow, he said.
"Unfortunately, enrollment loss combined with the impact of COVID-19 on both parish offertory collections and fundraising efforts, has made it clear that it is not feasible to maintain these schools financially," Dolan said.
LI kids, teens help children in shelters have happy birthdays
Syosset high schooler Noora Zakaria, 16, put together a box of birthday essentials during the pandemic for the organization Birthday Wishes. Credit: Noora Zakaria
Before the pandemic, nonprofit organization Birthday Wishes helped children celebrate their birthdays with parties in 85 homeless shelters across the region.
Since last year, the organization has pivoted solely to a "birthday box" effort to service local shelters from a safe, social distance. And Long Island kids and teens often volunteer.
Instead of baking, volunteers will drop off cake mix or mug cake ingredients to create a microwaveable treat, for those without access to ovens. The boxes now also include masks and hand sanitizer.
"We celebrate over 120 birthdays a month," said Jamie Rapfogel, founder of the Long Island branch. "We’ve never missed a birthday through the whole pandemic. Even though we halted for two months, we made sure to go back and cover the birthdays we missed."
More to know
CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale plans to be the first Long Island theater to welcome back audiences, announcing a reopening date of April 2 with capacity limits and COVID-related protocols.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo got his COVID-19 vaccine — the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot — at the Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem on Wednesday.
Spike Lee, who was set to lead last year's jury for the Cannes Film Festival that was ultimately canceled by the pandemic, will instead preside over this year's event, set to take place July 6-17.
News for you
Susan Gatti, CEO of ImmixID Consulting, in her home office on March 9 in Rockville Centre. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin/Debbie Egan-Chin
Beating 'Zoom fatigue.' When work from home started and so did quarantine, Zoom was helpful. But a year in? Employees are finding videoconferencing is taking its toll. It's known as "Zoom fatigue" and there are some ways to help mitigate it.
A Girl Scout cookie drive-thru. You can pick up Thin Mints or shortbread Trefoils from a social distance at a pop-up Girl Scout cookie drive-thru in Garden City, or use the Grubhub app to get your cookies delivered. But hurry up: It's during this weekend only.
Explore a field of 500,000 tulips. Come April, get outside to enjoy the half million tulips and spring bulbs expected to bloom at Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden in Manorville for the annual Tulip Festival. More details to come — and COVID-19 safety protocols will be enforced.
Up next on Newsday Live. Join us Thursday for two virtual discussions with experts on the pandemic. First, Newsday hosts the Nassau and Suffolk county health commissioners at noon to discuss protocols, treatments for the virus and more. You can register here. Then, at 4 p.m., a discussion on how kids can catch up in school after this pandemic year.
Plus: It's St. Patrick's Day. Traditionally marked by parades and celebrations, this is the second year in a row the holiday will look different — but that doesn't stop Long Islanders from keeping some traditions. Here's a Long Island St. Paddy's Day, by the numbers.
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Commentary
Credit: Getty Images/Andy Roberts
At long last, a surge of optimism. Michael Dobie writes in his latest Newsday Opinion column: I was working at my desk last week when a sudden movement beyond my laptop caught my eye. I glanced up at the window and there, on the outside screen, was a fly. Nothing special, just one of those housefly-type flies, moving spasmodically around the screen. And I smiled.
You take your harbingers of spring as you find them.
That’s how it's gone lately. A fly, a few robins, the chatter of birds at dawn, the crocuses pushing through the soil, on some days the absence of a chill in the breeze, the daylight lingering a little longer. And a needle, and then a hundred times a million more needles. And a good feeling begins to permeate a nation.
We’ve spent a long time in the darkness. At times it’s seemed longer than it was. And now it seems like the light is beginning to pour in. Keep reading.
Erin Serpico is an assistant web producer who joined Newsday in November 2018. Originally from New Jersey, she now covers community events and produces local content for newsday.com while also helping run the homepage.
