Businesses that can't reopen fear for survival
COVID-19 leaves some businesses still not able to reopen
Phil Solomon, owner of Port Jefferson Cinemas, is shown behind the new tempered glass enclosure he had built around the box office. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
The movie screens are dark at Port Jefferson Cinemas. Twenty miles away in Northport, the stage at John W. Engeman Theater is empty. Go south to Farmingdale, and the iconic Ferris wheel is motionless. West in Levittown, Laser Bounce is silent. Just to the south and west, the seats are empty at Bellmore Movies and the Malverne Cinema, too.
COVID-19 has left a trail of devastation and has taken a human toll. And as infection numbers in New York stabilize and some businesses have reopened, others on Long Island are still waiting their turn, such as movie theaters, live entertainment venues and amusement centers.
Phil Solomon of Port Jefferson Cinemas worries this could be the end — not just for his theater, but for the industry.
"This, right now, is a critical moment because it might be the end of the movie industry as we know it," he said. "There might be an America without movie theaters for the foreseeable future. Who knows what’s going to happen?"
Owners say they're ready and have added new safety features like sanitizing stations, plexiglass barriers and new air filters. But some don't know how much longer it can continue. Here are some of their stories.
Official: Cold Spring Harbor school closed after student tests positive
The Cold Spring Harbor Junior-Senior High School building closed Friday after district officials said a student tested positive for COVID-19, adding to scattered school closings linked to virus cases over the last few weeks.
And the Malverne school district said it kept Malverne High School students learning at home this week after a case surfaced there.
The Cold Spring Harbor closure was announced in a letter from district superintendent Robert C. Fenter to parents Thursday. It was not immediately clear when the school would reopen. The school was conducting "a fully remote day of instruction" on Friday, Fenter wrote, and the district has been "in constant contact" with the Suffolk County Department of Health.
The closures are the latest in what have been a string of building and district closures this week in Nassau and Suffolk counties, as announcements of students or staff testing positive have been made public.
The number of new positives reported today: 63 in Nassau, 41 in Suffolk, 348 in New York City and 790 statewide.
This map shows the concentration of cases in each community on Long Island, with Nassau data as of Monday and Suffolk data as of Thursday.
The map above shows the concentration of cases in each Long Island community. Search the map and view charts showing the latest local trends in new cases, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
2 free antibody testing centers coming to Town of Hempstead
Northwell Health is opening antibody testing centers in Uniondale and East Meadow. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Northwell Health on Friday said it will set up free antibody testing centers at Kingdom Family Ministry in Uniondale and in the parking lot at 2000 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow.
They'll be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Northwell since May has partnered with more than 70 faith-based organizations in metro New York. Hempstead was one of the harder-hit towns in the region, and the focus is on underserved communities within the municipality, said Dr. Deb Salas-Lopez, senior vice president of community and populations health at Northwell.
Bringing Rosh Hashanah meals to seniors at home
Harriet Shurgan, of Oceanside, left, receives donated food from Pamela Jaffe of the Friedberg Jewish Community Center on Thursday. Credit: Chris Ware
The Friedberg Jewish Community Center wanted to make sure seniors who were alone would be able to celebrate one of the holiest days on the Hebrew calendar with a traditional meal. On Thursday — the day before the start of Rosh Hashanah — the center's staff and volunteers delivered holiday meals to 100 seniors across the South Shore.
Normally, the Jewish center would host a dinner for seniors, said Marcy Hallerman, the center's senior program director. But because of the pandemic, this was the first time the center in Oceanside was bringing the holiday meals to seniors.
"Most of them are people who are elderly who are unable to come out, those with compromised immune systems … who don’t feel safe being with family, who are not savvy enough to get on the computer to do a Zoom meal with their family and friends," Hallerman said.
More to know
A payment processing error that delayed the disbursement of extra unemployment benefits to New Yorkers has been resolved, and recipients should receive their funds later in the day, the state Labor Department said Friday.
Long Island job growth slowed last month, and Long Island was still down 152,200 jobs from a year earlier, the state Labor Department reported Thursday.
Joe Biden went after President Donald Trump again and again Thursday over his handling of COVID-19, calling Trump's downplaying of the pandemic "criminal" and his administration "totally irresponsible."
Sales tax revenue dropped nearly 8% in August from a year ago because of the pandemic, but the monthly losses are easing statewide and on Long Island, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
News for you
The Intrepid Air and Space Museum will reopen Sept. 25. Credit: Craig Ruttle
Museum to reopen with new protocols. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum will reopen for business on Sept. 25. Some areas will remain closed, and protective barriers have been added to some parts. If you're staying local, check out these Long Island museums that offer indoor, outdoor and virtual exhibits.
Fall adventures to check off your bucket list. From outdoor activities to spooky fun, let our guide help plan your fall adventure — but call ahead, as event and venue details are subject to change.
Long Island's Dee Snider has a message for anti-maskers. The Twisted Sister singer took to social media to condemn anti-maskers who went into a Florida Target store blaring the band's hit "We're Not Gonna Take It" while ripping off their masks.
Virtual star power coming to Hamptons film fest. Kate Winslet and Steven Yuen will participate virtually at this year’s Hamptons International Film Festival, which runs Oct. 8-14. Read more.
Plus: If you're spending more time at home, try some of these tips to help decorate your house for the fall.
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Commentary
A man takes a photo along the Embarcadero last week in San Francisco as the city and region were blanketed in a haze from the wildfires. Credit: For The Washington Post/Nick Otto
Western wildfires could worsen inequality. Melissa Jones, executive director of the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative/Rise Together, writes for the Tribune News Service: Like so much else in 2020, the wildfires engulfing the western half of the United States are without precedent.
They have advanced with astonishing speed, leaping 25 miles overnight and sending a towering pillar of smoke into the stratosphere. At this writing, the blazes have claimed at least three dozen lives, burned more than 5 million acres and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
The fires have also sparked a public health crisis. Much of the western U.S. and Canada is wreathed in acrid smoke, resulting in some of the world's worst air quality. Wildfire smoke exacerbates asthma and other respiratory problems and is linked to increases in heart attacks and strokes. Smoke inhalation can also alter immune function, increasing susceptibility to infections such as COVID-19.
Wildfire smoke affects everyone in its path, but not all people suffer equally.
