Many pandemic restrictions end on LI
LI's first day of new mask guidance, largely no capacity limits
People walk in Port Jefferson on Saturday. Businesses on Long Island are divided on how they're approaching mask requirements. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Under the new guidance that took effect Wednesday on Long Island and statewide, it’s largely up to businesses to decide how many COVID-19 restrictions to maintain.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had announced on Monday that the state would adopt federal recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including those saying vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors. Although certain loosened regulations are supposed to apply only to those who are vaccinated, adherence is largely based on the honor system.
Mark Smith, who owns five restaurants on the East End, said "employees and customers who are vaccinated [and] want to unmask, can. If people don't want to unmask, we respect that too." The biggest challenge is confirming who is vaccinated, Smith said.
"We are going to trust our customers, and if they're lying, they're putting your own health at risk," Smith said.
So far, businesses around Long Island have differing rules. Read more about how it’s going.
Plus: Here's a breakdown of the capacity changes that took effect today.
The number of new positives reported today: 74 in Nassau, 79 in Suffolk, 472 in New York City and 1,431 statewide.
This map shows the concentration of cases in communities around Long Island.
This map shows the concentration of new cases in each community, with data as of Monday.
Search that map, and view charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
Cuomo: New guidelines for camps, child care facilities
Child care facilities, day camps and overnight camps must implement capacity limits and enforce mask-wearing mandates for unvaccinated children and staff, under new guidelines announced Wednesday by Gov. Cuomo.
Staff who aren't fully vaccinated must maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other unvaccinated staff, he said. The sites must also determine and enforce a capacity limit that ensures "appropriate" social distancing. Children and campers over the age of 2 and staff who are not fully vaccinated must wear face coverings except when eating, drinking, showering, swimming or sleeping/resting.
Long Island camp officials on Wednesday said they were still digesting the 23-page document from the state.
LI nurses comfort patients, families with keepsakes
Melissa DePaola, center, whose mother died at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, holds crocheted hearts given to her by nurses Maureen Hayes, left, and Andrea Freudenberg. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
To keep ICU patients and their family members connected during COVID-19 visitation restrictions, nurses at South Shore University Hospital started collecting handmade, crocheted hearts from Long Islanders in November.
The staff gave matching hearts to family members and patients. Despite not being able to see each other in person, the hearts would remind the family of their loved one, and remind the patient they’re loved.
"Our focus isn't just COVID patients," said Andrea Freudenberg, assistant nurse manager of the ICU at South Shore. "It’s the whole population. We felt we could give them that connection."
Read more from this story by Newsday's Rachel Weiss.
This LI frosting company uses Zoom to save your cakes
Brian Krucenski, laboratory supervisor, does quality control testing in the lab at Hanan Products on April 21 in Hicksville. He will be one of the new virtual technicians diagnosing icing problems. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
A 75-year-old Long Island frosting company is keeping up with the times by using telehealth-style visits over Zoom to whip up faster diagnostics for commercial bakers who run into issues with icing.
In this story by Newsday's Ken Schachter, executives at Hicksville-based Hanan Products Inc. explain the idea of using Zoom sessions for bakers with topping problems to help with efficiency.
"We've been trying to stay in front of things," said chief financial officer Paul Hanan, who described the new program as in the "beta stage."
More to know
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran proposed allocating $25 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to aid more small businesses recovering from the pandemic.
The Islanders will return to a loud and larger Nassau Coliseum crowd of approximately 6,200 people for Thursday's Game 3, with 50% of the building devoted to vaccinated people socially distanced at three feet and the other half devoted to non-vaccinated people, six feet apart.
As the economy begins to reopen, businesses are again starting to invest in equipment and other capital expenditures.
News for you
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds during a rehearsal for the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach in Wantagh. Credit: Barry Sloan
Your guide to the Bethpage Air Show. The show is coming up on Memorial Day weekend at Jones Beach in Wantagh. Performers will do practice runs on May 28, and because of COVID-19 restrictions, parking is limited to 50% capacity — and advance parking passes are sold out. Check this guide for what you need to know before you go, and if you don't have a ticket, you still have other options to see the show.
More concerts announced. Coming to Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater: Lady A has announced a concert for July 30 after canceling its August 2020 show. And, the Jonas Brothers will take that stage on Oct. 2. Tickets for both shows go on sale later this month.
A new ghost kitchen on LI. Jeera in Garden City is tucked behind Akbar, the longtime Indian restaurant on the outskirts of the Roosevelt Field mall. It’s a kitchen-within-a-kitchen that serves bowls, wraps, and Indian-inspired snacks. Find out more.
Go on a window shopping scavenger hunt. Families can visit about 30 businesses in Huntington Village next weekend in search of items displayed in storefront windows during a free event that's outdoors and socially distanced. The goal is to draw attention to downtown merchants and encourage children to read.
Plus: No vacation plans? Make your home feel like a hotel with these 5 tips for reorganizing parts of your space.
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Commentary
A health worker administers a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Credit: AP/Anuthep Cheysakron
What happens when vaccine incentives aren't enough? Clara Ferreira Marques, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, writes: When much of the world is still desperate for COVID-19 vaccinations, a handful of wealthy places are beginning to have the opposite problem. Hong Kong is one.
Despite a free and easily accessible program open to all adults since April, only just over 10% of the population of 7.5 million has had both injections, with low rates even among the oldest. Hesitancy is so high that only half of residents say they intend to get vaccinated.
The combination of political upheaval, distrust in government and success in keeping caseloads low makes Hong Kong an unusual, even extreme, example of reluctance, as seen in studies of attitudes to other control measures, compared to Singapore and Malaysia. But the territory is far from alone as the rich world shifts from shortages to indifference, well before enough people have been inoculated to allow a safe reopening.
The question arises of how governments push populations if — or probably when — hints, cash, free burgers and even the prospect of international travel prove insufficient to reach herd immunity, the vaccination rate of roughly 70% or more that’s necessary to protect everyone. 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.
