At LI beaches, social distancing a challenge
On LI beaches, some tension over masks and distancing
Crowds of beachgoers gather at Jones Beach last week. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Kitty Stewart finds her “peace place” when she’s by the shore. But the Glen Cove resident was feeling anything but Zen last Friday while at Jones Beach.
For all her well-meaning intentions — donning a mask, which health experts have said is the best way to prevent spreading the coronavirus to others — Stewart was in the decided minority. The vast majority of those at Jones Beach chose to go maskless.
Signs encouraging visitors to maintain six feet of distance, and 10 feet between beach blankets, were posted throughout Jones Beach. Digital streets signs near the beach urged visitors to wear masks. Even so, some beachgoers said Friday that no park employees enforced the rules and social distancing was practically nonexistent on the sand.
Stewart said people repeatedly failed to maintain social distancing and encroached on her space. She eventually packed up to go home.
“It wasn’t fun. And I love the ocean,” said Stewart, 72.
The lines illustrate the cumulative number of people who have been tested for the coronavirus.
The chart above shows the cumulative number of people tested for coronavirus on Long Island recently. Search a map and view more charts showing the latest local trends in cases, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
The number of new positives today, reported as of 3 p.m.: 29 in Nassau, 40 in Suffolk, 319 in New York City and 618 statewide.
Cuomo: Compliance, enforcement needed to keep virus under control
Liquor licenses may be suspended immediately and bars and restaurants could be shut down for violating social distancing and other regulations aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in announcing a new executive order Thursday.
The move on bars and restaurants came in apparent response to reports of large crowds gathering inside and outside businesses in New York City and other places, including the Hamptons. Cuomo said earlier this week the state has received some 25,000 complaints, and he even called some businesses himself to scold them.
“We’ve made great, great progress. I want to make sure we don’t slide back,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing. “I want to make sure we don’t get careless.
Cuomo also said he's considering whether to require people traveling to New York from states such as Florida, where cases are rising, to self-quarantine for two weeks when they get here.
Thrift shops grapple with handling secondhand goods
Goodwill executives Katy Gaul-Stigge and Michael Feinman inspect inventory at the East Northport Goodwill. Credit: Barry Sloan
As retail opens up on Long Island, thrift stores are tackling unique safety challenges, including dealing with secondhand goods with at least some potential of carrying the virus and their sometimes vulnerable clientele.
Some stores opened in Phase 2, others closed down and some are progressing with a slower rollout as they navigate the complicated business of pandemic safety — something that, in most large thrift shops, includes directional arrows, plexiglass, sanitation stations and the isolating of donations.
Long Island locations of the Salvation Army will incorporate sneeze guards and additional cleaning, and they will operate at 50% capacity, said Maj. Patrick O’Gara, the administrator of business on Long Island.
“It’s important for us to get back open because we run a 100-bed rehabilitation program” in Hempstead, he said of the Long Island-based nonprofits. “This is the only way we generate our money.”
Nurse's recovery from COVID-19 lets him hold newborn son
Tony Thomas, a New Hyde Park registered nurse, reunites with the medical team at St. Francis Hospital that helped him in his COVID-19 battle. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
The anguish, grief and overwhelming sense of relief poured out of Tony Thomas the first time he held his son Jonathon — 54 days after the child's birth during the most unusual circumstances.
After battling a severe case of COVID-19 and missing the birth of his third child, Thomas, 39, of New Hyde Park spent nearly a month attached to a ventilator, unable to breathe on his own.
"When I held my son for the first time I literally cried," Thomas recalled Wednesday as he was reunited, only days before Father's Day, with his medical team at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. "I couldn't control my emotions … I am so thankful I was able to hold him, be with him, spend time with him. I can't ask for a better Father's Day than being with my three kids."
Thomas, a registered nurse at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, contracted COVID-19 in late March, only days before his wife, Riya, was scheduled to give birth.
More to know
Mimi Pierre Johnson, a community activist in Elmont involved in census outreach, mailed informational postcards to Elmont residents. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Census 2020 in-person outreach efforts have been paused during the pandemic, shifting largely to virtual means of promoting the census or by distributing informational flyers at food distribution sites, virus testing sites and through mailings.
Day care operators, lawmakers and parents are calling on the state to invest $134 million in CARES Act funding to ensure that day care centers can safely reopen.
New York American Water is asking businesses and schools to flush their water systems to eliminate any liquid that may have laid dormant in pipes for months during the pandemic.
About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, a historically high number, even as the economy increasingly reopens and employers bring some back to work.
Small businesses need another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive until next year, especially gyms, restaurants and tourist attractions, Long Island executives said.
The U.S. Open will crown its champions this September at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, but it won’t be the extravaganza that New Yorkers and the world have flocked to by the hundreds of thousands each year.
News for you
On Fire Island, a biker passes Kismet Market. Credit: Linda Rosier
Thinking about Fire Island? While not all of the go-to options for summer fun have reopened for the season, many favorites have. Here's what you need to know about the ferry, dining, biking and the lighthouse before spending a day there.
Go 'Back to the Future' in Bellport. The Gateway begins its summer drive-in movie series this weekend with two screenings of "Back to the Future." A 40-by-20-foot screen has been constructed on the performing arts center grounds.
Looking for laughs? One Mineola restaurant is gearing up to host an outdoor comedy show. Three Long Island comedians will perform for diners in the parking lot of Piccola Bussola Italian restaurant on July 10.
Summer memories. As we head into summer, you might be thinking of happier summers gone by. Newsday's ExploreLI writers and editors look back fondly at their favorite summer songs, movies, TV moments and concerts.
Christmas in July. Hallmark Channel is about to get into the holiday spirit. The cable channel's early holiday gift to viewers is a 17-day marathon of Yuletide-themed Hallmark movies starting July 10.
Plus: Chain restaurants around Long Island have been coming up with makeshift al fresco dining setups. From Applebee's to Burger King, see which chains are offering outdoor dining.
Get real-time updates about the virus' impact on the Island by visiting our live blog and watch our latest daily wrap-up video, which takes a look at when Nassau County's pools will open.
Commentary
How to determine if a business is COVID-19 safe? Create a restaurant-style grading system. Uncertainty and fear of a virulent pathogen are powerful deterrents to social and economic engagement, in addition to the record levels of post-Great Recession unemployment, writes Archon Fung, David Weil and Mary Graham of the Transparency Policy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School in a column published by Newsday Opinion.
Nearly 70% of respondents in a national poll published in early May said they were uncomfortable with the idea of shopping in clothing stores and almost 80% expressed misgivings about eating in restaurants, regardless of government reopening plans.
To counter this fear and uncertainty, government standards and a ratings system should be put in place.
Governments would need to provide and enforce specific workplace safety and health standards for businesses in different sectors — such as retail establishments, restaurants and personal-service providers — that would protect workers and customers. Those would be followed by a simple ratings system that communicates to workers and customers which businesses are doing their utmost to protect public health and which ones are treating the coronavirus lackadaisically.
