Elective surgeries, some visitors return to LI hospitals
Testing out visitors in some hospitals
Signs outside Huntington Hospital, which will be one of two Long Island hospitals participating in a visitation pilot program. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Medical providers in Nassau will be allowed to restart elective surgeries and return to the ambulatory care of patients other than those with COVID-19. Suffolk providers had already been authorized to perform such procedures.
Cuomo also said the state is launching a pilot program to let visitors back in specific hospitals around New York State including two on Long Island.
Under the visitation pilot, participating hospitals will permit visitors wearing personal protective equipment under specified time limits, and they will be subject to symptom and temperature checks.
“Long Island is making great progress,” he said at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset during his daily briefing. He noted that the daily death toll from COVID-19 on Long Island has dropped from a peak of about 100 to about 13.
“We saved lives and if we didn’t do what we did, that number of 100 per day would have kept going up."
The chart below shows total deaths on Nassau and Suffolk in recent days.
This chart shows the cumulative number of people who have suffered coronavirus-related deaths and where they had lived.
Long Island may be closer to reopening now that the state has changed some of the metrics used in determining when to ease restrictions from the coronavirus lockdown.
Search a map of Long Island cases and view more charts showing the latest local trends in new cases, testing, hospitalizations and more.
The numbers as of 3 p.m.: 39,295 confirmed cases in Nassau, 38,327 in Suffolk, 193,821 in New York City and 352,845 statewide.
Bill would limit beach access to Nassau residents
Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello during a news conference about restricting access for nonresidents at Nickerson Beach. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said she would sign legislation to limit access to Nickerson Beach to county residents for as long as New York City keeps its beaches closed.
Curran, a Democrat, announced she would sign the Republican-sponsored bill as the Hempstead Town Board said it would enforce a residency requirement at town beaches as a temporary public health precaution.
In response to Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement that city beaches would remain closed, Nassau’s Republican majority filed the bill, stating that de Blasio’s move “threatens to overwhelm the safe operational capacity of Nickerson Beach.”
The measure is scheduled for an emergency vote in the County Legislature Wednesday.
Curran said “my number one priority will always be the health and safety of our residents."
Farmingdale's post-lockdown dining plan
Joseph Fortuna owns 317 Main Street and The Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Farmingdale’s once bustling downtown will become an outdoor dining room when restaurants reopen under a plan developed by village officials for a post-lockdown future.
The village has drawn up plans to close traffic on Main Street and set up 424 seats on Friday and Saturday evenings when restaurants are allowed to reopen. That lets bars and restaurants with wait service have between 10 and 18 seats on the street in addition to their indoor seating.
While the state has yet to release its guidelines for restaurants to reopen, owners and officials expect those rules to restrict the number of diners permitted to eat indoors.
“We're trying to devise a plan which would be beneficial to the restaurants and merchants and not have massive overcrowding,” Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said. He said restaurant owners tell him that even with deliveries and takeout their business has been down more than 80% the past two months.
Memorial Day posters instead of parades
Girl Scout Faith Stallone attends a news conference in Mineola encouraging residents to honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day with a poster. Credit: Howard Schnapp
There are none of the usual Memorial Day parades, gatherings or flag-placing ceremonies at military cemeteries this weekend due to the pandemic, but Nassau officials said Long Islanders can commemorate the holiday and demonstrate their gratitude to the nation's fallen heroes in a different way.
The Nassau County Legislature is joining scouting and veterans groups in an initiative that allows residents to download and print a poster of an American flag and poppy flowers that they can tape to their front doors.
“It’s not the same as a parade, it’s not the same as gathering together,” Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Rich Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) said at a news conference. “It’s a different way to show our appreciation.”
More to know
A spot welder cleans a section of the outside skin of an aircraft at Air Industries Group. The company has secured a $2.4 million PPP loan. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Two more Long Island public companies have secured controversial Paycheck Protection Program loans, but one has already returned the money.
Laid-off and furloughed employees from factories, retailers and other service firms are beginning to be recalled to work, though the numbers are small, according to surveys released Monday.
The Belmont Stakes will run on June 20 without fans and with a shorter distance as it kicks off the Triple Crown series rather than finishing it, the NYRA said while announcing plans for the racetrack's delayed schedule.
Four Nassau hospitals will each receive $1 million in federal funding from the Town of Hempstead for expenses caused by the pandemic.
New York's Democratic presidential primary will take place on June 23 despite having only one active candidate after a federal court upheld a lower court decision and Democratic commissioners on the state's Board of Elections said they wouldn’t try to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
News for you
A half rack of ribs from Green Hill Kitchen and Que in Greenport. Credit: Lianne Alcon
A better BBQ. Memorial Day weekend will look a bit different this year, but you can still enjoy a great BBQ with the help of these local restaurants and caterers that are offering to-go kits. They feature options from filet mignon to lobster rolls, and various side dishes and alcoholic beverages.
A concert for LI's heroes. The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is about to bring some big-name local artists to your living room on May 31 with a 90-minute television special honoring front-line workers. Hosted by News 12's Elisa DiStefano, it will feature performances from more than a dozen inductees.
Go to acting school. If you or someone in your family has always wanted to pursue a passion for theater, why not use this time at home to hone your craft? Two virtual programs feature working actors, including two from Long Island, teaching kids and adults acting, improv and more.
Celebrating graduates. Communities are finding creative ways to celebrate Long Island graduates, who will likely be missing rites of passage such as the prom and a traditional graduation ceremony. Here are details on how to “adopt a senior” and four other ideas.
Plan a summer vacation. What does a vacation look like in the age of the coronavirus? Here are some options to consider.
When helping wildlife could be harmful. As more people fill their time with walks and bike rides, wildlife rehabilitators have been flooded with calls from locals stumbling across baby birds and other animals appearing to be in distress. Know what to do if you encounter wildlife you think needs help.
Expert advice on home schooling. Join us tomorrow at 10 a.m. for our latest free webinar, which will feature local education and parenting experts discussing the challenges of home schooling and battling lockdown fatigue. They'll also be fielding questions. Reserve your spot.
Plus: From bargain to fine dining, Chinese to Italian, check out our updated roundup of local restaurants offering takeout and delivery.
Get real-time updates about the virus' impact on the Island by visiting our live blog and watch our latest daily wrap-up video.
Commentary
Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park, cloaked in clouds and fog. Credit: Newsday/Michael Dobie
The view from here is not so clear. Early morning fog and clouds were thick on the Maine coast as we left the parking lot and stepped into a forest of spruce, Michael Dobie writes in his latest Newsday Opinion column. The trail wound its way upward to a modest peak called Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park.
We were looking forward to reaching the top. A classic granite summit, it promised a spectacular vista. But when we got there, the fog and clouds were a blanket.
The only reason we knew we were at the summit was the sign that marked the spot. The vista we anticipated extended no farther than the next bend in the trail. And once again, we were reminded that sometimes the view at the end of the journey is no clearer than it was at the start.
That hike comes to mind as our nation begins to reopen from its coronavirus shackles. Amid a flurry of mixed signals, mixed messages and mixed data, everyone wonders: How does this ordeal end?
