A 'month of action' to get Americans vaccinated
Free beer, other new incentives part of Biden's 'vaccine sprint'
Ana Quintanilla, a nursing student at Molloy College, gives a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination event in April at the Rockville Centre campus. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Biden on Wednesday announced the "month of action" to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday, including an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make getting shots more appealing to those who haven't received them.
He's closing in on his goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day — essential to his aim of returning the nation to something approaching a pre-pandemic sense of normalcy this summer.
"The more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in the fight against this virus," Biden said from the White House.
The latest vaccine incentives include:
- A promotional giveaway by Anheuser-Busch, which said it will "buy Americans 21+ a round of beer" once Biden’s 70% goal is met.
- Additionally, the White House is partnering with some early childhood centers to provide free child-care coverage for Americans looking for shots or needing assistance while recovering from side effects.
- The administration is also launching a new partnership to bring vaccine education and even doses to more than a thousand Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons.
Speaking of incentives, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the first young winners of a scholarship raffle for getting a vaccine, including one Long Islander, Hannah Lee, of Westbury. Meanwhile, Cuomo made a promotional pitch for the return of business and social activity in New York and urged residents to get vaccinated so they can enjoy this reopening. Read more about the plan.
The number of new positives reported today: 21 in Nassau, 27 in Suffolk, 168 in New York City and 431 statewide.
This map shows the concentration of new virus cases in communities across 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.
Businesses consider perks for employees returning to offices
ClearVision Optical's staffing leadership team gathered at Hoyt Farm Park in April 2021. Credit: Jennifer Trakhtenberg
Most summers, employees might enjoy office perks like casual Fridays, company barbecues or even weekend retreats — but last summer, most employees were stuck at home working remotely.
As offices begin to transition employees back, experts say employers should consider offering perks for employees or consider a remote or hybrid work model, Jamie Herzlich writes for Newsday.
Many employers are using the summer months to ease employees back, said Erin Lau, manager of human resource services for firm Insperity, and with that, conversations are starting about what summer perks might look like. Read more about what some employers are considering.
Plus: How can you prepare for a return to the office? Newsday is hosting local business experts to answer questions about physically heading back to work, from what to do to feel safe to what to expect. Register here for the noon event on Thursday.
Legislation would extend alcohol-to-go sales for a year
Restaurants are trying to extend the lucrative service that has allowed New Yorkers to pick up straight alcohol, mixed drinks and wine with their meals. Credit: Bruce Gilbert
A temporary executive order that’s allowed restaurants to offer "alcohol-to-go" service during the pandemic may soon become law for a year — depending on the outcome of negotiations this week.
Restaurants are trying to extend the service that’s allowed New Yorkers to pick up alcohol, mixed drinks and wine with their meals. It’s been allowed under a temporary executive order by Cuomo, which ends Saturday. But legislation to do so faces stiff opposition by liquor stores, another powerful lobbying force.
Newsday's Michael Gormley's story says negotiations to gain enough support to bring the measure to the Senate and Assembly floors continued Monday, but its prospects are still uncertain. The legislative session is scheduled to end June 10.
What will summer in the Hamptons look like this year?
The pool area at the Capri Hotel in Southampton on May 22. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
South Fork business owners and event organizers are banking on a return to something resembling normalcy this summer, with vaccines abundant, bar curfews gone and mask mandates lifted.
Some are predicting 2021 will be their busiest season ever as people get back to parties in the Hamptons and tourists come to the East End.
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said event permits filed in the town still need approval from the state following a July concert featuring The Chainsmokers that drew the ire of the governor. Cuomo said the event violated state COVID-19 protocols by allowing a section of fans to congregate where mask-wearing was not enforced. The town has asked the state to lift that requirement in anticipation of the busy season.
"My sense is that it’s going to be gangbusters," Schneiderman said. "People are really anxious to be out. They are feeling like the pandemic is, for the most part, behind them and they need to celebrate." See what’s expected for the summer in this story by Newsday's Vera Chinese.
More to know
The summer lineup continues for Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater with 3 Doors Down added to this year’s roster on Aug. 19, with special guest Seether.
Great Neck Plaza business owners can participate in a virtual program by Hofstra University’s Business Development Center starting this month to get tips on how to succeed during the pandemic and afterward.
Some small businesses forced to turn to online lenders for pandemic relief are now considering dumping their traditional banks altogether.
The federal government wants a more equitable distribution of its COVID-19 relief funds for employers, President Joe Biden’s small business chief said Tuesday.
News for you
"Civitas," by Audrey Flack, stands 12 feet tall at Sagaponack Sculpture Field. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Where art meets the outdoors. Being able to explore the outdoors brought solace and inspiration during the pandemic — and it kicks it up a notch when there's outdoor art installations. We've gathered Long Island sculpture gardens and parks that are worth exploring in this guide.
Pride Month events return to in-person. This year, Long Island will see a return to some in-person events dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ community and its history. Read about it, and see a list of events this month.
U-pick strawberry fields open. Get outside to a Long Island field and pick your own strawberries from a fresh crop this month. Find where and when to pick your own in this guide.
Free summer concerts are back. The Saturday Night Concert Series at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow begins later this month. The concerts are free, but advanced tickets are required. Find out more.
Outdoor dining (and cooking) in your backyard. The pandemic pushed more people into outdoor activities, which has led to more outdoor kitchens in people's backyards. Here's what to know about setting up an outdoor kitchen, from the equipment to how elaborate you can go.
Plus: Right after Jeffrey Juarez, 25, got furloughed from his job as a financial analyst at the start of the pandemic, he began making internet videos — soon featuring his 78-year-old grandma, who became the star of the viral @ourfilipinograndma Tik Tok and Instagram accounts. See their story.
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Commentary
A lab technician uses a pipette dropper during the antigen quantification process of coronavirus vaccine research. Credit: Bloomberg/Akos Stiller
Virus labs deserve more oversight. Columnist Faye Flam writes for Bloomberg Opinion: Even if we never learn whether COVID-19 escaped from a lab or jumped to humans from animals, the public is entitled to a closer look at what's going on in virology labs.
Some scientists worry that laboratory scientists are getting too little oversight on projects that could potentially start pandemics. Others worry about the global proliferation of labs that work with dangerous viruses and other pathogens.
The journal Nature accused politicians and the press of stirring up a "divisive" argument over the origins of the pandemic, but it's only reasonable to want an explanation for some curious facts. The virus that has killed 3.5 million people so far and upended the lives of billions of others seems to have its closest relative in horseshoe bats, yet there are no horseshoe bat colonies close to Wuhan, China, where the pandemic was first identified. Wuhan does, however, host a lab holding the world's largest collection of bat coronaviruses.
A World Health Organization team sent to investigate came back with little in the way of plausible explanations for SARS-CoV-2. Nor are the explanations mutually exclusive — the virus could be a naturally occurring bat virus collected by a scientist and placed in a lab from which it later escaped. There's no convincing evidence that this virus has been genetically manipulated, but it's well known that scientists have manipulated other viruses to make them more dangerous. 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.
