The latest on school reopening plans
Cuomo: School decision 'irrelevant' without parents and teachers
Parents and students of Smithtown attend a rally in opposition to virtual learning on Wednesday. Credit: Raychel Brightman
Regarding the state's decision, there will be no nuances within regions, Cuomo said. If a region is shut down for education, all schools must close, regardless of whether a school has a relatively small number of students and a large amount of space.
Long Island is its own region under the state’s plan.
“The situation is very different across the state, because regions are in different positions … and parents and teachers have different opinions,” he said in a conference call with reporters.
Cuomo said there's a range of opinion about reopening among teachers and parents, with some resisting in-person instruction and others pushing for it. It's critical districts speak with parents about the plans to make sure as many as possible are on board, he said.
On Wednesday, frustrated Smithtown parents held a rally outside the Smithtown Central School District administration building to demand a fully on-campus option for their children. Many have said they had no confidence in the district's plan to mix in-person with remote instruction.
Meanwhile, state health and education officials said during a virtual discussion Wednesday that inadequate supplies, infrastructure and funding are challenging efforts to safely reopen schools. Read more on what they said.
The number of new positives reported today: 52 in Nassau, 77 in Suffolk, 333 in New York City and 703 statewide.
The chart below shows the trend of new coronavirus cases confirmed each day in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Search a map and view more charts showing the latest local trends in testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
These bars show the number of new coronavirus cases confirmed each day.
10 districts have until tomorrow to submit reopening plans, state says
Ten Long Island school districts have not posted detailed reopening plans on their websites, leaving nearly 18,500 students in the dark about the fall, according to data from the state Education Department.
Across the state, about 85 school districts, BOCES and charter schools — including four districts in Nassau and 13 in Suffolk — were granted a one-week extension for their reopening plan submissions to the New York State Education Department. The plans were due on July 31.
Of the 17 districts in total on Long Island that were granted extensions, 10 still had not posted their plans as of Thursday morning.
This mall is using self-cleaning tech on high-touch areas
NanoSeptic self-cleaning sleeves are wrapped around door handles at Broadway Commons in Hicksville. Credit: Barry Sloan
Broadway Commons in Hicksville has placed adhesive decals — called NanoSeptic self-cleaning surfaces — on door handles, elevator buttons and other high-touch areas as part of their efforts to make shoppers feel safe.
The maker, NanoTouch Materials LLC in Forest, Virginia, says on its website that NanoSeptic decals have “a mineral nano-crystal which acts as a catalyst, charged by visible light. These nano-crystals create a continuous, powerful oxidation reaction. This oxidation reaction breaks down organic material into base components such as CO2.”
“We’re using them on doors that we’re identifying as entry points,” said Ken Hamilton, general manager of Broadway Commons.
The company website doesn't claim that NanoSeptic "skins and mats'' kill COVID-19, but it says they are "continuously self-cleaning surfaces.”
TV and movie production on LI looks forward to resuming
Lyndsey Laverty stands in Gold Coast Studios Stage 1 in Bethpage. Credit: Howard Schnapp
As the pandemic shut down film and television productions on Long Island and almost everywhere else, the industry and government officials spent months on Zoom to try to figure out how to get back to work safely.
Film and television production were in the last phase of the reopening plan, but caution and new protocols have tempered a rush to feed pent-up demand for new content.
Empire State Development Corp. spokesman Matthew Gorton said the state worked with stakeholders to ensure production could resume safely and responsibly.
On Hicksville Road in Bethpage, a former Grumman building offers filmmakers a commodity that shot up in value during the pandemic: isolation.
“You can come in here. I can give you the key, and you don’t see anybody else,” said Lyndsey Laverty, principal of Gold Coast Studios. “You control who comes in, who goes out and there’s no crossover with any other shows or any other tenants right now.”
More to know
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, an early advocate among Republicans of wearing masks and other pandemic precautions, tested positive Thursday just ahead of a planned meeting with President Donald Trump.
Long Island’s luxury housing market surged in July, with a big jump in the number of buyers signing contracts for houses listed at $1 million or higher.
The Sea Cliff farmers market has a new home on Saturdays in Glen Cove, in a larger space to fit the new guidelines for reopening this spring.
Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs.
News for you
Tour Long Island by car to hit historic and fun attractions, from the Gold Coast mansions to the Montauk Lighthouse. Credit: Neville Harvey
Driving through history across Long Island. From art exhibits to historic homes to lighthouses, we've got some day trip suggestions that'll take you along a historic path across the Island.
Finding hidden fun. If beaches or state parks don't appeal, find another place to escape the indoors. From sculpture gardens to flower farms, here's a list of some beautiful (and not crowded) outdoor attractions you can explore while maintaining social distancing.
Taking comedy outside. Comedian Andrew Dice Clay is coming to Long Island to perform — outdoors. He'll headline Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown on Aug. 13-15, where he'll perform on the patio.
Pretend you're at the Giants game. There won’t be any fans at MetLife Stadium when the Giants begin the 2020 season next month, but the team is offering season-ticket holders to have their names printed on banners that will be placed in the end-zone seating areas.
Plus: Don't forget about Friday's rescheduled nextLI virtual event on Long Island's attitudes about schools during the pandemic. Register here if you haven't already.
Sign up for text messages to get the most important coronavirus news and information.
Commentary
North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. Credit: Barry Sloan
COVID-19 has exposed the flaws in how we finance hospitals. Though COVID-19 has filled hospital beds in hot spots across the country, the disease has walloped hospitals' financial well-being, writes Barbara Bridgman Perkins for The Washington Post.
Throughout the spring, the industry claimed financial losses of $60 billion a month because of postponed elective procedures. Health care workers, lauded as heroes, have seen their wages cut even as they are pressed into service to battle the virus.
The pandemic has been so bad for hospitals because the health care system was designed around profit rather than care. Administrators created specialty departments to generate profits, overselling high-priced surgical and technological procedures instead of aiming to provide needed, affordable care for everyone. COVID-19 has laid bare the cost of those decisions.
