The coronavirus pandemic will soon begin its second year on Long Island. Newsday's Steve Langford spoke with Long Island residents and business owners to try to get the answer to an important question - will things ever be normal again?


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As COVID enters its second year, Long Islanders wonder if we'll ever get back to normal

Newsday

Long Islanders wonder if we'll ever get back to normal

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A lot has changed in the three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who lost loved ones and for those who have lingering effects from the virus, life seems to have stood still. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

COVID on LI: Three years later 

Memorial Presbyterian Church in Roosevelt had to adapt to the decrease in in-person membership due to the pandemic. Nearly three years later, the church still offers virtual services. 

'Maybe the church didn't need to be in the four walls'

Long Island parents who have children with underlying conditions speak about the pandemic and "tripledemic" and how it affects them. 

Doctors warn about 'tripledemic' for children with underlying conditions

Timothy Heaton, a former Suffolk County correction officer who spent more than five months hospitalized battling COVID-19, was given his retirement shield by Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Toulon Jr. 

A second chance at the rest of his life

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"I'm high-risk, so I wasn't very happy about this," said a Sea Cliff woman with Parkinson's.

New COVID vaccine insurance problems persist; patients told no coverage yet

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On Friday a pharmacy spokeswoman said some insurers "are still updating their systems and may not yet be set up to cover the updated COVID-19 vaccines."

Some LIers told new COVID vaccine not yet covered by their insurance

Do I need another shot? Should I get my kid vaccinated? Is it free?

New COVID vaccine rolling out to LI stores: What you need to know

The vaccine is designed to pump up the immune system as protection wanes over time from immunity that previous vaccines and prior infections provided.

CDC recommends new vaccine effective against COVID variants now circulating

Only about 1 in 7 Long Islanders obtained both previous updated shots.

FDA approves latest COVID shots; uptake low for previous boosters on LI 

There is no reason to bar unvaccinated classroom teachers from working with primarily unvaccinated students, a NYS Supreme Court judge ruled.

Judge: NYC must reinstate 10 DOE employees fired for refusing COVID vaccine

Gov. Kathy Hochul's announcement comes as the COVID-19 positivity rate on Long Island continues to exceed the statewide average.

As school reopens, state to give out masks, tests for COVID-19

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State health and education officials are urging people to wear masks indoors as COVID-19, flu and RSV infections increase on Long Island. Newsday TVs Steve Langford reports. 

LIers speak out on masking recommendation

Opera Night Long Island, an open-mic event that brings together talented singers with different repertoire and styles, has returned to St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Northport after a pandemic hiatus. Singers hail the event as a way to help keep music alive for the community.

LI opera lovers keep music alive at open mic night in Northport

The executive director of the Southampton Animal Shelter of Hampton Bays, Pat Deshong, discusses the effects of the COVID boom in pet adoptions years later, and how it is now impacting that animal shelter and others.

COVID boom in pet adoptions

Patrice Piretti, 63, from Huntington Station, worked as a nurse and then a nurse leader at two Northwell Health hospitals, but then had to leave her job because Long COVID prevented her from working successfully. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

The new normal means figuring out life with Long COVID

On Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced masks are no longer required on the Long Island Rail Road and other transit systems in New York.

Riders can take off masks if they want

Summer is winding down and kids are preparing to return to school. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

Kids look forward to returning to school minus COVID-19 restrictions

"The days of sending an entire classroom home because one person was symptomatic or tests positive, those days are over," Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

Hochul announces new COVID-19 requirements for schools 

Meter parking fees in Babylon Village were increased Monday from a quarter for two hours to a quarter for one hour. The parking fee increases, among others, were a result of money lost due to the pandemic. Newsday TV's Cecilia Dowd reports.

Parking and other fees going up in Babylon Village

Patients who test positive for COVID-19 can get the antiviral oral medication Paxlovid from the vaxmobile, a partnership between Mt. Sinai South Nassau and the town of Hempstead..

First COVID-19 'Test and Treat' vaxmobile hits LI streets

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday said children will not be required to wear masks in school when classes resume in the fall, but that could change depending on virus numbers.

Hochul: Masks not required to start school

Local doctors discuss possible side effects for kids six months to five years old, whether newly approved vaccines protect against newer strains of the virus and more.

What parents should know about COVID vaccines for young children

Children under 5 years old are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 after recent approval from federal authorities.