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Coronavirus

<h2>'Community spread is our biggest danger'</h2>

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Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's order <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/coronavirus-cuomo-new-york-events-ban-1.42958372">&nbsp;banning all gatherings of&nbsp;500 people</a> or more&nbsp;does not impact schools, hospitals, mass transit and nursing homes, he said.&nbsp;“This is going to get worse before it gets better,” Cuomo said. “That was always the fact.” 
"Try to avoid all social gatherings and public places," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran&nbsp;said. "<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-long-island-new-york-1.42916205">This is a rapidly changing environment</a> and the direction is changing." 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said all parades would be postponed and the county health commissioner urged precautions.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We need to remind the public that we are going to get through this," he&nbsp;said. 
The numbers, as of 4 p.m. Thursday: 40 in Nassau, 16 in Suffolk, 62 in New York City and 328 in New York State. 
<h2>Waiving testing copays</h2> 
As the number of people infected with COVID-19 rapidly rises, insurers and government programs are taking steps to lower the costs of getting tested. 
More than three dozen insurers said they would waive&nbsp;copays and other costs for testing, and the federal government announced testing would be covered as a mandatory essential health benefit for individual and small-group marketplace plans.&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/covid-19-copay-insurance-1.42874915">But not everyone can assume</a> the cost-cutting measures will apply to them.&nbsp; 
<h2>Baseball, NCAAs, soccer, basketball ...</h2>

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Major League Baseball <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mlb-season-coronavirus-1.42949514">cancelled spring training</a>&nbsp;and delayed Opening Day for at least two weeks. &nbsp; 
The NCAA <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament-cancelled-coronavirus-1.42957995">canceled both the men's and women's</a> tournaments.&nbsp;The America East canceled its women's championship game scheduled Friday at Stony Brook. &nbsp;Under conference guidelines, the regular season champs, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/stony-brook/america-east-conference-fans-1.42931419">SBU's Seawolves</a>, would have gone to the&nbsp;NCAA tournament if it had been played. And the Big East <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/st-johns/big-east-tournament-canceled-st-john-s-creighton-1.42941968">canceled its men's tournament at halftime</a> of the St. John's-Creighton game (St. John's was winning.) 
Meanwhile, the NHL&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/nhl-coronavirus-updates-1.42931362">"paused" its season</a>&nbsp;and Major League Soccer<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/soccer/mls-suspended-season-coronavirus-1.42936661">&nbsp;suspended its season</a> for 30 days and CONCACAF suspended its Champions League competition. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/coronavirus-sporting-events-games-cancellations-and-changes-1.42823878">Here's a list</a> of canceled sports events. 
<h2>Businesses try to cope</h2>

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Some venues, such as play places for children, have become increasingly empty. To reassure parents that their businesses can still provide children with a clean, safe environment, they're&nbsp;turning to cleaning services — <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus-cleaning-children-disinfect-1.42954845">giving them a boost&nbsp;in the process.</a>&nbsp; 
The Long Island-based owner of about 20 duty-free shops at Kennedy Airport <a href="http://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus-airport-shops-jfk-1.42855065">has laid off a handful of employees</a> and reduced the work schedules of others. 
Walmart is <a href="http://www.newsday.com/business/walmart-coronavirus-emergency-leave-workers-1.42725900">among companies&nbsp;launching an emergency leave policy</a> for its hourly U.S. workers that includes allowing its employees to not be penalized for taking time off if they feel uncomfortable working because of fear of the spreading coronavirus. 
And <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/princess-cruise-ships-coronavirus-1.42925459">Princess Cruises</a>&nbsp;is suspending global operations through early May. 
<h2>More to know</h2> 
The Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/stock-market-march-12-coronavirus-1.42912222">had its worst day</a>&nbsp;since 1987, dropping more than&nbsp;2,300&nbsp;points, or&nbsp;about 10%. 
A Brazilian official tested positive for COVID-19, just days after traveling <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/world/coronavirus-brazil-trump-1.42949971">to a meeting with President Donald Trump</a> in Florida. 
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/biden-coronavirus-trump-sanders-1.42953978"> called for a sweeping national response </a>to the coronavirus outbreak, chiding President Donald Trump for a response he said was woefully insufficient.&nbsp;Trump, who announced new measures and reassured the nation in a speech Wednesday night,&nbsp;said Thursday that he could restrict domestic travel to regions of the United States where the coronavirus becomes “too hot.” 
LI's Chembio&nbsp;has partnered with a London firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus-test-covid-19-chembio-1.42936743">to develop a better coronavirus test</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Starbucks stores <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/starbucks-coronavirus-drive-thru-precautions-1.42936804">may go drive-thru only</a> or limit seating temporarily. 
<h2>News for you</h2> 
What do you need to self-quarantine?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-quarantine-supplies-guide-1.42729731">Here’s some advice.</a>&nbsp; Have questions about coronavirus testing? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-testing-nassau-suffolk-long-island-questions-1.42755921">We talked to experts and have answers.</a>&nbsp; 
We also have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/long-island-schools-universities-coronavirus-1.42673497">a list of schools</a>&nbsp;with closures, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/long-island-events/long-island-coronavirus-events-1.42741293">&nbsp;a list of&nbsp;Long Island performing arts venues</a>&nbsp;that have canceled events.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
No one would blame you if you need some distraction right now, especially if you're stuck at home. Here are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/coronavirus-quarantine-netflix-amazon-streaming-1.42819766">14&nbsp;shows to stream.</a>&nbsp; 
<h2>Commentary</h2>

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<h2>No escape in sports</h2> 
The plot twist of this scary movie is a bit of a cliché, but an effective one: The central characters believe they have discovered an escape route, only to find a monster headed for them from the opposite direction,<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/neil-best/sports-coronavirus-impact-1.42935919"> writes Newsday sports columnist Neil Best.</a> 
So it has come to pass with sports late in the winter of 2020, with a global health crisis unfolding and one of the globe’s traditional forms of “escapism” morphing into one of the very things we need to escape from.

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Shutdowns and suspensions

<h2>'A&nbsp;possible flattening of the curve'</h2>

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The governor <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-bellone-curran-cuomo-trump-1.43693715">cautioned against complacency</a> because the data are not yet definitive and stringent measures to contain the virus need to remain in force. 
If New York's cases are&nbsp;indeed plateauing, he said it's because social distancing rules and other measures are working and now&nbsp;is not the time to let up.&nbsp;He announced schools and nonessential businesses will remain closed through April 29, and increased&nbsp;maximum fines for violating social distancing rules to $1,000. 
Cuomo added: "Whether we hit the apex or didn’t hit the apex … This is an enemy that we have underestimated from Day One and we have paid dearly” for doing so. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-apex-faq-1.43677378">The apex</a>&nbsp;can still evolve in different ways, either as a curve,&nbsp;a peak or a plateau, and much will depend on how prevention measures are implemented.
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The above graph shows total Long Island hospitalized cases. <a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See the latest maps and charts</a> tracking cases, hospitalizations and more for Nassau and Suffolk.&nbsp; 
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 15,616 confirmed cases in Nassau, 13,487 in Suffolk, 72,181 in New York City and&nbsp;130,689 statewide. 
<h2>Skip the supermarket</h2>

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With the apex of the COVID-19 pandemic looming over New York in the coming days, experts are <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-apex-new-york-supermarket-1.43675780">warning people to take even stronger measures </a>to limit their exposure to the potentially deadly virus. 
That means Long Islanders should think twice before making seemingly necessary trips to the supermarket this week. 
“You shouldn’t be hoarding but you also shouldn’t be running in every day for a fresh container of milk and then the next day for some orange juice,” said Dr. Mark Jarrett, chief quality control officer for Northwell Health. “It is probably a good week to minimize it. If you have forgotten something, unless it’s a medication … you live without it for a week.” 
<h2>'We don’t scare easily. And this is scary.'</h2>

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Helpless. Scared. Vulnerable.&nbsp;Weary. That’s how Long Island emergency room nurses on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic say they’re feeling as they care for the influx of patients. 
“We’re walking into work completely fearful and feeling very defeated before we even get there,” said Abigail Desmond, one of seven local&nbsp;nurses who spoke with Newsday via a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/emergency-room-nurses-coronavirus-1.43631487">group video interview</a>. “Every single day, we are so uncertain what will happen. Every single day, this is changing. That is the scariest thing for us.” 
<h2>Long Islanders we've lost&nbsp;</h2>

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A school board member. A pastor. Two veterans. They were among the Long Islanders who died recently from COVID-19. 
Christopher Madden was the&nbsp;vice president of the Copiague Board of Education. He&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/christopher-madden-obituary-copiague-school-board-1.43650469">died at 49 of the coronavirus</a>&nbsp;and had no underlying illness, according to&nbsp;his wife. 
“I want people to remember him for what he did for our community and how much he loved our community and wanted to help every family and kid possible,” Jennifer Madden said.&nbsp; 
Rev. Isaac Graham, a&nbsp;pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church of Harlem, grew up on Long Island and&nbsp;was quick with a joke but even faster to offer a word of encouragement, according to his family.&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/obit-isaac-graham-harlem-pastor-1.43676034">Graham died&nbsp;at 67</a> from coronavirus, exacerbated by diabetes, his wife, Cheryl Graham, said. 
And&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/coronavirus-long-island-veterans-home-1.43643053">two veterans</a>&nbsp;who had coronavirus, as well as other underlying medical conditions, also died at&nbsp;Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University, officials said. 
At least 580 people have&nbsp;died on Long Island as a result of the virus, local officials said. 
<h2>The survivors</h2> 
Linda Langer stepped out of her Bellmore home for the first time in two weeks to take a much-needed walk around the block&nbsp;but didn’t make it more than a few feet before she broke down in tears. 
Langer and other Long Islanders&nbsp;who have recovered from the virus are grateful but face their own troubling questions:&nbsp;Why were they spared when upward of 55,000 have died worldwide, including 6,500 in the United States? And do they risk getting sick again? 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-patients-recovery-1.43633908?fbclid=IwAR35gRRBL7eJgegYrSBfOq6gsjO2fJoz-h-Zckn6dWcO1S8mco8AN-n4GL8">These are their stories</a>. 
<h2>More to know</h2> 
The shuttered Long Beach&nbsp;Medical Center&nbsp;is the focus of <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/long-beach-hospital-south-nassau-coronavirus-1.43668124">a request</a> from local&nbsp;representatives to the governor and&nbsp;health officials that asks&nbsp;them&nbsp;to consider reopening it&nbsp;to treat COVID-19 patients on the barrier island. 
You could have the virus and never know since as&nbsp;many as <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/asymptomatic-coronavirus-1.43629598">25% of people with it&nbsp;are asymptomatic</a> and remain so, according to&nbsp;the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
A poll of New Yorkers revealed that 77%&nbsp;said they expect the virus and the shutdown of much of the economy will cause them serious financial problems, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/siena-poll-coronavirus-1.43696157">among other findings</a>. 
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo&nbsp;has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-tiger-bronx-zoo-1.43673433">tested positive for the coronavirus</a>,&nbsp;the Wildlife Conservation Society announced. 
New York State's Regents exams, mainstays to high school graduation standards for more than 150 years,<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/regents-exams-1.43700454"> will be canceled</a> temporarily in June,&nbsp;a top education official declared. 
Research scientists on Long Island&nbsp;are among those around the world working <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/research-covid-19-vaccine-treatment-1.43625897">nonstop to test drug treatments</a> for&nbsp;COVID-19. 
U.S. stocks surged 7%, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/stocks-wall-street-financial-markets-1.43704035">building on a global rally</a>, on early signs that the rate of increase in virus deaths could be slowing. 
The U.S. Open at Winged Foot, scheduled for June 18-21, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/us-open-winged-foot-1.43698390">has been postponed</a> until September, the United States Golf Association announced Monday.&nbsp; 
<h2>News for you</h2> 
What to know about the apex.&nbsp;It's believed that we may be entering the apex of the outbreak in New York, but what exactly does that mean and how long will it last?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-apex-faq-1.43677378">Get&nbsp;answers</a> to these and other questions about this crucial period. 
Drive-by Easter Bunny. Even the Easter Bunny is practicing social distancing this year. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/easter-events-virtual-long-island-1.43698079">See where</a> your kids can see him from afar this Saturday, enjoy an egg hunt without leaving your car and participate in virtual holiday crafts. 
Brunch to-go. Sleeping in later these days and missing breakfast?&nbsp;There's a good excuse to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/brunch-long-island-coronavirus-1.43605841">bring&nbsp;brunch to you</a> from these local&nbsp;restaurants offering&nbsp;nifty spreads to go&nbsp;or delivered to your door, sometimes along with requisite day-drinking bloodies, too.
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Don't get scammed. Some fraudsters are using the pandemic to&nbsp;profit by selling&nbsp;phony products&nbsp;and using fake emails, texts&nbsp;and social media posts to separate you from your cash and your personal information. Here’s <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/coronavirus-scams-1.43582263">what you need to look out for and how to protect yourself.</a> 
Life after the virus. You might be wondering what society will look like after we get through this pandemic, and you're not alone.&nbsp;Academic futurists say the virus will&nbsp;accelerate&nbsp;big changes already underway such as&nbsp;more people working at home, having&nbsp;fewer but better friends&nbsp;and the establishment of&nbsp;more corner bars, <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-future-changes-futurists-1.43635849">among other predictions</a>.&nbsp; 
Plus: If you've already watched everything in your Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus&nbsp;and Amazon Prime libraries, there's now a&nbsp;new streaming service called Quibi to help pass your quarantine time. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/quibi-launch-meg-whitman-jeffrey-katzenberg-1.43665170">See </a>what's unique about it and what shows our critic recommends. 
Head over to <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650">our live blog</a> for&nbsp;real time updates about the virus' impact on&nbsp;Long Island&nbsp;from&nbsp;newsmakers and reporters&nbsp;and&nbsp;watch our latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-cuomo-bellone-dolan-1.43674916">daily video wrap-up</a>. 
<h2>Commentary</h2> 
The search for&nbsp;spirituality in a time of crisis. It’s been a spiritually and emotionally draining time for many of us, Randi F. Marshall writes in <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/columnists/randi-f-marshall/coronavirus-spirituality-shelter-in-place-temple-passover-easter-holidays-togetherness-covid-19-1.43624069">her latest Newsday Opinion column</a>. 
Even on our darkest days during and after past tragedies — from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to superstorm Sandy — we were able to gather, to hug, to be shoulders to cry on. 
None of that is possible as the coronavirus pandemic explodes through New York, the epicenter of the national outbreak.&nbsp;That lack of communal and physical contact will be particularly poignant as one of the holiest times of the year for Christians and Jews approaches.

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Have we arrived at the apex?

<h2>An insider's view of LI hospitals&nbsp;</h2>

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"Normally, you'll walk through a hospital and you'll see someone who is very sick, but then you'll go in another room and people are happy because they're going home. Here, everyone is unbelievably sick, and there are no visitors to be with them. 
"It's not like anything you've ever seen." 
That's just one of the insights&nbsp;Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, the area’s largest health care provider with 19 hospitals on Long Island,&nbsp;shared in a recent interview with Newsday about the pandemic. 
Dowling did see some hopeful signs. "I do think we have potentially turned the corner," he said.&nbsp;"The last couple days, it's been flattening. We've been discharging 450 to 500 people per day in recent days, and we've seen the number of people coming in flatten. But we have to be cautious, because we could be in for a big surprise tomorrow." 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/dowling-q-a-1.43742712">See what else he had to say</a> about&nbsp;social distancing, the data trends&nbsp;and what comes next for the health care industry. 
<h2>'We are by no means out of the woods'</h2> 
New York reported another day of record-high deaths, 799 since Tuesday,&nbsp;Cuomo said, comparing&nbsp;the fatalities&nbsp;to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 
“I thought in my lifetime I would never see anything like that again," he said. “That this should literally eclipse that in terms of numbers of dead in this state? It’s almost unimaginable to me." 
But he said <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-long-island-new-york-1.43737261">the number of new hospitalizations remained fairly flat</a>, giving hope that the state's curve of pandemic is flattening&nbsp;while also warning&nbsp;New Yorkers that they must continue to adhere to strict social distancing directives or the numbers would shoot up again. 
"We are by no means out of the woods," he added. 
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 18,548 confirmed cases in Nassau, 15,844 in Suffolk, 81,803 in New York City and&nbsp;149,316 statewide. 
<h2>LI's Hispanic communities hit hard</h2> 
Cuomo lamented the impact of the virus among minority communities and poor people in the state, who seem overrepresented in the grim tally of deaths, and vowed to immediately put resources toward more testing and research in those communities. 
On Long Island, Hispanic population centers are suffering some of the <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/virus-confirmed-covid-19-1.43727494">highest rates of coronavirus cases</a>, according to a Newsday analysis of county and state data. 
Six heavily Hispanic communities in Suffolk and five in Nassau are among the Island’s hardest hit based on the prevalence of infections, the speed at which the number of cases has risen or their gross numbers of cases. 
“The numbers are just staggering,” said Jorge Guadron, president of the Salvadoran American Chamber of Commerce of Long Island who lives in Central Islip, one of the communities that has borne the brunt of the disease.
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In the above map, the areas with darker shading are the communities with the higher&nbsp;concentration of cases per 100,000 people. <a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See the latest&nbsp;charts</a> tracking cases, hospitalizations and more for Nassau and Suffolk.&nbsp; 
<h2>Pandemic tests doctor who is also a rabbi</h2>

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Passover is usually a happy time, but not this year for Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, who is both a rabbi in Hewlett and an infectious disease specialist at nearby Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital. 
During the past month, the pandemic has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/ventilator-hospital-passover-1.43720160">forced Glatt to agonize over numerous life-or-death situations</a>&nbsp;and worry that the highly infectious illness&nbsp;might spread further. 
Of all these haunting images that Glatt said he has seen, none seems more tragic&nbsp;than the little boy he kept from saying goodbye in person to his 42-year-old father before the man died&nbsp;from the virus.&nbsp; 
“I keep seeing the crying face of this 8- or 9-year-old boy and I’m having trouble getting him out of my mind,” recalled Glatt.&nbsp;“I see that poor child crying for his father and I don’t have any words as a doctor or any as a rabbi.”&nbsp; 
<h2>Worried about relatives&nbsp;in assisted living</h2>

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The anxiety, fears and crushing sense of guilt can at times be overwhelming. 
For nearly a month, nursing homes and assisted living facilities across&nbsp;Long Island and the rest of New York have remained&nbsp;shuttered to guests in an effort to lock down the COVID-19 pandemic from the virus'&nbsp;most vulnerable potential victims.&nbsp; 
For their families, the uncertainty is often the worst part. When they are eventually allowed to visit, they wonder, will their parent of grandparent have survived?&nbsp;Or, will the&nbsp;quarantine sentence their loved ones to a fate&nbsp;of dying alone? 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/assisted-living-facilities-covid-19-1.43727109">These are a few of their stories.</a> 
<h2>Eye on&nbsp;high school sports</h2> 
The hope for this spring season is eternal. There might even be some reason for optimism. 
Cuomo has suspended school attendance,&nbsp;and therefore high school sports,&nbsp;until April 29. While that might not allow enough time for a full soup-to-nuts spring season — non-conference games, a regular season and playoffs — it would be enough for something close. 
Section XI (Suffolk) executive director Tom Combs and Section VIII (Nassau) executive director Pat Pizzarelli&nbsp;said&nbsp;that date comes with leeway for <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/long-island-spring-high-school-sports-coronavirus-1.43727843">a modified spring season</a>. 
"If we can come back in the beginning of May, we are fine,” Combs said. “Even the middle of May is OK. I don’t know all the answers, but I’d say if we come back June 1, we’re done.” 
<h2>More to know</h2>

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Medical experts warn that&nbsp;a relaxation of business closures and social-distancing guidelines too soon <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/peak-of-coronavirus-1.43726438">"would be a catastrophe."</a> 
A crackdown on short-term rentals is launching in the Town of Southampton, as officials believe they <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/southampton-rental-crackdown-coronavirus-1.43741715">violate new emergency protocols</a> in place due to&nbsp;COVID-19. 
New York State will get more money in the <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-stimulus-new-york-congress-1.43739198">next coronavirus spending bill</a>, but it might not be as much as Cuomo wants as he tries to balance his budget, several&nbsp;lawmakers said this week. 
Singer-songwriter John Prine,&nbsp;who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery” and scores of other indelible songs, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/singer-songwriter-john-prine-obituary-1.43731366">died&nbsp;from complications from the coronavirus</a>, his family said. 
Any New York voter&nbsp;who wants an absentee ballot for the June primary <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/primary-coronavirus-absentee-1.43743999">will be allowed to obtain one</a>, Cuomo said, citing&nbsp;videos of Wisconsin residents standing six feet or so apart&nbsp;in long lines for&nbsp;their recent primary. 
Broadway producers have <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/broadway-shutdown-extended-1.43743583">extended the suspension of all shows</a> on the Great White Way through early June, and across Long Island, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/argyle-theatre-my-fathers-place-coronavirus-1.43706908">theaters are stuck in limbo</a>. 
<h2>News for you</h2>

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How are the kids holding up?&nbsp;Local psychologists are considering what effects isolation is having on children and families, and what the long-term impacts may be. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/isolation-psychology-children-1.43718466">See how it could vary based&nbsp;on your children's ages.</a>&nbsp; 
Best bike trails. Fresh air plus a change of scenery might do you and the family good. Check out <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/bike-trails-long-island-1.43703699">one of these local bike trails</a> but remember to observe social distancing rules. 
Help for local businesses.&nbsp;If you own a local business, find out how you can receive as much monetary aid as possible in <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/webinar-lia-sba-1.43739042">this replay of Newsday's webinar</a>&nbsp;with members of the&nbsp;Small Business Association and the Long Island Association. 
Hungry?&nbsp;Thirsty?&nbsp;There's an app for that. Whether you're craving breakfast, lunch, dinner, ice cream or even booze, there's an app that will bring it swiftly to your door and with the option of contactless deliveries.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/uber-eats-grubhub-food-alcohol-delivery-apps-1.43724580">Here are&nbsp;11 to know about</a>, including some that are waiving delivery fees. 
Hidden '80s gems. You may consider yourself a fan of '80s&nbsp;films, but bet&nbsp;you haven't watched everything on our critic's&nbsp;list of <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/1980s-movies-blood-simple-diva-1.43739283">11 forgotten films</a> from the decade that you should discover during your time at home. 
Dinner and a movie with a twist.&nbsp;One local theater is launching a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/forks-and-films-cinema-arts-centre-1.43742092">weekly online cooking show</a> with&nbsp;movie-related recipes from local restaurateur Martin Butera. The first episode&nbsp;features a version of his famous meatballs. 
Plus: If you want to use this time you're stuck at home to tidy up your living space, try these&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/spring-cleaning-guide-1.42308009">spring cleaning tips</a> from local experts. 
Find more upbeat ways to safely spend your time at home&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/things-to-do-long-island-coronavirus-1.43157106">here</a>. 
And stay&nbsp;on top of the latest news about the virus' impact on&nbsp;Long Island by visiting our<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650"> live blog</a> and&nbsp;watching our latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-testing-long-island-1.43698277">daily wrap-up video</a>&nbsp;. 
<h2>Commentary</h2> 
Why this night is different. Tonight, Jews around the world will sit at their seder tables&nbsp;and observe Passover, former Democratic congressman <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/coronavirus/passover-seder-pandemic-coronavirus-covid-19-steve-israel-family-isolation-1.43722456">Steve Israel writes in a Newsday Opinion column</a>. We will recite the Hagaddah, the telling, of the enslavement and liberation of Jews in ancient Egypt. Perhaps the most recognizable portion of the Hagaddah is the “Four Questions”: Why is this night different from all others?” 
This year, as a pandemic takes and changes lives, the question sounds like an ironic joke rather than a familiar refrain. 
Tonight, the proscribed ritual that commences the Seder —&nbsp;the washing of the hands —&nbsp;is a commandment from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. 
Tonight, the 10&nbsp;plagues (blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of the first born children) aren’t implausible but relatable.&nbsp;

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Inside LI hospitals: 'Everyone is unbelievably sick'

<h2>Numbers by community</h2>

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Newsday is tracking the prevalence of the virus <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-hot-spot-woodmere-long-island-1.43584806">and mapping it at the community level </a>based on data&nbsp;provided by the two counties.&nbsp; 
According to that data, Brentwood had the highest number of cases (368), followed by Huntington Station (283), Woodmere (223) and Hempstead (204). 
Other communities at the top of the caseload counts include&nbsp;Bay Shore (174), Central Islip (167), Hicksville (154), West Babylon (152) and East Meadow (145). 
On average, Long Island’s communities have experienced 32 confirmed cases. The median number is 19, meaning that half of the communities have counted more than 19 and half fewer than 19. 
<h2>Bleak portrait</h2> 
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday said <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid19-long-island-new-york-1.43582951">deaths and cases continue to spike</a>. The peak is likely to come in late April, and the crisis could last until early summer, he said. 
The governor&nbsp;ordered New York City playgrounds shuttered because people are still playing basketball and ignoring social distancing. And he told the NYPD to get more "aggressive" in cracking down on it, threatening&nbsp;to pass a law if residents don't comply. 
More than 83,000 people in New York&nbsp;State&nbsp;have tested positive for coronavirus, including 8,000 cases diagnosed overnight in what continues to be the epicenter in the United States, Cuomo said. 
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 9,554&nbsp;confirmed cases in Nassau, 7,605 in Suffolk, 47,439&nbsp;in New York City and 83,712&nbsp;statewide. 
<h2>Lifesaving conversion</h2>

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Northwell Health has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/sleep-apnea-and-ventilators-1.43584092">started&nbsp;to convert</a> bi-level positive airway pressure machines into ventilators for COVID-19 patients. 
BiPAP machines usually are used for patients who have chronic obstruction lung disease, lung injury tied to heart failure or severe sleep apnea. Northwell said it has about 350 of the&nbsp;machines in the health system, and converting them has the potential to save thousands of lives. 
"We just started doing this late last week, and we've already saved lives," said Dr. Hugh Cassiere, medical director of respiratory therapy services at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. 
Meanwhile,&nbsp;Suffolk libraries have joined the effort to help Stony Brook University Hospital doctors and nurses in dire need of personal protective gear. Dozens of libraries <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/printers-libraries-coronavirus-1.43563580">have donated their 3D printers</a> to help manufacture face shields, which have been in short supply. 
The goal is to make 5,000 pieces as quickly as possible. 
<h2>Rapid test debuts on LI</h2> 
Three urgent care centers on Long Island are among the first in the nation to deploy a new rapid molecular test for COVID-19 as <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/rapid-covid-diagnose-test-1.43569907">a wave of new tools </a>to diagnose the deadly virus begins reaching patients.&nbsp; 
Healthcare giant Abbott Laboratories delivered its nasal swab systems to&nbsp;AFC Urgent Care centers in East Meadow, Farmingdale and West Islip and within hours of arriving Tuesday afternoon the devices were returning positive results indicating the virus, said Dr. Robert Levy, co-owner of the three clinics. 
"This is a true game changer," he said. 
Levy said the three clinics have been treating about 80 potential COVID-19 patients per day and routinely running out of testing supplies by late afternoon. 
<h2>The rent is due</h2>

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Long Island tenants, many of them devastated by job losses and health concerns, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/renters-virus-landlords-1.43571233">now face a new crisis</a> as their rent comes due&nbsp;for the first time since the state ordered nonessential businesses to shut down. 
Erica Prince, 49, was just about to start a new job as an aide at a home health care service in Hauppauge last month when the company suspended all training for new hires. 
With her job on hold indefinitely, Prince worries about how she will pay the $1,400 rent for the one-bedroom apartment in West Babylon she shares with her 13-year-old daughter. 
Her landlords, she said, “are willing to work with me … but one way or the other, whether it’s now or later, I have to pay.” 
The state last month imposed a 90-day moratorium on evictions, but advocates for renters say that doesn't solve the overall loss of income. 
<h2>More to know</h2> 
The White House and House Democrats have begun talking about another <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/infrastructure-stimulus-trump-pelosi-1.43584536">mega-stimulus bill for infrastructure</a> just days after Congress passed and the president signed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, but Republicans said it’s too soon. 
Wimbledon <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/wimbledon-canceled-for-1st-time-since-wwii-because-of-virus-1.43581921">was canceled</a> Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first&nbsp;time it will not be played in its nearly century-and-a-half history for a reason other than war. 
The United Nations calls for a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/united-nations-coronavirus-ant%C3%B3nio-guterres-1.43572267">concerted global effort </a>to fight the coronavirus pandemic in a new report, with the secretary-general calling it an "unprecedented test" for the world. 
LI cardiologist Perry Frankel is using a 40-foot bus as a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/new-hyde-park-cardiologist-perry-frankel-bus-1.43567856">mobile medical unit</a> to reach those who may not want to stray far from home. 
Former State Sen.&nbsp;Majority Leader Dean Skelos, once one of the most powerful politicians in New York, is seeking<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-skelos-prison-1.43584704"> to be released from federal prison early</a> because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to court papers. 
The state attorney general and Long Island investigators are<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/attorney-general-scams-nonessential-business-1.43566976"> stepping up enforcement efforts </a>against nonessential businesses that won’t close, people refusing to keep social distance&nbsp;and scams often aimed at military families and the elderly. 
Big donations for coronavirus efforts are flowing in from big-name celebrities' foundations, including $500,000 from Long Island's <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-donates-coronavirus-covid19-relief-1.43571160">Billy Joel</a>&nbsp;and $1 million from Rihanna (<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/rihanna-jay-z-coronavirus-1.43567413">which was matched by Jay-Z</a>) and <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/dolly-parton-coronavirus-research-donation-1.43585187">Dolly Parton</a>. 
Recreational striped bass-fishing rules are set for the 2020 season, but much uncertainty remains for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/striped-bass-limits-1.43582173">hundreds of party and charter boats</a> considered nonessential businesses.&nbsp; 
Four Nets players who had tested positive, including superstar Kevin Durant,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/nets/kevin-durant-covid-19-1.43580831">are now symptom-free</a>, the team's GM says. 
<h2>News for you</h2> 
Unemployment benefits:&nbsp; Filing for benefits can be overwhelming now. Here are <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/filing-unemployment-claims-state-labor-demand-1.43585353">answers to 10 common questions</a> about the process from the state Labor Department’s unemployment insurance team. And if you're a leader in&nbsp;a Long Island business looking for help, watch <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/businesses-coronavirus-1.43580933">Newsday's webinar</a> on how you can get aid. 
Bakeries: Got a craving for rainbow cookies, salt-soured pickled rye, Polish babka, honey cake? Sometimes a special bread or sweet can brighten up even the darkest day. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/food-and-drink/bakeries-long-island-coronavirus-1.43565076">These bakeries </a>are&nbsp;open for takeout and/or delivery, each possessing a signature item or two that might make it worth a special trip. &nbsp; 
A different Passover:&nbsp;Newsday cooking columnist Marge Perry offers her recipe for a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/columnists/marge-perry/passover-matzo-cake-recipe-1.43485859">no-bake icebox matzo cake</a>, which she says is&nbsp;ideally suited as a group activity — as fun to make as it is to eat. Newsday food writer Erica Marcus offers an easy recipe for brisket and, in the same article, a collection of <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/passover-seder-takeout-long-island-1.43484999">nine establishments providing Passover takeout</a>&nbsp;if you want to leave the job to others.&nbsp; 
Plus: Speaking of takeout, many of Long Island's chain restaurants <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/chipotle-panera-cheesecake-factory-coronavirus-1.43549765">are offering freebies, discounts and special programs</a>. And here's Newsday's overall <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/takeout-delivery-restaurants-long-island-1.43278611">guide to takeout</a> on Long Island. 
Want to test your sports knowledge? Here's Newsday's <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/sports-trivia-quiz-april-1-1.43475420">daily sports trivia quiz</a>. 
J.K. Rowling&nbsp;has launched an online initiative called <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/jk-rowling-harry-potter-at-home-1.43582381">Harry Potter at Home </a>that&nbsp;features quizzes, games and other activities as well as special editions of the first book in the series. 
Many of us are spending more time in front of the TV. Newsday's Andy Edelstein tells you where to find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/police-tv-shows-quarantine-1.43564528">24 vintage police dramas</a> to go along other Couch Comfort collections such as <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/sitcoms-i-love-lucy-andy-griffith-1.43275940">112 vintage sitcoms</a>, classic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/westerns-gunsmoke-bonanza-rifleman-1.43441395">Westerns</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/law-and-order-svu-criminal-intent-1.43408109">"Law &amp; Order"</a>&nbsp;episodes. 
And, as always, you can find a wide selection of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/things-to-do-long-island-coronavirus-1.43157106">upbeat ways to pass the time</a>&nbsp;without leaving your house.&nbsp; 
<h2>Commentary</h2>

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<h2>Redrawing the line between home, work</h2> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/columnists/lane-filler/lane-filler-work-from-home-coronavirus-covid-19-sabbath-1.43569809">Newsday Opinion columnist Lane Filler asks</a>: How are we supposed to see the line between toil and rest? 
When the boundaries between home and office disappear? When signifiers like the kids being at school or spouses being at work no longer exist? 
When the weekend is just another day to not hit the bars or the gym, not go to the park or convene an extended family feast, how do we relax? 
Society has an answer that worked for thousands of years. It’s called a Sabbath, and it has historically been as much an integral part of life as working from home.

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New map of Long Island cases

<h2>'We're afraid for us, our families'</h2>

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The numbers, provided by the region's hospitals at Newsday's request,&nbsp;give a partial view of the pandemic's toll.&nbsp; 
Though many of the employees have since returned to work, larger facilities such as Stony Brook University Hospital&nbsp;and those run by Northwell Health in&nbsp;Nassau&nbsp;have seen roughly 200 workers each test positive&nbsp;in recent weeks. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/hospital-covid-19-nurses-1.43778185">See the breakdown by hospital</a>. 
Orders to reuse masks and gowns&nbsp;have compounded the inherent dangers workers face, leading to additional infections, according to nurses and unions. Staff members who tested positive are being sent back to work before being re-tested&nbsp;as long as they haven’t had a fever for 72 hours, some officials said. 
“We’re still afraid,” said Yasmine Beausejour, a registered nurse&nbsp;speaking on behalf of the New York State Nurses Association. “We’re afraid for us, our families. Are we exposing them?" 
Two Long Island nurses are known to have died after contracting the virus, along with at least five other medical support staff. Among them was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/long-island-community-hospital-nurse-1.43762429">Ali Dennis Guillermo</a>,&nbsp;44, who was hailed as a selfless father and compassionate health care provider.&nbsp; 
"Everyone who ever worked with him loved him,” said one of his colleagues.&nbsp; 
<h2>ICU admissions dip for the first time&nbsp;</h2> 
New York is flattening the curve of infections&nbsp;and beating most projections of cases, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared Friday, even as he announced a staggering one-day death toll of 777. 
He said that&nbsp;for the first time since the crisis started&nbsp;the number&nbsp;of <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-long-island-new-york-1.43774976">intensive care unit&nbsp;admissions&nbsp;dipped</a> into negative territory, meaning more patients were released than entered ICU. 
Cuomo spoke in the most detail yet about reopening the economy while cautioning&nbsp;that social distancing must continue&nbsp;to avoid another wave of cases.&nbsp; 
The number of new cases&nbsp;on Long Island<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-testing-hospitalization-1.43765226">&nbsp;jumped dramatically</a>, fueled by the expansion of testing sites and greater availability of testing kits.
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The above graph&nbsp;shows Long Island's daily totals of&nbsp;hospitalized cases. <a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See the latest data including maps and charts</a> tracking testing, deaths, cases by community and more for Nassau and Suffolk.&nbsp; 
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 21,512&nbsp;confirmed cases in Nassau, 18,692 in Suffolk, 92,384 in New York City and&nbsp;170,512 statewide. 
<h2>From wiseguy to nice guy</h2>

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Joe Gannascoli is taking a whack at charity work. 
The East Rockaway actor — whose mobster character Vito Spatafore&nbsp;was killed in the sixth season of&nbsp;"The Sopranos" — has turned to helping deliver meals to hospital workers. 
A part-time chef who says he has cooked meals&nbsp;“all over the Island,”&nbsp;he said his sister-in-law and a niece are nurses. His niece has returned to work after testing positive&nbsp;and recovering, he said. 
&nbsp;"Seeing my sister-in-law go&nbsp;through it, what my niece goes through … I just hope it gets over and we catch a break,” he said. 
He set up a&nbsp;GoFundMe page to raise money so he could purchase meals and bring them to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/coronavirus/acts-of-kindness/food-donation-sopranos-1.43745861">two Nassau hospitals</a>. By Wednesday he had raised $2,625 and made his first delivery. 
<h2>Nurse, cop marry in driveway wedding</h2>

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The bride's father escorted her down the driveway. 
The groom's dad had become an ordained minister online just for the cause. 
Kelly Donohue and Andrew Schuerlein&nbsp;ditched their&nbsp;plans for a June walk down the aisle at&nbsp;Sacred Heart, and a 250-guest reception&nbsp;at the Milleridge Inn, and instead wed outside her parents'&nbsp;North Merrick home. 
Kelly is a maternity ward nurse at NYU Winthrop&nbsp;Hospital in Mineola, pressed into duty&nbsp;dealing only with COVID-19 patients. Andrew&nbsp;is a Nassau police officer and is in daily contact with patients, too. 
“I’ve been so overwhelmed with everything going on at work, right now, I just wanted to get married," she said. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-driveway-wedding-1.43744828">Watch video of the wedding</a>. 
<h2>More to know</h2>

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Shoppers must wear face masks to enter the very few essential businesses still permitted to be open, such as groceries and drugstores, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/shoppers-grocery-drugstores-face-masks-1.43775452">in one Long Island&nbsp;village</a>. 
Victims of crime and families who lost loved ones to crimes&nbsp;are enduring <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-justice-crime-long-island-1.43744068">a&nbsp;longer wait for justice</a> now that New York’s court system is&nbsp;handling only essential and emergency proceedings. 
'Here Comes the Sun' has become a victory song in the fight against COVID-19 <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/huntington-hospital-coronavirus-1.43761319">at one local hospital</a>, and <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/huntington-hospital-let-it-be-coronavirus-1.43759785">a version of&nbsp;'Let It Be'</a> by caregivers has drawn almost 300,000 views. 
The Communion wafer business persevered through economic recessions, 9/11, natural disasters and other Acts of God, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/communion-wafers-easter-good-friday-1.43770803">not the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;as Long Islanders go without it this Easter. 
Businesses&nbsp;catering to pets could be devastated by the pandemic as&nbsp;millions of Long Islanders stay&nbsp;home and <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/pets-boarding-dog-walkers-pet-sitters-covid-19-1.43746607">no longer need the service of dog walkers or day care centers</a>.&nbsp;
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Women and girls are suffering more from the pandemic, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-united-nations-women-1.43764938">16-page policy brief </a>released by the United Nations. 
TV host&nbsp;Carson Daly got a priest to perform a drive-by blessing for his newborn daughter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/carson-daly-daughter-blessing-1.43741983">outside&nbsp;the family's church on Long Island.</a> 
The Mets'&nbsp;Pete Alonso&nbsp;is among those thoroughly enthused by <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/pete-alonso-mlb-2020-season-arizona-1.43778697">Major League Baseball’s nascent plan</a> to potentially stage the entire 2020 season in Arizona. 
<h2>News for you</h2>

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Ideas for Easter. Looking&nbsp;to&nbsp;bring some Easter fun to your home -- or block -- this year, since you can't attend your usual&nbsp;holiday gatherings? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/easter-egg-hunt-neighborhood-bunny-1.43725232">See how these Long Islanders are finding ways to celebrate</a> from a safe, social distance. Plus, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/easter-service-glen-cove-1.43760044">virtually attend a service</a>&nbsp;on Sunday&nbsp;featuring local churches&nbsp;of different denominations. 
Look your best. If you were hoping to get a haircut, touch-up your roots,&nbsp;shape your brows or trim your beard before your family's virtual Easter gathering, check out <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/fashion-and-shopping/at-home-beauty-tips-long-island-1.43562851">these expert tips for performing&nbsp;your own salon treatments</a>. 
Groceries from Panera.&nbsp;Panera Bread has begun offering pickup and delivery of some <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/panera-bread-grocery-1.43762621">common grocery items,</a> including milk, bread, fresh fruit and more, at 32 of its Long Island locations. 
Help navigating loan programs. Small businesses owners are&nbsp;facing the challenges of surviving the pandemic and navigating the government programs meant to help them. Get&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/sba-loans-eidl-ppp-1.43772178">answers to common questions</a> about&nbsp;Paycheck Protection Program loans and&nbsp;Economic Injury Disaster Loans. 
Take a hike. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/weather">Better weather</a> is forecast for this weekend, so why not go for a solo nature walk or take your family for a hike -- while following social distancing guidelines -- on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/hiking-trails-long-island-1.43622843">one of these local trails</a>. 
Plus: "Saturday Night Live" is back —&nbsp;sort of. Catch an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/saturday-night-live-returning-weekend-update-1.43761799">at-home version</a> of the show featuring&nbsp;"Weekend Update" and various pieces by cast members. Only some portions will be live. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/things-to-do-long-island-coronavirus-1.43157106">Find dozens of other ideas for the weekend</a> to keep your household well-fed, entertained and even accomplish some items on your to-do list, like&nbsp;tackling garden chores or decluttering your home. 
Get&nbsp;the latest news about the virus' impact on&nbsp;the Island by visiting our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650">live blog</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;watching our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/long-islanders-frustrated-with-unemployment-claims-process-1.43755076">daily wrap-up video</a>. 
<h2>Commentary</h2> 
For us, fighting COVID-19&nbsp;is the right call to action.&nbsp;I am a proud, first-generation, Chinese American graduating from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell on April 10 — a month early, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-hofstra-northwell-wuhan-1.43744209">writes&nbsp;Lei Alexander Qin&nbsp;in an Op-Ed column for Newsday.</a> 
My mother’s family is from Wuhan, China, a beautiful metropolitan city where I spent many summers as a child. It is now forever linked with the birth of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic. 
In January, my relatives in Wuhan sent reports of a mysterious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-like illness infecting citizens in the city. I hoped this new “mystery virus” would stay overseas.&nbsp;As we discovered, no one is immune from the virus or its deadly reach. 
One of my close friends, an internal medicine resident at Lenox Hill Hospital, was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 after working tirelessly for a month in the intensive care unit. She is recovering at home, but she is itching to go back to the hospital and rejoin the fight. In a time of uncertainty, her bravery, and the bravery of my mentors, inspires me to serve.

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Virus infects hundreds of LI hospital workers

Welcome to Tracking the Coronavirus, our daily guide to the latest developments in the outbreak&nbsp;and its effects on Long Islanders. We’ll send this to your inbox every weekday afternoon to keep you up to date and share tips to cope as the virus begins to intrude on our daily lives.&nbsp;Today's newsletter includes the latest numbers, a big step to control the virus in New Rochelle, tips for being under&nbsp;quarantine, some words of advice from the head of Northwell Health and more.&nbsp; 
<h2>Closings and caution</h2>

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New York State led the nation&nbsp;in number of cases, with 173&nbsp;as of&nbsp;Tuesday afternoon, and 20&nbsp;of those confirmed cases were on Long Island. The numbers <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-flu-influenza-new-york-1.42675678">are still far smaller than those for the seasonal flu</a>, but the uncertain course of this new illness prompted the government, schools, businesses and community groups to close their doors or cut back on public activities to prevent the spread of the virus. 
The shutdown was most extreme in New Rochelle, the Westchester city that is the state's epicenter, as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called in the National Guard for a one-mile "containment zone." 
<h2>National Guard on way to Westchester</h2>

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Cuomo said Tuesday the state will <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-new-york-city-1.42702337">send the National Guard to New Rochelle </a>as part of the plan to slow the spread.&nbsp;More than 100 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Westchester County. 
The zone is a one-mile radius&nbsp;around a synagogue believed to be at the center of the cluster.&nbsp;Starting March 12, schools and facilities in the area will be closed for two weeks, and the National&nbsp;Guard will help deliver food and to clean public spaces. 
“New Rochelle is a particular problem,” Cuomo said at a news briefing in Albany. “It’s a cluster. The numbers are going up. The numbers continue to go up. We do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle.” 
<h2>Schools shut doors in face of virus</h2> 
Fears of coronavirus<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/schools-closed-coronavirus-1.42706842"> played out in real time</a> at schools across Long Island and the region, as several districts canceled classes and colleges and universities opted for online instruction over face-to-face meetups. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/long-island-schools-universities-coronavirus-1.42673497">Here's a list of the districts.</a> 
Even those that stayed open were monitoring developments closely and disinfecting classrooms and other spaces where students and staff come together.&nbsp; 
<h2>Stocks fight back</h2> 
Stocks closed&nbsp;sharply higher on Wall Street Tuesday after whipping up and down all day along with hopes that the United States&nbsp;and other governments will cushion the global economy from the effects&nbsp;of the coronavirus. 
The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared more than&nbsp;1,100 points by the close of trading. 
&nbsp;Investors became more hopeful after President Donald Trump pitched his ideas for a break on payroll taxes and other economic relief to Senate Republicans. The gain made up about half of the Dow's loss from a day earlier, but market watchers say more big swings are likely. 
<h2>LI businesses cancel travel, allow work from home</h2>

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Blumenfeld Development Group in Syosset is training employees on the software needed to work remotely and has put tissues and hand sanitizer on every desk. 
Henry Schein Inc., Long Island’s largest public company by annual revenue, has banned business trips outside the United States through mid-April and&nbsp;is emphasizing small meetings of short duration over large meetings. 
The accounting firm Grassi, which has offices in Jericho and Ronkonkoma, is requiring employees to work from home if they show any symptoms of coronavirus. 
They're among <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus-companies-henry-schein-1.42654602">many Long Island businesses</a> taking action to protect employees, and their businesses, from the illness. 
<h2>Tips for a&nbsp;quarantine</h2>

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Be prepared: Stock up on food. Fill your prescriptions. And get at least five rolls of toilet paper — per the federal government’s emergency rations suggestions — for when nature calls. 
For thousands of New Yorkers in self-isolation, exposure to the coronavirus has meant staying away from other people, away from work, school, family gatherings — the daily routines of life. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-quarantine-supplies-guide-1.42729731">Here’s how to prepare</a> in case you find yourself home for the 14-day period of isolation recommended in coronavirus cases by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
<h2>&nbsp; More to know:</h2> 
Long Island and statewide high school basketball tournaments are scrambling for venues&nbsp;after the colleges that planned to host them either pulled out or restricted fan access. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/coronavirus-farmingdale-state-long-island-basketball-championships-1.42673342">Farmingdale State decided </a>not to host boys games featuring&nbsp;Amityville, Baldwin, Brentwood and Elmont; <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/girls-basketball/st-josephs-long-island-championships-coronavirus-1.42732115">St. Joseph's declined </a>to host girls games featuring Baldwin,&nbsp;Northport,&nbsp;Locust Valley and Westhampton. Fordham University said it would&nbsp;host the state Federation high school basketball tournament scheduled later this month <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/fordham-high-school-basketball-federation-tournament-1.42717523">but would not allow spectators</a>.&nbsp; 
A major trial against opioid manufacturers and distributors in New York State<a href="https://www.newsday.com/opioid-manufacturers-trial-1.42723197"> has been postponed because of the coronavirus</a>, according to the New York State attorney general’s office. The trial between New York State and Nassau and Suffolk counties against opioid manufacturers and distributors was scheduled to begin March 20 in Central Islip. 
"Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/jeopardy-and-wheel-of-fortune-to-tape-sans-audiences-1.42687543">will tape without studio audiences</a> in response to the ongoing virus outbreak. And the rock band&nbsp;Pearl Jam <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/pearl-jam-cancels-tour-coronavirus-1.42713019">postponed the first leg of its tour</a>, which included a show at Madison Square Garden.&nbsp; 
<h2>News for you&nbsp;</h2> 
Myths abound about coronavirus, and Newsday is here to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-myths-debunked-1.42584957">separate fact from fiction</a>. No, you can’t take a hot bath to kill the virus. No, a vaccine almost certainly isn’t coming anytime soon. No, contrary to some early news reports, Americans aren’t so gullible to believe the virus is connected to Corona beer. But yes, you can contract the virus in public places like mass transit, although it’s&nbsp;unlikely. 
<h2>Commentary</h2> 

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Michael Dowling, president and chief executive of Northwell Health, says while there are legitimate concerns over the virus, properly known as COVID-19, there is no need to panic. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/coronavirus-michael-dowling-northwell-health-1.42667890">Most health care organizations have been preparing </a>for the virus to hit the United States for weeks. And there has been collaboration among health systems and local, state and federal health officials.

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A shutdown in Westchester, tips to cope with a quarantine

A shutdown in Westchester, and tips to deal with a quarantine

<h2>'A lot of pain' for New Yorkers</h2>

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Cuomo said of the fatality&nbsp;numbers: "Behind every single one of those … is an individual … so a lot of pain again today for a lot of New Yorkers.” 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-long-island-new-york-1.43717877">Other numbers provided hope</a>:&nbsp;The total of newly hospitalized COVID-19 patients did rise,&nbsp;but the three-day average is trending down. There was a drop in admissions to intensive care units,&nbsp;continuing a downward trend for the same period. And the number of people discharged from hospitals after treatment was&nbsp;up slightly.&nbsp; 
However, Cuomo&nbsp;urged New Yorkers not to let up in practicing social distancing and taking all precautions to prevent the virus' spread and, when asked, he said neither he nor the population has become numbed to the human cost. 
"The last thing I do is get numb," Cuomo said.&nbsp;"I can tell you for the hospital staff that go through this, they are not getting numb. For the families … they are not getting numb … When you have to put bodies in trucks, in parking lots, I mean, how could you get numb to any of this?" 
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 16,610 confirmed cases in Nassau, 14,517 in Suffolk, 76,876&nbsp;in New York City and&nbsp;138,836&nbsp;statewide. 
<h2>Mortuary system overwhelmed</h2>

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So many people are dying from coronavirus in the metropolitan area&nbsp;that each link in <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/morgues-coronavirus-1.43703606">the mortuary system is overstressed</a>: morgues, hospitals, funeral homes, cemeteries, crematoria, even transportation between these places. 
"There's people dying all over the place," said Dan Moloney, co-owner&nbsp;of Lake Ronkonkoma-based Moloney Family Funeral Homes. "We've never seen anything like this." 
And the death toll&nbsp;is forecast&nbsp;to keep rising. 
The number of deaths attributed to the coronavirus&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-deaths-counties-1.43707513">leapt in Nassau and Suffolk</a> counties after officials changed how they are counting fatalities, switching&nbsp;from using their own totals to state tallies&nbsp;released publicly for the first time Sunday.&nbsp; 
Of 620 people who have died in Nassau as of Monday, 500 were county residents.&nbsp;Of 266 people who died in Suffolk as of Monday, 263 were county residents.
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The above graph shows total deaths on&nbsp;Long Island by county and by day. <a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See the latest maps and charts</a> tracking cases, hospitalizations and more for Nassau and Suffolk.&nbsp; 
<h2>Blood plasma from recovered patients</h2> 
More than 200 people who have recovered from the coronavirus were&nbsp;expected to have their blood drawn Tuesday in Great Neck to see if they qualify to donate plasma — <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/plasma-donations-coronavius-great-neck-1.43705872">part of an experimental treatment</a> to help patients with severe cases of COVID-19. 
Researchers are working to determine if the antibodies in individuals who successfully fought back the virus can&nbsp;be used to stop the infection in other patients. 
To participate, individuals must have tested positive or shown symptoms of COVID at least 21 days ago and have fully recovered for a minimum of 14 days. 
<h2>20,000 tests for first responders</h2> 
Nassau County on Wednesday is expected to begin administering <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-nassau-police-testing-kits-1.43703115">the&nbsp;tests for COVID-19&nbsp;and antibodies</a> to&nbsp;county first responders, including police, medics and sheriff's correction officers,&nbsp;who&nbsp;have had outbreaks in their ranks. 
Results from the finger-prick tests, which the county&nbsp;ordered from Melville-based medical supplier Henry Schein Inc. at a cost of $660,000,&nbsp;will be available in 15 minutes, officials said. 
The test will check for the coronavirus along with&nbsp;antibodies that indicate whether the individual has recovered from&nbsp;infection. It can take&nbsp;a week or two for antibodies&nbsp;to appear after a person has been infected, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. 
<h2>Seder-to-go for Passover</h2>

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Attendance at the communal Passover meal will be a<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/passover-seder-coronavirus-1.43707094"> scattered affair due to social distancing mandates</a>. Extended families won’t gather. Public seders are canceled. There are plans to livestream seders on apps like Zoom, but these aren’t options for the most observant Jews, who don’t use technology on the holidays. 
Rabbinical authorities have banned large&nbsp;gatherings, citing the importance of&nbsp;health above all else, and some rabbis have made exceptions&nbsp;to the traditional technology prohibition to allow online seders this year. 
Rabbi Anchelle Perl of the Mineola Chabad, a Hasidic outreach group, isn't one of them. He is distributing&nbsp;Seder-to-Go kits&nbsp;— with plastic cups, a seder plate, grape juice, matzo and other contents — on Long Island to people who are afraid to go out or are hospitalized. 
<h2>More to know</h2>

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Hospitals on Long Island said they're <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/long-island-hospitals-coronavirus-apex-1.43708432">making final preparations</a> to ensure there are enough beds for patients, nurses and doctors to treat patients and personal protective equipment for staff during the peak. 
Relatively few children with COVID-19 are hospitalized or&nbsp;experience severe symptoms of the virus, but they can still carry the disease to their elders, according to a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/cdc-children-coronavirus-1.43706084">new report released by the CDC</a>. 
Sports fans could get <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/neil-best/sports-schedule-fall-2020-golf-nfl-ncaa-coronavirus-1.43700521">the most squished-together autumn</a> in the history of American sports if the current schedules stand. 
The sentencing of&nbsp;Edward Mangano, former Nassau County executive, and his wife, Linda, on corruption-related charges <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-mangano-corruption-sentencing-1.43718750">has been delayed</a> until at least June because of the pandemic. 
All pregnant mothers planning to deliver at one&nbsp;of Northwell Health's 11 local hospitals will be tested for COVID-19 before they give birth, according to the health system, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/pregnant-women-drive-thru-testing-1.43722249">opened a drive-thru test site</a> for some pregnant women. 
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was&nbsp;in <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/boris-johnson-coronavirus-intensive-care-1.43716295">stable condition in a hospital intensive care unit</a> with the coronavirus, and while he is not on a ventilator, he is receiving oxygen, his spokesman said. 
Students&nbsp;scheduled to take June Regents exams&nbsp;will be excused from that testing requirement and granted credit toward graduation if teachers approve their coursework&nbsp;in required subjects, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/testing-new-york-state-1.43720843">under a waiver</a> announced by the state. 
<h2>News for you</h2>

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Can't get a Peapod time slot?&nbsp;A 21-year-old Long Island entrepreneur has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/smart-shop-li-grocery-delivery-coronavirus-1.43709225">launched an alternative</a> to the mainstream grocery delivery providers&nbsp;after hearing complaints from friends who were finding it practically impossible&nbsp;to book one.&nbsp; 
Get your chocolate&nbsp;bunnies. While Easter celebrations will look much different this year, you don't have to go without your chocolate bunnies thanks to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/food-and-drink/easter-candy-delivery-pickup-long-island-1.43627674">these local shops</a> that are offering delivery and curbside pickup. 
New 'Frozen' fix. If you already need a break from watching&nbsp;"Frozen 2" on repeat,&nbsp;Josh Gad, who voices&nbsp;Olaf in the Disney films, has teamed up remotely with the studio's animators to create 20 shorts starring his&nbsp;character. The <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/frozen-shorts-olaf-josh-gad-1.43721860">first two were released this week</a>. 
A $68 steak for $25.&nbsp;Tellers, the perennially popular steakhouse in Islip, has partially transformed into a butcher shop and is <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/tellers-islip-steaks-1.43701732">selling its&nbsp;20-ounce bone-in&nbsp;Celebration Strip</a> and other cuts from its&nbsp;meat locker. 
Drive-by art. For those who&nbsp;miss visiting museums,&nbsp;one local artist has created a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/drive-by-museum-huntington-artist-1.43701960">drive-by art gallery</a> outside her home, where she is displaying&nbsp;her watercolor creations&nbsp;with the option to purchase them via curbside pickup.
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Thinking of buying a bike? You're not alone.&nbsp;Long Island bike shops, which are&nbsp;allowed to remain open,&nbsp;have seen a recent&nbsp;uptick in sales and repairs as locals turn&nbsp;to cycling&nbsp;as <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/bike-shops-long-island-1.43703662">a way to cope with the quarantine</a>. 
More 'Tiger King.'&nbsp;If you can't get enough of Joe Exotic, the focus of Netflix's breakout hit during the outbreak "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," the cable network Investigation Discovery is <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/investigation-discovery-joe-exotic-tiger-king-1.43719351">producing a miniseries sequel</a>. 
Plus: Wondering if you can catch the virus from groceries or mail, or whether you need to change and wash your clothes after being outside? Get <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-faq-facts-truth-guide-1.43322321">answers to these and other frequently asked questions</a>. 
You can still keep up with what's going on with your local village government as more of them join towns and cities in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/online-streaming-public-meetings-1.43704605">video streaming their&nbsp;public meetings</a>. 
Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650">our live blog</a> for&nbsp;real time&nbsp;updates about the virus' impact on&nbsp;Long Island&nbsp;from&nbsp;newsmakers and reporters, and&nbsp;watch our latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavrus-covid-19-pandemic-cuomo-curran-bellone-1.43690426">daily wrap-up video</a>&nbsp;. 
<h2>Commentary</h2>

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Love in the time of COVID-19. Coronavirus&nbsp;canceled the wedding of Cynthia Luik and Ryan Rafferty twice last month, but on March 31 the pair got their slippery knot tied, Lane Filler writes in <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/columnists/lane-filler/conoravirus-covid-19-huntington-town-hall-marriages-weddings-luik-huntington-1.43706286">his latest Newsday Opinion column</a>. 
They did it outside Huntington Town Hall rather than in the Cayman Islands, where they had planned nuptials for&nbsp;May 1. The ceremony was during the couple’s lunch hour rather than mid-vacation. Attendance was limited to the couple’s parents and the groom’s brother, rather than the 30 guests who had planned to travel. 
But there was plenty of love and plenty of opportunity to show support with efforts large and small and special gestures.&nbsp; 
And there have been plenty of marriages at Huntington Town Hall, as the coronavirus pandemic makes planned ceremonies and receptions unworkable and, for some, staying single unthinkable.

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The largest single-day increase in deaths

<h2>Reusing masks for days</h2>

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“We’re being told there aren’t enough supplies, that this is what we have to do,” said Tracy Kosciuk,&nbsp;a registered nurse at St. Charles Hospital&nbsp;in Port Jefferson and chapter president for the New York State Nurses Association. “There are seasoned nurses who are absolutely terrified.”&nbsp; 
She and a nursing assistant at Long Island Community Hospital in East Patchogue&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/long-island-nurses-hospital-coronavirus-1.43621819">described&nbsp;reusing N95 respirator masks for days</a>. They said they were instructed to scrub&nbsp;and reuse&nbsp;face shields&nbsp;and&nbsp;protective gowns, then hang the gowns&nbsp;in hospital hallways outside patients' rooms. The gowns were not used for multiple patients' rooms.&nbsp; 
Some of these are typically&nbsp;single-use items, discarded before leaving a patient’s room to limit the risk of cross-contamination. In normal times, violating that protocol could be a fireable offense, said Michael Chacon, Long Island representative for the state&nbsp;nurses association&nbsp;and a registered nurse for 25 years. 
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 12,024 confirmed cases in Nassau, 10,154 in Suffolk, 57,159&nbsp;in New York City and&nbsp;102,863&nbsp;statewide. 
<h2>Tracking the spread on LI</h2>

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Long Island&nbsp;has become an area of concern as the number of coronavirus cases surpassed 100,000 across New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday,&nbsp;as he declared he will send in the National Guard to take critically needed ventilators from hospitals and private medical facilities&nbsp;to be redeployed in areas where they are most needed. 
In a grim tone, Cuomo said the state recorded <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-long-island-1.43618071">another one-day high of deaths</a> from the virus, 553 since Thursday, and a saw a new high of hospitalizations, with some 1,400 admissions. Another 1,400 patients were discharged in the same period. 
For several consecutive days in Nassau County and the last two days in Suffolk County, the new number of COVID-19 infections detected has surpassed 1,000 cases in each, new state figures showed. 
Newsday is tracking the spread of coronavirus on Long Island and its impact on local hospitals.&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See a&nbsp;map of coronavirus cases by community and the latest charts</a>&nbsp;about tests, hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus in Nassau and Suffolk. 
<h2>Deciding who gets a ventilator</h2> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/ventilator-hospital-covid-19-1.43606864">Life-and-death decisions</a> about the use of ventilators and other vital medical equipment threaten to become a reality for Long Island hospitals caught in the grip of the coronavirus crisis, with the number of patients needing intensive care outpacing the supply of devices.&nbsp; 
Dr. Art Fougner, president of the Medical Society of the State of New York, informed the group’s members on Thursday: “Based on information from Gov. Cuomo’s press briefings, along with communications from our member physicians, hospitals in New York are getting to the point where ventilators as lifeboats are reaching capacity. At this point, the most difficult decisions facing physicians will have to be made.” 
In the worst-case scenarios, New York doctors in ICU units may have to resort to “triage” of desperately ill patients on ventilators — particularly those who don’t appear to be recovering after more than 10 days — and giving these breathing machines to incoming patients deemed to have a better chance of survival. 
<h2>New protocol for cardiac patients</h2> 
Patients in cardiac arrest&nbsp;who cannot be resuscitated at the scene should not be transported to hospitals, according to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-emts-cardiac-arrest-1.43606776">an advisory distributed to Nassau medical first responders</a>. The advisory&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Nassau Regional Emergency Medical&nbsp;Advisory Committee, which sets policies for&nbsp;emergency medical service units, came as Long Island hospitals struggle with an influx of critically ill coronavirus patients.&nbsp; 
Those pronounced dead at the scene will now be taken directly to a morgue or a funeral home, officials said. 
<h2>More&nbsp;public spaces off-limits</h2>

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Local government officials are growing increasingly frustrated with Long Islanders not adhering to social distancing guidelines, warning that <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/social-distancing-coronavirus-covid-19-1.43605938">they may resort to issuing&nbsp;summonses</a> and closing more parks and other public spaces&nbsp;to force compliance. 
Playgrounds, beaches and basketball courts in various local communities have been fenced off to keep the public away, and&nbsp;officials in one town&nbsp;said they recently had to break up a soccer game&nbsp;and tell the players to disperse. 
<h2>Virtual dating game</h2>

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Daters from Long Island are facing the same dilemma as others like them around the world:&nbsp;How to handle&nbsp;a romantic relationship during a coronavirus pandemic that can make holding hands&nbsp;with a date a health risk. 
But some Long Island dating operations are getting creative,&nbsp;turning in-person speed dating events into video-only experiences. For instance, Gail Adams, the founder of 7 in Heaven Singles, is gathering groups&nbsp;together for blind video&nbsp;dates including&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/dating-long-island-coronavirus-1.43598569">"Quarantine Dating Game”</a>&nbsp;played via the Zoom app. 
<h2>More to know</h2>

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Woodmere&nbsp;has among the most cases in Nassau, a&nbsp;distinction that has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/woodmere-jewish-community-coronavirus-1.43619564">transformed life </a>in the largely Jewish community, where&nbsp;families now hold virtual funerals&nbsp;and a kosher market takes the temperature of customers at the door, according to&nbsp;residents. 
Unemployment claims filed by Long Islanders <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/unemployment-claims-nassau-suffolk-1.43622581">surpassed 50,000</a> last week,&nbsp;according to Labor Department&nbsp;data released Friday. 
The state budget,&nbsp;filled with aspirational numbers,&nbsp;was <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/state-budget-legislature-1.43606400">approved&nbsp;by New York lawmakers</a>&nbsp;and hinges on getting more federal help to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and grants broad gubernatorial powers to make cuts if it doesn’t. 
Public schools across Long Island and the state have a chance of avoiding many of the teacher layoffs and other feared cuts&nbsp;with <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/school-aid-long-island-1.43621868">hopes of a billion dollars-plus in pandemic-relief payments</a> from Washington. 
James Taylor and His All-Star Band, with special guest Jackson Browne, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/james-taylor-jackson-browne-jones-beach-1.43620253">have postponed</a> their upcoming U.S. tour, which included a July 8 stop at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater. 
Long Island nonprofit organizations say the pandemic has produced a decline in donations&nbsp;and&nbsp;volunteers, or <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/nonprofits-donation-volunteer-drop-coronavirus-1.43610642">forced some to close</a>&nbsp;because of isolation requirements. 
Mike Francesa has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/media/mike-francesa-wfan-pay-cuts-1.43621260">agreed to a 20%&nbsp;pay cut</a> through July,&nbsp;joining WFAN’s other highest-paid hosts in seeking to help the station through the&nbsp;business downturn. 
Stocks fell again on Wall Street <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/stocks-wall-street-april-3-coronavirus-1.43620415">following the latest grim reading</a> on the toll that the coronavirus is having on jobs as the economy grinds to a halt. 
<h2>News for you</h2>

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Your updated guide to takeout. Whether you're craving barbecue, Italian or even a bargain, we've got you covered with<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/takeout-delivery-restaurants-long-island-1.43278611"> this interactive guide</a> to restaurants offering&nbsp;curbside pickup and delivery. (And don't forget <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/free-food-long-island-restaurants-coronavirus-1.43318269">these spots</a> offering free food for those in need during the pandemic.)&nbsp; 
Help with April bills.&nbsp;The coronavirus has dealt a financial blow to millions of Americans, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/coronavirus-financial-survival-guide-bills-1.43567478">help is available</a> if you're struggling to pay your&nbsp;mortgage, utilities and&nbsp;student loans, among other bills. 
Time for a furry companion. Many Long Islanders are discovering that now is the best time to adopt or foster a dog since they're spending much more of it either at home or going for solo walks around their neighborhood. Here are <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/pets/dogs-available-for-adoption-on-long-island-at-north-shore-animal-league-sweetest-dog-rescue-more-1.10010630">hundreds of local dogs </a>looking for homes.
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Need a laugh?&nbsp;Lucille Ball, Will Smith, Penny Marshall and Ray Romano are here to help you smile and maybe even temporarily put aside all this pandemic news. Here's <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/sitcoms-i-love-lucy-andy-griffith-1.43275940">where to watch&nbsp;112 great vintage sitcoms</a>&nbsp;from "The Honeymooners" and "Happy Days" to "Full House" and "Family Matters." Or if you'd prefer to a movie, check out these <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/comedy-movies-streaming-tommy-boy-1.43281355">12 goofy films</a> you can stream. 
Easter dinner to-go:&nbsp;Your family can have its honey-glazed ham or roasted leg of lamb for Easter&nbsp;without you having to cook yet another meal during this quarantine. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/takeout-easter-dinner-long-island-1.43604423">These Long Island spots </a>are offering complete holiday takeout meals with all the fixings, appetizers and desserts. 
Your questions answered. Are you safer outside? Can the wind blow the virus? Should I take ibuprofen or Tylenol if I suspect I have it? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-faq-facts-truth-guide-1.43322321">Get answers </a>to these and other commonly asked questions. 
Sanitizing your car.&nbsp;Since vehicle interiors are essentially small contained spaces, it is important to take <a href="https://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/cars-clean-coronavirus-1.43579582">these steps</a> to reduce the risk of contracting the virus while driving or riding inside. 
Plus:&nbsp;Whether you're looking to learn a new skill, start a garden&nbsp;or&nbsp;declutter your home, or simply need new ideas to keep your kids safe and distracted, check out our updated guide of <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/things-to-do-long-island-coronavirus-1.43157106">upbeat things to do without leaving your house.</a> 
For recipes and meal prep ideas from our "Quarantine Cook," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/newsdayfeedme/">follow&nbsp;Newsday's FeedMe Instagram page</a>. 
And get real-time updates about the coronavirus on Long Island&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650">newsmakers and reporters here</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;watch our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/thousands-unemployed-across-li-due-to-coronavirus-1.43597715">daily video wrap-up</a>. 
<h2>Commentary</h2>

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LI hospital beds.&nbsp;Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Long Island has about 7,250 hospital beds, according to a Newsday analysis of New York State Health Department data. After a mandate from Cuomo that all hospitals double their capacity, the number of available beds has increased rapidly. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/columnists/kai-teoh/beds-long-island-hospitals-coronavirus-covid-19-1.43280787">See the updated map</a> of available hospital beds on Long Island and learn more about what's being done to further increase capacity.

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LI nurses 'absolutely terrified'

<h2>'Where's your mask, buddy?'</h2>

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<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-long-island-new-york-1.43881131">The order to wear mouth and nose coverings</a> whenever people are "in a situation where they are not maintaining social distancing”&nbsp;of six feet will go&nbsp;into effect in three days, Cuomo said. 
He cited&nbsp;public transit&nbsp;as examples where one would be needed, or when a person expects they will “pass other people on the sidewalk" or on a trail. 
Initially, its enforcement&nbsp;will not involve fines, though they could be imposed later if compliance becomes a problem. 
And, he said, New Yorkers can help enforce the rule&nbsp;by simply asking others who are in public places: "Where's your mask, buddy?&nbsp;— in a nice New York way." 
Workers at grocery stores&nbsp;and other essential businesses across the state must wear masks — and their employers must provide them — <a href="http://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/new-york-essential-workers-masks-1.43869537">starting Wednesday night</a>. 
<h2>LI hospital sends home 1,000th survivor</h2>

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Juan Sanchez said he never wavered from this belief: that he would leave Long Island Jewish Medical Center as a winner in his weekslong battle against COVID-19. 
When Sanchez, 66, of Floral Park, was discharged Tuesday, he was celebrated as the <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/1-000th-patient-released-1.43885614">1,000th patient to be released</a> from the medical center, which is part of Northwell Health and located&nbsp;on the border of Queens and Nassau. 
The hospital&nbsp;has had hundreds of daily COVID-19 patients, said executive director Michael Goldberg. 
"COVID has transformed this hospital over the last 37 or 38 days," he said. "A vast majority of patients do well, so we created Team Home, where when a patient leaves and gives permission, we gather in the lobby and clap them out ..." 
The hospital also plays the Beatles song&nbsp;"Here Comes the Sun" whenever a patient comes off a ventilator. 
COVID-19 hospital patients on Long Island have reached a plateau, and statistics show that social distancing is driving fewer increases in hospitalizations and intubations, a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-virus-hospitalization-1.43886313">Newsday analysis shows</a>.
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The above chart shows total hospitalized cases&nbsp;in New York State&nbsp;in recent days.&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See the breakdown for Nassau and Suffolk along with more charts and maps</a>&nbsp;tracking testing, deaths, cases by community and other stats for Long Island.&nbsp; 
The numbers as of 3:30 p.m.: 26,715 confirmed cases in Nassau, 23,278 in Suffolk, 118,302&nbsp;in New York City and&nbsp;213,779 statewide. 
<h2>Hockey coach&nbsp;was&nbsp;'second dad' to players</h2>

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Christopher D. Loche was a jokester&nbsp;—&nbsp;except for when&nbsp;it came to coaching his youth hockey team, the Sharks. 
“He knew what it took to be the best,” said his son and former player, Ryan Loche, 20, who lived with his father in Amityville. “He pushed every one of us to be better.” 
Ryan Loche said <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/obituaries/christopher-loche-obituary-1.43863057">his father died of the coronavirus</a>,&nbsp;just one day shy of his 50th birthday.&nbsp; 
Read more stories of Long Islanders lost to COVID-19 <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/obituaries">here</a>.&nbsp;And if you've lost a loved one to the virus, <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScG8WgqVuyg4oou16C1BdgH8CU0oetm1E4RlOSorWHvQtfRuA/viewform">help us memorialize them</a>. 
<h2>Changes in cancer care</h2> 
The fear of contracting COVID-19 has kept Thom LaBruzzo&nbsp;from leaving his house unless it's to receive chemotherapy at the&nbsp;Perlmutter Cancer Center location in Huntington.&nbsp; 
"At this point, I don't go anywhere, and it's put a damper on life," said LaBruzzo, of East Northport, whose treatment for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma includes four straight days of chemotherapy followed by 28 days of rest. "It's definitely a scary situation." 
Long Island cancer center doctors said they're <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/cancer-patients-coronavirus-1.43864183">adjusting&nbsp;treatments </a>in an attempt to&nbsp;limit patient&nbsp;exposure to COVID-19.&nbsp; 
<h2>Helping restaurants and health care workers</h2>

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The Riverhead Business Improvement District has launched a fundraising effort to simultaneously help local businesses struggling to stay afloat amid&nbsp;the&nbsp;outbreak and feed&nbsp;exhausted hospital workers too tired to cook. 
The <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-fundraiser-restaurants-hospital-workers-raffle-1.43871111">“Double Donation” Community Kitchen Program </a>— which has raised more than $15,000&nbsp;— works by making public donations to fund the meal program. With every $5,000&nbsp;raised, the agency will purchase 100 gift cards worth $50&nbsp;each from participating downtown restaurants, which Peconic Bay Medical Center will distribute&nbsp;through a raffle. 
The gift cards allow all essential staff at the hospital to get takeout meals from restaurants to feed their families. 
<h2>More to know</h2>

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Long Islanders&nbsp;recovering from COVID-19 can sign up this week <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/plasma-anitbodies-clinical-trials-coronavirus-1.43822471">to donate their plasma</a> for two local clinical trials that could help patients still struggling with the virus. 
A lawsuit&nbsp;to free about 120 inmates filed by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County&nbsp;over <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/suffolk-jail-coronavirus-lawsuit-1.43882385">concerns about the possible spread of the virus</a> was unsuccessful,&nbsp;the county's sheriff&nbsp;said. 
Long Island home sales plummeted in March as the pandemic made it difficult or impossible to close deals, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/home-sales-nassau-suffolk-1.43884582">a new report shows</a>. 
Pro sports returning this year&nbsp;is possible, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's&nbsp;leading infectious disease expert, under <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/anthony-fauci-sports-returns-2020-1.43883649">very specific circumstances</a>.&nbsp; 
Actress&nbsp;Rita Wilson opened up about her and&nbsp;husband Tom Hanks' <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/rita-wilson-coronavirus-recovery-1.43860479">bout with&nbsp;COVID-19</a>, including&nbsp;how&nbsp;the&nbsp;couple had been treated with the antimalarial drug chloroquine. 
U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/consumer-spending-march-2020-coronavirus-1.43881707">an unprecedented decline</a>, as the viral outbreak forces an almost complete lockdown of commerce nationwide. 
<h2>News for you</h2>

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DIY haircuts. If you've tried to cut your own hair — our your kids' — and it didn't go so well, take comfort that you're not alone. These&nbsp;Long Islanders tried salon treatments,&nbsp;without professionals, with varying levels of success.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/fashion-and-shopping/haircut-dye-at-home-1.43885301">See the results</a>. 
Vote by absentee ballot.&nbsp;New Yorkers looking to use absentee ballots to vote in the June primary, rather than going to polling places, need only fill out&nbsp;an application for a mail-in ballot, according to the state Board of Elections. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/absentee-ballot-coronavirus-primary-1.43863188">Here's how to get yours.</a> 
Who needs a beer?&nbsp;Most Long Island breweries are still producing beer for to-go sales and curbside pickup, but <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/food-and-drink/beer-delivery-long-island-1.43860107">these nine</a>&nbsp;will drive their IPAs, stouts and sours right to your doorstep. 
Get a refund for that flight.&nbsp;An increasing number of Americans are being denied their rights to airfare refunds. Follow <a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/refund-canceled-flight-coronavirus-1.43776715">these tips from experts</a>&nbsp;if you're struggling to get your money back from a canceled flight. 
Loved ones in nursing homes. If you've been questioning whether it's safe to keep your family member in an assisted living or care facility, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-new-york-nursing-homes-1.43867894">get advice and answers here</a>. 
Date night looks different.&nbsp;Just because we're&nbsp;living in a stay-at-home era&nbsp;doesn’t mean date night has to be canceled. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/date-night-long-island-1.43840567">Get ideas for keeping the spark alive from these local couples</a>.
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Plus: We've&nbsp;compiled <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-how-to-get-help-1.43867925">this list</a> of telephone numbers, websites and other resources to help you navigate life during coronavirus. 
Whether you're looking for a virtual workout class, activities to keep the kids busy or our guide to takeout food, you can find ideas for making the most of your time at home <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/things-to-do-long-island-coronavirus-1.43157106">here</a>.&nbsp; 
Visit our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650">live blog</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;real-time updates about&nbsp;the virus' impact on&nbsp;the Island&nbsp;and&nbsp;watch the latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/cuomo-bellone-curran-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-1.43856447">daily wrap-up video.</a> 
<h2>Commentary</h2> 
Some NY residents, fellows want hazard pay.&nbsp;Some hospital residents and fellows, many of whom have worked virtually nonstop during the COVID-19 response and who earn&nbsp;less than more-experienced staff, are becoming frustrated, Mark Chiusano <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/columnists/mark-chiusano/coronavirus-covid-19-hazard-pay-essential-workers-hospitals-new-york-1.43875887">writes in his latest Newsday Opinion column.</a> 
A petition for hazard pay as well as life and disability insurance at NYU Langone underscores both the many fears of medical staff caring for patients at the epicenter of a pandemic&nbsp;and the array of challenges&nbsp;facing hospitals in delivering such care. 
The staff emphasizes that they are honored to care for the patients and undertake more clinical responsibilities, but the petition is&nbsp;a plea for more support.&nbsp;“As doctors, we are committed to serving our patients,”&nbsp;says the petition, a copy of which Newsday obtained Tuesday. “However, during this unprecedented time, we now find ourselves and our families at risk in ways we never imagined.”

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All NYers must wear face covering in public

<h2>Another month of staying home</h2>

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<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-long-island-new-york-1.43903108">The governor said he made the decision</a>&nbsp;to extend the shutdown&nbsp;in coordination with governors from neighboring states so they have a unified approach to reopening their economies, schools and societies in general. 
The shutdown, which also ordered residents to stay at home as much as possible, initially was set to expire April 29. 
Cuomo said he did not know what will happen after May 15. “I don’t want to project beyond that period. One month is a long time." 
New York will continue to work with other state governments to gradually bring the economy back to a "new normal," he said. 
What's needed, he emphasized, is&nbsp;“testing and tracing, testing&nbsp;and tracing, testing and tracing” of coronavirus infections.
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The above chart shows the total tests conducted on Long Island in recent days.&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/tracking-the-coronavirus-on-long-island/">See more charts and maps</a>&nbsp;tracking hospitalizations,&nbsp;deaths, cases by community and other stats for Nassau and Suffok.&nbsp; 
The numbers as of 3:30 p.m.: 27,772 confirmed cases in Nassau, 24,182 in Suffolk, 123,146 in New York City and&nbsp;222,284 statewide. 
<h2>A parade of thanks on the front lines</h2>

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Food donations, cards, gifts&nbsp;and flower arrangements&nbsp;stream&nbsp;through hospitals&nbsp;across Long Island while parades of cars roll past with well-wishers holding&nbsp;homemade signs with encouraging messages.&nbsp; 
That's&nbsp;how&nbsp;communities have been <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/long-island-health-care-workers-1.43872988">thanking health care workers on the front lines</a>&nbsp;at a time when social distancing means no&nbsp;hand shaking&nbsp;or hugging. 
“It’s stretching our staff thin, way beyond anything they’ve seen before in their medical careers,” said Joe Calderone, spokesman for Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, of the pandemic. “When they see a caravan out front — and they’re able to take five minutes to go out and wave —&nbsp;it gives them the strength to go back in and keep at it.” 
<h2>'Overwhelmingly hectic' at&nbsp;cemetery</h2>

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At Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale, the number of <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/greenfield-cemetery-hempstead-coronavirus-1.43890376">burials over&nbsp;the past month has been staggering</a>. 
Hempstead Town workers have seen nearly double&nbsp;the number&nbsp;of interments&nbsp;compared with the same time&nbsp;last year. Up to 15 burials&nbsp;a day are scheduled as the COVID-19 crisis strains the only town-operated cemetery for Hempstead&nbsp;residents. 
“It’s overwhelmingly hectic,” said Patricia Lima, the cemetery’s acting director. “We are keeping up. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to watch the families. I grieve for them.” 
<h2>Nurses still lacking protective equipment</h2> 
Nurses at some Catholic Health Services hospitals on Long Island are <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-hospital-gown-1.43891679">still reporting substandard protective equipment conditions</a>, union representatives say, even as other facilities cite&nbsp;improvements in mask and gown supplies. 
The New York State Nurses Association&nbsp;criticized St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. The union said nurses at both places are put at increased risk of infection by&nbsp;having to extend use of their N95 respiratory masks for up to a week and — unlike at other hospitals — by wearing the same isolation gown&nbsp;for entire shifts. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/hospital-covid-19-nurses-1.43778185">Newsday reported last week</a> that nearly 1,200 hospital employees across&nbsp;Nassau and Suffolk counties had tested positive for coronavirus, with nurses blaming shortages of personal protective equipment, or PPE. 
<h2>11 days later, survivor holds her newborn for first time</h2>

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After&nbsp;spending 11 days on a ventilator, Yanira Soriano&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/baby-south-side-hospital-coronavirus-1.43893411">got to hold&nbsp;her newborn son for&nbsp;the first time</a> on Wednesday, a hospital official said. 
Soriano, 36, of Bay Shore, was admitted on April 2 to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore with pneumonia from COVID-19, said Alexandra Zendrian, a hospital spokeswoman. The next day, an emergency C-section was performed on Soriano, who was 34 weeks pregnant, Zendrian said. 
Video provided by Southside shows medical staff clapping and cheering loudly for Soriano as she is pushed in a wheelchair out of the hospital and the baby’s father, Walter Soriano, hands her their 12-day-old son. 
<h2>On LI farms, immigrant workers toil and&nbsp;worry</h2>

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Juan Antonio, a farmworker from Southold, took two weeks off from his job at a Riverhead nursery following the outbreak because of the risk the virus poses for someone his age. 
He returned last week wearing&nbsp;a mask issued by his employer. 
“The fear is always there,” Antonio, 68, a native of El Salvador, said in Spanish. “But if I don’t work, I won’t be able to keep up [with bills].” 
Farms are considered essential parts of the food supply chain, along with their employees. But immigrant&nbsp;rights advocates&nbsp;said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/farm-workers-covid-19-vineyards-virus-migrants-masks-social-distance-1.43889948">not all farms are offering protection for workers</a>, who often are Latino immigrants, as they face a choice between possible exposure or not having income to support their families. 
<h2>More to know</h2>

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South Country Ambulance Co., which serves 45,000 residents in south-central Suffolk County, received masks and medical gowns&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-ppe-montana-1.43884611">from a collection of Montana seamstresses</a>.&nbsp; 
Former State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who had been fighting to get released from federal prison because of his fear of coming down with the virus is getting his wish — <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/dean-skelos-release-prison-coronavirus-1.43893881">because he has contracted it</a>, court papers say. 
Long Island homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages say they've&nbsp;asked lenders about federal and state mortgage reprieve programs, only to learn <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/coronavirus/mortgage-relief-forbearance-default-1.43904313">any missed payments would be due all at once in a few months</a>. 
There's no spring break this week for Long Island students, who continue to pick&nbsp;up homework assignments from the internet as they have for the past month, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/spring-break-k-12-1.43886099">due to school closings, under orders&nbsp;from Albany</a>. 
More than 1 million New Yorkers have filed jobless claims in the past four weeks, with nearly <a href="https://www.newsday.com/business/new-yorkers-jobless-claims-1.43904932">400,000 new claims filed in the last week</a> alone, according to new U.S. Department of Labor figures. 
The College Board plans to expand opportunities <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/sat-coronavirus-college-board-1.43885804">for high school students to take the SAT</a>, including offering the college entrance exam once a month beginning in August if public health allows, officials said. 
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who late last month revealed he had tested positive for the coronavirus, said <a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/chris-cuomo-wife-coronavirus-1.43903155">his wife, Cristina, has also been infected</a>. 
<h2>News for you</h2>

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Socially distant block parties. Looking for a fun yet safe way to connect with your neighbors?&nbsp;This&nbsp;Massapequa Park teen <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/coronavirus/acts-of-kindness/dj-set-outdoor-social-distance-1.43889534">hosts DJ sets for his block from his driveway</a>&nbsp;every Friday.&nbsp; 
Movies for Gen X:&nbsp;Skullcaps and goatees and ironic detachment — if these are a few of your favorite things, chances are you’re a card-carrying member of Generation X.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/generation-x-1990s-movies-1.43885429">This list of movies</a> to watch while you're stuck at home was written just for you. 
Helping Long Island businesses. Join us&nbsp;Friday at 10 a.m. for <a href="https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2029752747185213965">Newsday's latest free webinar</a> in partnership with the Long Island Association to help the local business community survive during the crisis. 
Juggling work and school. How's your "new normal" going?&nbsp;We checked in with three local families.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/home-school-long-island-1.43481062" target="_blank">See&nbsp;what their coping techniques are</a>&nbsp;and whether being homebound 24/7 is as horrible as they may have&nbsp;imagined. 
Dirty Taco&nbsp;returns. The&nbsp;Rockville Centre restaurant&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/dirty-taco-tequila-rockville-centre-wantagh-1.43891073">will reopen for takeout and delivery starting Friday</a> after&nbsp;closing last month,&nbsp;citing an overloaded phone order system and overflow crowds that violated social distancing mandates. 
Crafting night at home. Yaymaker Long Island, the painting and crafting events company that usually hosts in-person get-togethers at restaurants and bars, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/yaymaker-virtual-classes-1.43741121">is now hosting them virtually</a>. The project materials are substituted with items most people already have around the house. 
Gardening during a pandemic.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/columnists/jessica-damiano/gardening-coronavirus-victory-garden-1.43837736">Tips for growing&nbsp;a perfect "victory garden"</a>: You'll need sunlight, water, seeds or starter plants&nbsp;and fertile, well-draining soil combined with a can-do attitude. 
Plus:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/newsday-live">Watch the replay of our previous free webinars</a> that have covered your questions on coronavirus, applying for small business aid and how to care for your mental health.&nbsp; 
Don't feel like cooking tonight?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/uber-eats-grubhub-food-alcohol-delivery-apps-1.43724580">Here's a list of&nbsp;apps</a> that offer contactless deliveries from local restaurants.&nbsp;Some are waiving delivery fees or are hiring more workers to keep up with demand. 
Visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus-live-updates-long-island-1.43149650">live blog</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;real-time updates about&nbsp;the virus' impact on&nbsp;the Island&nbsp;and&nbsp;watch the latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-cuomo-curran-bellone-covid-19-1.43880466">daily wrap-up video</a>. 
<h2>Commentary</h2>

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Hempstead in the crosshairs again 
Today, across the United States and around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has caused us to adopt what is often referred to as a war footing, mobilizing resources and making sacrifices, writes Lane Filler <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/columnists/lane-filler/lane-filler-hempstead-coronavirus-covid-19-flu-1918-1.43890215">in his latest Newsday Opinion column</a>. 
But in the fall of 1918, when the “Spanish” Flu was taking hold on Long Island, the nation was already on a war footing. Battles raged across Europe, and the U.S. military grew from 378,000 soldiers in April 1918 to 4.7 million by the November Armistice. The massing of troops in tents, barracks, ships, foxholes and hospitals intensified an influenza virus, H1N1, that killed between 50 million and 100 million people worldwide, including an estimated 700,000 in the United States. 
And according to Hempstead Village historian Reine Bethany, it was the nation’s military mobilization, and in particular the massive Camp Mills, located on the Hempstead Plains and hosting as many as 30,000 soldiers, that made her community a center of that pandemic. 
Just as it is today.

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