There were no deaths during the previous 24 hours, but 69 people tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the infection rate up to 1.7 percent as Long Island entered phase four of its economic recovery.
"Dumb," "a slap in the face," and "unacceptable" are how Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone characterized reports of revelers flouting public health protocols over the Fourth of July weekend. Despite this, statistics on Covid-19 in the Suffolk are "great," he said.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and the national chairwoman of the Trump Victory Finance Committee, was spotted with the younger Mr. Trump at a cocktail party in Bridgehampton. She tested positive for the virus Friday night while in South Dakota for the president's appearance for Fourth of July festivities at Mount Rushmore.
The Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund reported $45.43 million in revenues through May of this year, the highest five-month total in the fund's 22-year history. The money comes from a 2-percent transfer tax on real estate sales and provides money for land preservation, water quality improvement, and the protection of maritime heritage.
The infection rate rose from .7 percent Monday to 1.4 percent on Tuesday, but the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 was consistent with numbers from the previous several days. For sports fans, there's sad news: Despite the county executive's efforts on its behalf, the Long Island Ducks professional baseball team has canceled its 2020 season.
Other statistics also "continue to look very good," said County Executive Steve Bellone, who reported that Suffolk had an infection rate of .7 percent. "Those are great numbers."
With only a small fraction of voters showing up in person at polling stations, Perry Gershon led the field among Democrats vying to take on Representative Lee Zeldin, but the 14,596 votes counted as of Tuesday night are dwarfed by the 150,000 absentee ballots mailed out by the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Nurses and other health care workers lobbying to receive crisis pay from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital picketed outside the two facilities on Wednesday to make the community aware of their efforts.
Even as the spread of Covid-19 appears increasingly under control in Suffolk, County Executive Steve Bellone said a deepening financial crisis has already led to budget cuts, salary freezes, and even a potential ballot referendum in November.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Thursday that he will sign an executive order allowing the State Liquor Authority to immediately suspend liquor licenses for bars or restaurants found to be violating the state's Covid-19 rules and regulations. A related executive order will make bars responsible for the sidewalk or "outside area immediately in front of their premises."
