Lorraine L. Bittner of Oakview Highway in East Hampton died on March 10 at her daughter’s house in Wake Forest, N.C., where she had been receiving hospice care. She was 83.

Michael Loos Jr. of Sag Harbor, who had been a goat farmer prior to working in construction on the East End, died on March 1 of respiratory complications from acute myeloid leukemia at Stony Brook University Hospital. He was 54 and had been ill for several years. 

In photographs, how businesses and residents reacted as coronavirus precautions began to take hold.

New York's cases neared 1,400 by Tuesday morning, with 97 in Suffolk County, including 2 in Southampton Town, 2 in East Hampton Town, and 28 in Southold, the county executive reported.

With the schools closed, many parents have begun navigating the world of homeschooling for the first time, and school districts have begun serving meals to students who take part in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. 

Sag Harbor Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said in a teleconference today that the Suffolk County Department of Health Services is planning a drive-in facility to test for the coronavirus in the county.

Many of East Hampton Town government's departments will reduce staffing to approximately 50 percent starting on Wednesday, but essential departments including the police, highway, buildings and grounds, and sanitation will continue to operate.

The airport itself has not closed and flights can still come in and out.

Restaurants were ordered to shut down their dining rooms, but many had already hastened to transition to takeout and delivery services in order to comply with social distancing recommendations. Here's a list.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc will offer an update on the COVID-19 situation at the town board work session on Tuesday at 10 a.m. The meeting will be broadcast live on LTV, but will be closed to public attendance.

Courthouses throughout Suffolk County, including East Hampton Town and Sag Harbor Village Justice Courts, are closing amid the spread of COVID-19, but the case against Patchita Tennant, a former East Hampton CVS manager accused of trying to murder her boyfriend, will press on.

The Suffolk County Health Department confirmed that a 70-year-old East Hampton Village man had tested positive for COVID-19 and is now under quarantine, Mayor Richard Lawler announced.

The LTV Media Center in Wainscott on Monday announced it has created a new live news broadcast, "Facts at Five," to air on Channel 20 in East Hampton Town and stream online each day, starting today.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Monday morning that the governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have jointly agreed to close gyms, movie theaters, and casinos across the region, and restrict restaurants and bars to takeout and delivery service effective Monday at 8 p.m.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Sunday afternoon announced in a local emergency order that schools across the county will close for two weeks beginning Monday, March 16.

In the interest of keeping our readers and our community informed about health-related matters, this week The East Hampton Star removed the paywall for all of its virus-related coverage, meaning that you can read these stories for free whether you are a subscriber or not.

Update: There remains one confirmed case of COVID-19 in East Hampton Town, County Executive Steve Bellone said Saturday during a press conference at about noon, as the number of cases in Suffolk rose to 37.

Andrew Mitchell took the stand Friday morning, giving the jury its first glimpse into what happened on the evening of Sept. 5, 2019, when his longtime girlfriend, Patchita Tennant, shot him three times. 

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town of East Hampton on Friday declared a state of emergency, canceled most meetings, and announced initiatives to allow essential government functions to continue while minimizing face-to-face contact and residents’ need to visit Town Hall and other town facilities. 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo waived a key public education mandate on Friday afternoon, saying during a press conference that districts could choose to close if they wished and they would not be penalized for holding fewer than 180 school days.