Coronavirus

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.

The number of people receiving hospital care for Covid-19 in Suffolk County fell to 90 on Sunday, marking the first period since March 22 that there have been fewer than 100 hospitalizations.

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.

After a period in which no new Covid-19 cases were seen in East Hampton Town, county figures released on Friday showed an uptick of seven.

County Executive Steve Bellone said on Friday that he had signed executive orders to plan for a day of special observance for Juneteenth beginning next year and to extend the implicit bias training now being received in the police department to all county employees, and for it to be completed in one year.

The town board voted Thursday to spend up to $10,000 a month to retain a firm through November to help with communications related to health and safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic, including a redesign of the town's website.

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."

After getting permission for outdoor dining from state and local officials, East End restaurants are finding creative ways to make room for as many customers as possible this summer.

Southampton Town reopened its playgrounds and skate parks on Thursday after months of closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The reopening was made possible after an adjustment to the state's phase two guidelines.

The town will follow the Center for Disease Control's safety protocols and visitors must wear face coverings and adhere to the six-feet social distance requirements.  

Local officials appeared perplexed this week by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's concerns that public safety requirements were not being enforced on the South Fork.

As school ends, it's uncertain whether many camps here will open at all and what they will look like even if they do. Camp directors are looking to remake the experience while retaining what makes it special.

When Long Island enters phase three of reopening, which is expected on Wednesday, East End spas will be back in business, and they’re prepared to offer treatments ranging from massages to colonics with new protocols designed to give clients peace of mind.