The South Fork is caught up in a rapidly accelerating public health emergency as the COVID-19 pandemic moved from dire warnings two weeks ago to declarations of states of emergency in all of the towns and villages on the North and South Forks this week.
As of yesterday, New York State was reporting that nearly 2,400 had tested positive for the virus, a jump of more than 1,000 from the day before. Two cases had been reported in East Hampton Town (one of them in East Hampton Village), three had been reported in Southampton, 33 in Southold, and none on Shelter Island. At the current trajectory, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said yesterday, the state could have 110,000 cases within 45 days, outpacing its current hospital bed count of 53,000 regular beds and 3,000 intensive care beds.
Government offices, schools, museums, and many businesses have been ordered to close.
East Hampton Town declared a state of emergency on Friday, authorizing Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, in conjunction with Bruce Bates, the town’s emergency preparedness coordinator, and Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo to “take whatever actions are deemed necessary to protect public health and safety,” according to a statement issued by the town on Friday afternoon.
Most of East Hampton government meetings have been canceled until further notice. Essential departments like police, highway, buildings and grounds, and sanitation continue to operate. A separate story on police and other emergency responders appears elsewhere in today’s paper.
At the town board’s abbreviated work session on Tuesday, Mr. Van Scoyoc announced a 50-percent reduction of personnel in many government departments starting yesterday, with some employees working from home if possible. The board’s meeting scheduled for this evening was canceled. Groups wishing to arrange meetings by teleconference have been asked to contact the supervisor’s office.
Any town government meetings that do take place will be broadcast live on LTV’s channel 22 and archived at ltveh.org.
With the exception of the Police Department and the recycling centers in East Hampton and Montauk, town-operated facilities were closed to the public as of Monday, and all programs were suspended. The town has prohibited people from gathering for group social or athletic activities at all of its parks and playing fields.
Town staff will report to work for essential tasks only and can continue to process applications for permits and the like, according to a statement on Friday, but residents have been asked to submit documents electronically. Residents with critical or time-sensitive business have been asked to call Town Hall at 631-324-4141 to make arrangements.
Councilwoman Sylvia Overby said on Tuesday that JoAnne Pahwul, the planning director, is contacting applicants to ensure they understand that their hearings are postponed until further notice.
Any expired permits are automatically extended, Mr. Van Scoyoc said on Tuesday. Owners of rental properties have been asked to notify the town as to rental registry updates by mail. “If you have critical business that you need to do with the town, contact the appropriate department,” he said. “If it’s deemed to be in fact critical, we’ll make arrangements to effectuate that business.”
The town’s senior citizens center closed on March 11, but individualized services are available to senior citizens. On Tuesday, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said that residents 60 and over can call the town’s Human Services Department at 631-329-6939 if they need help. “We’re picking up and dropping off medicine, food shopping for people in need, picking up bags of food from the food pantry and dropping off,” she said.
The town is also referring senior citizens to Meals on Wheels and the R.S.V.P. service, the latter a volunteer-led initiative to socialize with and inquire as to senior citizens’ well-being via telephone. Both services are fully staffed, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said.
The first case of COVID-19 infection in the town, according to a statement issued last Thursday, was a woman in her late 70s. She is under mandatory quarantine and being monitored by the Suffolk County Health Department. According to the town, she “has not had contact with town senior center, programs, or transportation services, and lives in private residence.”
East Hampton Village Mayor Richard Lawler announced a second confirmed case within the town on Monday, a 70-year-old village resident. He is under quarantine.
East Hampton Village offices and buildings, except the Police Department, are closed to the public. Village board meetings will take place as planned, but tomorrow’s will be closed to the public; it can be seen live via LTV or its website. Meetings of all appointed boards will be canceled for the remainder of the month.
Sag Harbor Village, which did not have a reported case of COVID-19 as of yesterday, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. All meetings other than village board meetings have been postponed until further notice, Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said, and the village’s departments are not accepting paperwork. Applications and other forms can be put in a drop box in the lobby of the municipal building but will be quarantined for four days before being handled.
In a message posted to the village’s Facebook page on Tuesday night, Police Chief Austin McGuire wrote that the Police Department would continue to operate around the clock.
Most Southampton Town buildings, administrative offices, and community centers were closed to the public as of Tuesday. Town employees there continue to work within the buildings on a limited basis, with some working from home. Board meetings, except for those of the town board, are canceled and public hearings postponed until further notice. Youth recreation and senior citizens activities are canceled. Food delivery continues for senior citizens participating in the town’s nutrition program.
Under New York State law, the chief executive of a county, city, town, or village may proclaim a local state of emergency that can remain in effect for up to 30 days. It can be extended for additional periods not to exceed 30 days. A state of emergency declaration allows a chief executive to request that the governor provide assistance, provided the chief executive determines that the disaster is beyond the capacity of the local government and that state assistance is necessary.
A state of emergency declaration gives the chief executive broad power to enact curfews, prohibit and control pedestrian and vehicle traffic and the presence of people on public streets and places, regulate and close places of amusement and assembly, and establish or designate emergency shelters, medical shelters, and community-based care centers.
With the closing of movie theaters and gyms, and with restaurants and bars restricted to takeout and delivery service, as jointly announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his counterparts in New Jersey and Connecticut on Monday, the South Fork has largely ground to a halt. On Tuesday, Mr. Van Scoyoc urged that only essential services and businesses remain open to the public, including grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, and medical facilities.
Grocery stores have been operating on reduced hours and offering special designated shopping times for senior citizens, who are among the most vulnerable to the virus.
“We have enough food and supplies to get us through this growing crisis,” Mr. Van Scoyoc said on Tuesday, “but we need to think not only of ourselves. It is time to think of other families, friends, and neighbors who might need supplies.” He encouraged people to purchase only what is needed. “Also, consider those . . . who will need extra assistance, those who live paycheck to paycheck but may now find themselves out of work.”
He repeated the protocols that experts say offer the best hope of “flattening the curve” ? a longer, slower progression of infections, rather than a sharp spike that would overwhelm hospitals and health care providers. They include frequent hand washing with soap and water, use of hand sanitizer, not touching one’s face, disinfecting frequently used surfaces like doorknobs and railings, covering one’s mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and immediately throwing it away, and maintaining a distance from others of at least six feet. “If we institute all these simple protocols, we will have an effect on the spread of this disease.”
“We’ve faced many storms in East Hampton over our history: blizzards, northeasters, hurricanes,” the supervisor said. “No storm has been as insidious as coronavirus, COVID-19. It is a serious disease, which threatens both young and old adults, wealthy and poor. This is a worldwide pandemic and has changed life as we know it. But unlike a hurricane, this storm surge can be flattened, its effects can be blunted. Again, I ask that everyone work together, be patient, be calm. We’ll get through this just fine if we follow these simple steps.”
With Reporting by Jamie Bufalino and Christine Sampson