Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone officially declared a state of emergency this afternoon. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is rising, with 16 confirmed by Bellone. That number was later increased to 20 by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
At the state level, Cuomo also declared a state of emergency. There are 328 confirmed cases in New York, with more than 1,300 nationwide.
The 10 new Suffolk County cases that Bellone identified today are as follows: six people from the Town of Southold, and one each from Brookhaven, Islip, Huntington and Smithtown. All cases are believed to be the result of community transmission.
“As we expected, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 is continuing to rise on Long Island and here in Suffolk County,” Bellone said. “Essentially double the number that we had as of yesterday.”
In all 49 individuals are under mandatory quarantine in Suffolk County, Bellone said. Another 76 individuals are under cautionary quarantine. The latter are cases who are asymptomatic and are under watch because they recently returned from travel abroad.
Times-Review closes Mattituck office
Among the latest cases is a part-time employee of the Times-Review Media Group, which publishes The Shelter Island Reporter. The company said it closed its Mattituck office to the public and asked employees to work from home until further notice.
“The good news is our colleague is feeling significantly better and is well on their way to making a full recovery,” the company said in a statement. The person had no contact with the public in their role on the Times-Review staff.
State of emergency
Bellone said the emergency declaration enables the county to “respond more nimbly” to the evolving situation, to access funding for additional supplies and to “move employees to where they need to be to address the crisis.”
County Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott also recommended cancelling parades for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Bellone said that all organizers agreed to postpone their events to help mitigate the outbreak.
Dr. Pigott also recommended that older adults practice social distancing.
“As virus continues to spread, very importantly, we need to remind the public that we’re going to get through this. We’re going to get over this. We will ultimately come out in a good way and that will be done with their help and their cooperation,” Bellone said.