Nassau County set to reopen economy, as Queens remains on lockdown
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that Long Island remains on pace to reopen sections of the economy today. Photo via Governor’s Office/Flickr
By David Brand
While Queens businesses remain under an indefinite shutdown order imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, communities just over the border in Nassau County will begin to gradually reopen for business starting today.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Nassau and Suffolk Counties continue to decrease, prompting Cuomo to allow Long Island communities to enter “Phase I” of the state’s reopening plan. The first phase allows for the resumption of construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply; retail for curbside pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing.
Nevertheless, Cuomo cautioned Tuesday, residents “have to stay disciplined and focused.”
Cuomo, who has faced criticism for acting too slowly to address the COVID-19 pandemic, also dismissed the role of government in fighting the spread of the illness from here on out.
“Forget government. This whole trajectory is decided by people. It's personal behavior, that's all it is,” he said.
The move to reopen parts of the economy in Long Island leaves New York City as the last of the state’s 10 regions to remain under economic lockdown orders. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the city could begin to reopen portions of the economy in early June if new COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to decrease.
There were 106 new confirmed cases in New York City on Sunday, according to the most recent data from the city’s Department of Health. Nine people died of COVID-19 on Saturday, DOH reported.
New York City will not begin to reopen sectors of the economy until it reaches two benchmarks set by the city. First, the city must maintain 30 percent of its hospital beds open and employ 30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents.
Despite decreasing COVID-19 rates, communities in Queens remain particularly hard-hit. Three Queens zip codes rank among the top ten in the city in terms of new COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past seven days, according to information presented by Cuomo during a press briefing Tuesday.
Zip code 11691, which includes Far Rockaway, accounted for 95 new hospitalizations in the past week, the second-highest total in the city. Zip code 11368, which covers much of Corona, accounted for the third-most new hospitalization, at 86.
That zip code has led the city in total cases since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Residents of neighboring zip code 11373 accounted for the eighth-most hospitalizations over the past week, with 69.
Cuomo said the state will direct additional resources to these communities to fight the outbreak.
“We're going to attack the virus at its source,” he said.
