In-Person Senior Services Suspended As Positivity Rate Explodes

EAST HAMPTON, NY — East Hampton Town has suspended in-person programs for seniors as the new surge in COVID-19 cases sweeps across Long Island.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said residents should exercise caution as the highly transmissible omicron variant leads to a spike in Suffolk County's positivity rate that stood at 13.7 percent as of Tuesday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. COVID-related hospitalizations in the county have doubled since the start of December, Bellone added.

Van Scoyoc said as of Tuesday, according to New York Times COVID tracking date, the daily cases in Suffolk County were higher than in New York City or across the state, at 109 per 100,00 people, representing an 85-percent increase over the last 14 days.

In East Hampton and Montauk, senior activities and classes such as meditation, yoga, and Bingo, and in-home services will continue for four weeks, through Jan. 14, when the town will reassess.

Meal services will shift to a “grab and go” system, with packaged meals available for pickup. The town will continue to take senior citizens to doctors’ appointments, officials said.

With Gov. Kathy Hochul urging vaccinations, boosters, and testing, the town has organized vaccination clinics held at East Hampton Town Hall, and for COVID tests to be offered locally by CareOne Concierge. The test site was moved from Town Hall this week to the East Hampton Town Center for Humanity at 110 Stephen Hand’s Path in Wainscott, due to volume.

The site has been reaching capacity, unable to take any more people into the line, on recent
afternoons, and results from the lab can be delayed.

Residents are asked to check the town's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as the town's website, for updates.

Upcoming vaccination clinics at Town Hall, offering first, second, and third doses/booster shots of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, will take place on Dec. 28 and Jan. 5, 10, 19, and 24, though there is limited remaining availability. Appointments can be made here.