Nassau Schools To Close Due To Queens Coronavirus Hot Spot

FIVE TOWNS, NY — Some Nassau communities on the Queens border are being caught in coronavirus hotspot shutdowns as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's new initiative. Schools in the area will go to remote learning and businesses will have restrictions placed on them again.

Cuomo announced the new rules earlier this week to combat the spread of the virus in hotspots around the state. Areas with hot spots are broken into red, orange and yellow areas radiating from the hotspot. Restrictions will be most severe in red zones and ease the further away you get from the epicenter.

One of these hot spots is situated in Far Rockaway in Queens, just over the border from Nassau. While there are no red zones in Nassau, the yellow and orange zones around Far Rockaway extend across the border into Nassau and affect communities in the Five Towns. Far Rockaway has a three-day positive rate of 3.7 percent, Cuomo said.

"There are currently no red zones in Nassau County," said County Executive Laura Curran. "We want to keep it that way, and we need all of you to help. We also know there are no walls separating us from our neighbors to the west or to the east."

The orange zone extends into Lawrence and Inwood. Schools in that area will have to move to remote learning. In addition, houses of worship are reduced to 33 percent capacity or 25 people maximum, gatherings are limited to 10 people, nonessential businesses will have to close again and restaurants will have to return to outdoor-only and to-go dining.

The Lawrence School District's kindergarten, elementary school and middle school are all in the orange zone and will have to go to remote learning.

In the yellow zone, which includes the rest of Lawrence and Inwood, and most of Cedarhurst, schools will remain open, but will have to perform weekly tests of students, teachers and staff. Houses of worship are capped at half capacity and gatherings are limited to 25 people. Non-essential businesses can remain open, but restaurants will have to limit seating to only four people at a table.

Curran said the county has until Friday to notify the businesses and schools in the areas of the changes.

Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, the head of the Nassau County department of health, stressed that these measure were not punitive, but were designed to keep people safe.

"A hotspot, if not contained, could spread out," he said. "So it's not a punishment. It's extra precautions to keep people healthy in that yellow zone."

Eisenstein said that the majority of cases the county has found in recent weeks have stemmed from large gatherings where people were not wearing masks or social distancing. He urged residents to continue to wear masks and keep their distance, even at outdoor events.

"We have made so much progress and been able to reopen our economy, our businesses, our houses of worship, our schools, while keeping the infection rate low and while continuing to lower the hospitalization rates," said Curran. "We cannot go backward. We cannot afford to have businesses, schools, religious institutions shut down again."