'Public Needs Clear Guidance' On Coronavirus: Bellone

HAUPPAUGE, NY — As the third year of dealing with the coronavirus is here, there is a ray of hope. The omicron wave is receding, and hospitalizations and positivity ratings are on the downswing.

On Tuesday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said he is shifting his focus to a return to normalcy and is looking for clear guidance on how to make it happen.

"The biggest issue, the biggest challenge, that our school districts have, that parents have, is a lack of clarity. A lack of understanding," Bellone said. "We talk about the importance in following the science. In doing that, we need to be clear with people what the end is so that they have something that they can look to that can be a guide and can be a sign of hope for them."

Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced the state mask mandate would be extended until Feb. 10.

Since Jan. 3, the Suffolk coronavirus positivity rating has fallen from 28 to 8.3 percent. From Jan. 11, coronavirus hospitalizations have decreased from 1,041 to 521.

"As these numbers come down, it is very important that we have the conversation about what is needed, what are the metrics, that will allow us to transition back to a normal environment?" Bellone said. "In society, in public, in our schools. That conversation, as these numbers come down, as this wave recedes, is very important."

Over 93 percent of the Suffolk population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, 72 percent of residents are have gotten two doses, and more than 41 percent have gotten a booster shot, according to Bellone.

Therapeutics to fight COVID-19 are in place, and a large percentage of people, regardless of vaccination status, have been infected by the virus and have a level of protection from it, Bellone said.

"These are elements and parts of the equation that need to be factored in as we talk about how we transition back to a normal environment," he said.

The public needs clear guidance on the metrics needed to move from the pandemic stage of the coronavirus to the endemic one, Bellone said. The executive said he had hoped a year ago that a way to eradicate the coronavirus would have been found, and that it would have not been an issue any longer.

"I think it has become clear now, a year later, with the vaccines in place and everything we have experienced over the past year, that this virus is not going away," Bellone said. "It is something that ultimately will be here with us; that we have to live with and manage like we do with many other viruses. The question is, what are the metrics and what are the guidelines that we need to hit and need to achieve in order to transition to that place?"

Bellone said the county's health department is prepared to work with the state health department to find those answers.

The executive encouraged people to get vaccinated and take the booster. In February, people can make vaccine appointments at Hauppauge's H. Lee Dennison Building, as well as in Bay Shore-Brentwood, Mastic, Riverhead, and West Babylon. Those who would like to make an appointment can do so on the Suffolk County website or by calling 311. Walk-ins are taken.

Community-based testing is held on Mondays at Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays; Tuesdays at Heckscher Park in East Islip; and Fridays at Cathedral Pines County Park in Middle Island. Testing availability has also increased through home kits.

Bellone thanked residents, parents, children, and everyone else for their perseverance over the past couple of years.

"What they deserve and what they need now as we enter this third year is clear guidance and clear understanding of how and when we transition to a normal environment," he said.