19 Coronavirus Cases In 'Epicenter' Southold; Mobile Testing Soon

GREENPORT, NY — The number of coronavirus cases in Southold Town increased to 19 Sunday, with one case reported in the Greenport school district, officials said.

Elected officials including Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, Greenport Village Mayor George Hubbard, Suffolk County Legislators Bridget Fleming and Al Krupski, and Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley gathered in Mitchell Park in Greenport Sunday to give a briefing on coronavirus on the North Fork.

As of Sunday, Fleming said there were 48 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Suffolk County, with 19 confirmed in Southold Town. "Coronavirus is in the community," she said, adding that the goal was to avoid spread and residents should practice social distancing, limit contact, take care of their own heath and wash hands frequently.

Also on Sunday, Hubbard confirmed that 14 of those cases were in Greenport proper, including not just the village and but other parts of Greenport outside the village. Greenport Superintendent of Schools David Gamberg also announced Sunday that one person in the Greenport school district had tested positive for coronavirus, following news Saturday that one individual in the Southold school district was also positive.

Hubbard said the goal was to relay information, "to try to keep everyone safe and to try to calm some people's fears."

Fleming said all levels of government wanted to come together to assure the public that "everything is being done to protect your health and safety. We are responding to some alarm in the community that government wasn't giving enough complete information with regard to folks who have been confirmed as having coronavirus."

"Coronavirus is in the community"

All levels of government work together daily, with multiple phone calls, she said, but the public needs to realize that according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, patient privacy rules "are still very much in place, so we are legally obligated to limit information that would identify patients," she said.

Testing, Fleming said, has been very limited. "We are ramping up testing and so we expect we are going to see that there are more confirmed cases."

Mobile testing

Fleming said she had spoken with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Sunday, who said work is ongoing to get mobile testing throughout New York State, with at least two units in Suffolk County.

"He recognized that the incidences here in Southold Town would warrant a mobile site further east than normally you might see, to serve the eastern part of the county," Fleming said.

Russell reminded that not everyone is a candidate for testing and individuals who think they may have been exposed or have symptoms should call 311 or go to the town's website and click on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, link for details.

An increase in confirmed cases, Russell said, is not only due to community spread but because "testing has become much more efficient and done in an orderly fashion."

Fleming said currently, only Northwell Health is testing locally, with 200 tests per day, but the goal is to not only expand their capabilities but engage two other labs. "The numbers will go up but that doesn't mean the crisis is getting worse — it means our testing is getting better," she said. "We are pushing hard because we started out behind the eight ball on the testing."

Krupski said many individuals feel frustration because they are unclear on the guidelines for testing and about what to expect, but as information becomes available, those frustrations will dissipate. He added that the coordinated county effort is "significant and meaningful."

He added that people can look to the county for information on what to do if they feel unwell or know someone who is ill. "We don't want you to panic, we want you to handle things responsibly," he said.

For those on the North Fork practicing social distancing, he suggested enjoying the beach and preserved lands.

"Together, we'll get through this," Krupski said.

Possible containment?

When asked about possible containment in the Greenport or Southold areas, Fleming said it hadn't been discussed yet but said the situation was "fluid" and evolving daily.

Information updates

Russell said people need to understand that there is an "integrated and coordinated effort" among several agencies and that all are trying to provide the public with timely information, but "we have confidentiality issues. We know the public is alarmed. It's a very difficult thing to ask but we are asking for calm. We're going to get through this as a community."

When he closed town offices and declared a state of emergency this week, Russell said he didn't do so "because of a specific circumstance or because of a threat to the public health. I closed them so there won't be a threat to public health."

North Fork is the "epicenter of the coronavirus," in county, supervisor says

Town officials and staff can still be reached by phone or email, he said. "The staff in town government hasn't abandoned you," he said.

Bellone, Russell said, called him Sunday. "He wanted to make sure we had the resources to combat what has essentially become the epicenter of the coronavirus. We're working really hard on everyone's behalf. There's been excellent communication all around."

Flatley agreed. "There's a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes," he said. Flatley added there was an effort to protect police, town staff, and first responders. "The worst thing right now would be to have them come down with this," he said.

When asked about hospitals, Krupski said all were embracing protocols; Fleming said now that emergency declarations have been made on federal, state and county levels it will help to direct funds to hospitals, assisting in areas such as triage, so that people with symptoms won't have to go directly into the emergency room or mingle with the hospitals' general population. Stony Brook Southampton, as well as Eastern Long Island Hospital and Peconic Bay Medical Center, are all ready to accept patients from throughout the region.

Impact on businesses

Hubbard said 70 percent of Greenport restaurants remained open, with many offering curbside service or delivery and some cutting their number of chairs and tables to limit contact.

"The businesses out here know the severity, they know the risk, and they are doing everything they can to minimize that. They are as concerned with protecting the public as we are. But we wouldn't advocate that anyone stop going to local businesses. They need our help and support now probably more than ever," Russell said.

The supervisor added that although the town's human resources center has temporarily suspended its senior meal program indoors, curbside pickup and meals to the homebound are still available.

Greenport schools identify one confirmed case of coronavirus

Another case of coronavirus was identified within the Greenport Union Free School District, officials announced Sunday.

"The district received notice from the Health Department this afternoon that there is one confirmed case of COVID-19 from our school community," Gamberg wrote on the district's website Sunday. "Please understand that there are privacy issues, and I have reached out to the Suffolk County executive, who has agreed to provide a uniform way to communicate this information in an appropriate manner for all school districts in the county, and not just Greenport. It is very likely that the number of confirmed cases will increase both inside and outside of the school community due to an increase in testing," Gamberg said. "The Suffolk County Department of Health will contact individuals who are considered to have been in 'close contact' with a confirmed case."

Gamberg also urged social distancing and the reduction in frequency of large gatherings.

As of Sunday, all school districts across Long Island were ordered closed for two weeks.