Coronavirus: LI Man Arrested For Not Social Distancing, PD Says

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — A man was arrested Sunday afternoon after Suffolk police were called to Main Street in Port Jefferson for a report of a large group of people not practicing social distancing, officials said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered New Yorkers to wear face masks when unable to stay 6 feet or more from one another, a policy that went into effect Friday night and includes civil penalties for violators.

Suffolk police arrived on Main Street at 1:30 p.m., and one man, they said, "refused a request to social distance or put a mask on." The man was handcuffed, placed in a police cruiser and taken to the Sixth Precinct. He was released with a civil summons returnable to the Village of Port Jefferson.

A witness posted video, saying the man and his wife were walking their dog, "not near anyone." She wrote others were not wearing masks but social distancing while getting fresh air.