Suffolk Coronavirus: Bellone Wants Memorial Day Flags For Vets

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Coronavirus cannot steal the right to honor veterans with flags on Memorial Day.

So said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, who explained during his press briefing Saturday that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, out of an "abundance of caution," has decided that flag placement will not be allowed this year at national cemeteries, including Calverton National Cemetery.

"We cannot allow this virus to stop us from honoring those who have sacrificed for our country," Bellone said.

Friday, Bellone reminded, marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the day WWII was won. "What does it say about our generation if we are not able to figure out a way to safely place flags on the graves of our fallen heroes this Memorial Day?"

Bellone thanked Suffolk County Legislator Susan Berland for raising the issue earlier this week; he also thanked the thousands of volunteers who work tirelessly to place, and remove, the flags "every year — and who are ready to do it again this year."

Bellone said he has sent a letter to day to Randy C. Reeves, the undersecretary of Memorial Affairs, asking that "this blanket policy be lifted" nationwide and that determinations be made at the local level, ensuring that flag placement is done safely, with an eye toward social distancing and mask wearing.

"We can do this, and this can be done safely," Bellone said. "We must do this. This virus has taken a lot from us and we can't allow it to stop us from appropriately honoring America's heroes this Memorial Day weekend."

Number of patients in ICU beds declines

As of Saturday, a total of 41,353 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported countywide, Bellone said; the number indicates an increase of 870 cases. That number, he said, includes 4,798 who have tested positive for antibodies.

Although no data was available Saturday in regard to hospitalizations, on Friday, that number decreased by 16 to a total of 703; the number of patients in ICU beds also declined "significantly" by 43 Friday, from 301 to 258, Bellone said.

Hospital capacity stands at 2,964, with 900 beds available, or 70 percent; there are currently 619 ICU beds available countywide, with 181 available; that capacity is also at 70 percent, he said.

On Friday, 65 patients went home. And 29 new deaths were reported, bringing the total in Suffolk Count to 1,597, Bellone said.

The breakdown of confirmed coronavirus cases by town is as follows:

Islip: 11,617

Brookhaven: 8,844

Babylon: 6,607

Huntington: 4,878

Smithtown: 2,328

Southampton: 877

Riverhead: 604

Southold: 391

East Hampton: 260

Shelter Island: 7