Suffolk Coronavirus: As Beaches Open, What You Need To Know

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — With Gov. Andrew Cuomo announcing that all state beaches will reopenon Friday, May 22, just in time for Memorial Day weekend, County Executive Steve Bellone outlined new protocols for the two Suffolk beaches slated to open next week, too.

State and local beaches and lake shores will open the Friday before Memorial Day in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware, Cuomo announced Friday. The news comes as the state saw a slight uptick in the number of new COVID-19 cases.

Beaches will have to abide by several rules and regulations, he said, including remaining at no more than 50 percent capacity by controlling exits and entrances and limiting parking. Group contact activities remain banned, including sports and areas of gathering remain closed, such as picnic areas.

In Suffolk County, both Cupsogue Beach County Park in Westhampton Beach and Smith Point County Park are set to open next week.

Bellone said on Thursday, he submitted his plan for reopening the beaches to Cuomo's office; the plan was in line with the "broad based" guidelines put together by a summer planning working group put together by the county — and including town and village elected officials and other stakeholders — and headed up by Suffolk County Deputy Executive Peter Scully.

"I felt it was very important that we open our beaches on Memorial Day weekend," Bellone said. "It's unrealistic — and I felt very strongly about this — that families and kids who have been home for months, who will not be going to school in June, that we would keep them from going to the beach. It's far better for us to develop a plan with safety protocols in place that best protects public health while families enjoy the beach. We have to be able to provide things for kids and families to do in the summer."

Beaches, Bellone added, are part of the fabric of life on Long Island. "That's the reason we live here. We love our beaches. This virus has taken so much from us. We couldn't allow it to take the ability for us to go to the beach in the summer." Especially, he said, at a time when children don't have pools, movies, or amusement parks open.

What you need to know

Although the beaches will open, however, Bellone said Memorial Day weekend will "not be exactly the same as summers past."

Those going to the beach, he said, will not be playing contact sports; concession stands will be closed, he said.

Face coverings will be required while beach-goers are in public areas, such as on the boardwalk or near bathrooms, but not while sitting on towels when they are with their own families or groups or while in the water. Social distancing protocols must be followed, Bellone said.

Bathroom attendants will be onhand, cleaning the rest rooms on a continual basis; hand sanitizer will be available for individuals to use prior to entering the facilities, Bellone said.

Staffers at the beach will be wearing face coverings and having their temperatures taken regularly, Bellone said.

Lifeguards, he said, will be positioned one per stand and separated out to maintain the goal of social distancing, with additional lifeguards added to help reach those goals. New training is taking place on additional protocols, Bellone said.

When asked how lifeguards would respond if an individual is in trouble or drowning in the water, Bellone said, "Lifeguards will all do what they need to, to save a person's life."

In addition, beaches will have some reduced capacity, taking parking and the square footage of each beach into consideration to allow for social distancing so that families can sunbathe safely without risk of spreading the virus, Bellone said.

Bay beaches will not open on Memorial Day weekend, Bellone said.

The goal, Bellone said, is to open the beaches safely.

"Even with coronavirus happening, as we are still working through a public health crisis and doing what we need to do to hit the metrics to reopen the economy, we can still have a staple of life on Long Island start for us and enable families to do something they can enjoy as an essential part of our summers on Long Island," Bellone said.

Hospitalization continue to decline

As of Friday, Bellone said there have been a total of 175 new positive cases of coronavirus diagnosed, bringing that total to 37,719. A total of 8,881 positive antibody tests have also been reported.

Hospitalizations continue to decline: Numbers from May 13 indicate that over a 24-hour period, a decline of 21 was reported, bringing that total to 554.

Over that same period, there was a slight uptick of two new ICU patients, Bellone said, bringing that total to 185.

Hospital capacity stands at 2,974 beds, with 914 available, or 69 percent; there are 574 ICU beds countywide with 205 available, or 65 percent.

A total of 44 patients were discharged and 12 new deaths were reported, bringing that grim total countywide to 1,709.

As of Friday, the number of confirmed cases countywide by town is as follows:

Islip: 12,116

Brookhaven: 9,249

Babylon: 6,879

Huntington: 5,025

Smithtown: 2,411

Southampton: 948

Riverhead: 649

Southold: 401

East Hampton: 271

Shelter Island: 8