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Local clergy are keeping the faith

ings are canceled, the chabad found a way for its congregants to celebrate Passover at a safe Although the statewide gath- distance. erings ban has kept houses of “We’re not having public serworship closed to congregants, vices, but we’re working around Bellmore-Merrick the clock,” he said. religious leaders O n M o n d a y, are reaching their Chabad prepared communities virtunearly 50 Seder ally, and keeping to-go kits filled the faith through w i t h m at e r i a l s the coronavir us needed for a proppandemic. e r P a s s o v e r, Rabbis and pasincluding food for tors now give serthe Seder plate, mons on Zoom and hand-baked shmuFacebook Live, or rah matzo, wine, a pre-tape services kiddush cup, a and post them Hebrew-English o n l i n e. C l e r g y haggadah and members are also instructions. The taking extra care to kits were safely comfort worshipers RABBI ChARles KleIN delivered to famiduring this unpreclies around town Merrick Jewish Centre edented time, and o n T u e s d ay t o in preparation for ensure a timely Easter and Passover, they are celebration. lifting spirits from a safe disThe Chabad also delivered tance. thousands of shmurah matzos to people in the community. “The Zohar says when you eat the Chabad Center for Jewish life Rabbi Shimon Kramer said matzo on the first night, it brings the Chabad Center for Jewish faith, and on the second night, it Life’s annual public Seder is usu- brings healing, and we’re hoping ally packed with congregants, this will help,” Kramer said.

By AlyssA seIDmAN aseidman@liherald.com

I

Courtesy Kimberly Towers

RuNwAy CoutuRe Co-owNeR Kimberly Towers, of Merrick, sported one of the masks designed by her team. The masks are being donated to health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bellmore shop makes 1,000 masks for medical workers

By AlyssA seIDmAN aseidman@liherald.com

W h e n G o v. A n d r e w Cuomo ordered non-essent i a l bu s i n e s s e s t o cl o s e amid the coronavirus pandemic, the seamstresses at Runway Couture in Bellm o re re t u r n e d t o t h e i r home sewing machines to stitch together something besides designer dresses.

Since the shutdown, t h e y h ave b e e n m a k i n g f ace masks to donate to

health care workers, first responders and other essential personnel on the front lines of the crisis. In just the first week, they made 1,000 masks.

Runway co-owner Kimberly Towers, of Merrick, put her staf f into action after Cuomo asked shuttered businesses to produce high-in-demand medical supplies if they had the means to do so. She had heard stories of doctors and nurses using bandanas

— or pieces of paper towel strapped on with rubber b a n d s — t o c ove r t h e i r faces, and was immediately willing to help.

“We researched quickly, followed the guidelines, and my par tner [Bianca Fuentes] perfected an amazing pattern,” Towers said. “We’re distributing them as we’ re making them, and we’ve done this all while social distancing.”

Continued on page 5

n a certain way social distancing has brought people closer together, and it should only last when this is all over.

but because large public gather-

Continued on page 3

Herald offers $500K in grants for businesses Richner Communications Inc., publisher of Herald Community Newspapers and The Riverdale Press, this week announced a $500,000 grant program to support local businesses. Through the Herald Small Business Marketing Grant Program, each Long Island business is eligible to receive up to $15,000 of matching grant funds, which can be used for marketing services to promote the business’ products and services.

The Herald Small Business Marketing Grant Program is being supported by: ■ Long Island Main Street Alliance ■ Cedarhurst BID ■ Gold Coast Business Association ■ Bellmore Chamber of Commerce ■ East Meadow Chamber of Commerce ■ Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce ■ Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce ■ Long Beach Chamber of Commerce ■ Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce ■ Malverne Chamber of Commerce ■ Oceanside Chamber of Commerce ■ Oyster Bay/East Norwich Chamber of Commerce ■ Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce ■ Seaford Chamber of Commerce

■ Vally Stream Chamber of Commerce ■ Wantagh Chamber of Commerce ■ West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce Businesses can apply for grants at www.liherald.com/grants starting on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, and they will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities,” said Stuart Richner, president of RCI and publisher of Herald Community Newspapers. “With Long Island quickly becoming the center of the Covid-19 crisis, we knew that we had to do whatever possible to support our small business community.

“We are a small business ourselves, so we understand the pain that small business owners are going through right now,” Richner added. “But all studies show that businesses that continue to market during down times are those that fare the best long-term. We at the Herald want to do our part to make sure that members of our business community can continue to promote themselves during this trying period.”

Eric Alexander, of the Long Island Main Street Alliance, applauded RCI for stepping up to help the Long Island small business community. “Half-a-million dollars will go a long way toward helping the local restaurant owners, downtown retailers and other business

The herald is kicking off a new $500,000 grant program to help small businesses market themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic. services,” Alexander said. “With so many small businesses changing how they offer their services, like dine-in only restaurants now offering takeout, promotion is critical during this crisis and even more important as we head toward recovery.”

The Herald Small Business Marketing Grant Program will provide up to $500,000 in matching advertising dollars and can be used toward print or digital advertising in any Herald or other RCI property. Since the coronavirus crisis started in March, the Herald has seen its audience increase by 100 percent, meaning that advertisers now have the ability to reach even more people than

before.

The program is open to all locally owned and operated businesses impacted by the coronavirus. Grants are available for between $300 and $15,000 of matching funds and can be used in April, May and June 2020.

Every dollar that a grant recipient spends on advertising will be matched with a dollar of grant funding, up to the award amount, to be applied toward advertising costs. Applications must be submitted via the online form at www. liherald.com/grants. Businesses will be notified about the status of their application within two business days of submitting it.

Island Harvest Responds to COVID-19 Island Harvest Food Bank is a lifeline for people struggling to put food on their tables during this unprecedented public health crisis, but we need your help.

Your generosity will allow us to continue to provide critical food and support for homebound seniors, veterans, working families, and children.

And, If you, or someone you know, needs food assistance, or to support our work on Long Island call 631-873-4775 or visit islandharvest.org.

HOW YOU CAN HELP OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED: Every $25 donated will support a family meal kit which provides food for 3–4 days.

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

Courtesy Chabad Center for Jewish Life

Courtesy St. John Lutheran Church

tHe CHaBad Center for Jewish Life is providing Seder to-go kits for Passover during the coronavirus pandemic.

tHe reLigiouS LeaderS at St. John Lutheran Church in Bellmore hung a banner thanking health care workers.

Zoom services, Seders-to-go among alternatives Continued froM front Page

“Matzo is the best medication without any side effects.”

Community Presbyterian Church

The Rev. Moira Ahearne, of Merrick’s Community Presbyterian Church, has adapted to using Zoom and social media to connect with her congregants. The church will pre-record its Easter service on Saturday so parishioners can view it online Sunday morning, when they would have attended services.

Ahearne has also asked congregants to hang pastel-covered ribbons outside their homes as a message of hope. This past weekend, the church’s railings and trees were adorned with ribbons fluttering in the spring breeze.

“There’s no rule book that tells you how to get through this, but we can’t let the isolation, fear and panic drive us apart,” she said. “We need to find ways to connect, and that will get us through this.”

Merrick Jewish Centre

In the early days of the pandemic, the Merrick Jewish Centre formed a committee to contact its members and assess their needs. The synagogue is also offering daily online classes, virtual services and counseling. For Passover, congregants will be able to access video sermons on the center’s website, and see the familiar faces of Rabbi Charles Klein and Rabbi Jack Dermer.

“We have been down the path of crisis before in our community, notably after Hurricane Sandy, but this pandemic takes

it to an entirely different level,” Klein said. “The threat to life is ever-present, and the emotional strain is extremely difficult to everyone.”

The committee includes a team of experienced mental health professionals, Klein said, who are available if congregants need someone to talk to. “We’ve created a wide range of programs to deal with some of the critical emotional issues that are being presented by the pandemic,” he said.

The synagogue will also host a virtual Seder to give people the opportunity to share Passover with the entire community. “In a certain way, social distancing has brought people closer together,” Klein said, “and it should only last when this is all over.”

St. John Lutheran Church

Pastor Nancy Rackoczy, of St. John Lutheran Church in Bellmore, joked that the pandemic has turned her into a televangelist. Her outreach includes stations of the cross via Zoom on Tuesdays, evening vespers on Facebook Live on Wednesdays, noontime Zoom Bible study on Thursdays and two virtual services on Sundays.

She has also sent daily emails to parishioners, which include prayers, hymns, updates, helpful links and uplifting videos or images. A recent email included a photo of a banner hung outside the church thanking first responders and health care workers.

“All the pastors I know are working harder than ever,” Rackoczy said. “No one is taking it easy, but we are tending to our flocks.”

Courtesy Community Presbyterian Church

tHe CoMMunitY PreSBYterian Church of Merrick has asked congregants to hang pastel-covered ribbons outside their homes as a message of hope.

Governor Cuomo orders shutdown to continue

By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com

was larger than previously thought. The county had projected the number at roughly 150 as of Saturday. The state, however, was reporting a higher figure.

Curran said she is now going with the state’s number, as she said it has a faster means of verifying Nassau residents who have died.

The state puts the number of dead in Nassau at 381.

“We mourn every loss,” Curran said.

On a hopeful note, the county executive said, there were 197 discharges from Nassau’s 11 hospitals — 121 more than were admitted overnight. That could indicate the hospitalization rate cuomo is dropping — and thus the county may see the peak of the crisis begin “to flatten.”

It is too early to tell for certain, however, she noted.

Curran also warned against flushing nitrile gloves and sanitary wipes down the toilet because they clog the sewer lines. The county has seen a 35 percent increase in clogs in recent days.

O n M o n d ay, G ove r n o r C u o m o ordered schools and non-essential businesses to remain closed until April 29 to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Previously, they were to close until April 15.

At the same time, the governor raised the fine for violating social-distancing rules from $500 to $1,000.

“We havre to extend the New York Pause,” the governor said. “Public health demands that we do this.

There’s a real danger in getting over-confident so quickGovernor ly.”

Restaurants and bars have been forced to offer grab-and-go service or home deliveries.

Most school children are receiving lessons by computer at home.

The news came as Nassau saw another jump in the number of Covid-19 cases, County Executive Laura Curran said. Cases surpassed 15,600 here, with 2,100 hospitalized. On Sunday, there were 14,400 cases.

Jim Bernstein contributed to this story.

Curran also said the number of dead

Alyssa Seidman/Herald Life

the trAder Joe’S store in Merrick reopened to customers on April 4 after being temporarily closed for Covid-19-related cleaning.

Trader Joe’s reopens after Covid-19-related cleaning

By AlySSA SeidmAn aseidman@liherald.com

The Trader Joe’s store in Merrick reopened to customers on April 4 after being temporarily closed for Covid-19related cleaning.

A customer service merchant said the store was taking “every precaution possible for the safety of our community,” including requiring employees to wear face masks and only letting 20 customers inside the store at a time.

The Merrick Trader Joe’s closed for cleaning on March 31 after an undisclosed number of employees tested positive for coronavirus, according to a com-

pany statement. The last time a positivetesting employee was in the store was March 27.

Six other Trader Joe’s locations (see box) were temporarily closed for “thorough cleaning and sanitization” to combat the coronavirus. “We have made sure all Crew Members at the respective locations have been infor med and understand the steps to take to best safeguard the health of their communities,” the statement read.

Trader Joe’s also paid its employees “for their scheduled shifts” while the stores were closed.

other stores closed for cleaning Saugus, Mass. – 358 Broadway A Crew Member reporting symptoms was last present on March 31.

Hartsdale, N.Y. – 215 N Central Ave. A Crew Member who tested positive for COVID-19 was last present on March 30.

Fairfield, Conn. – 2258 Black Rock Tpke.

A Crew Member who was diagnosed for COVID-19 was last present on March 31.

Arlington, Va. – 1109 N Highland St. A Crew Member who tested positive for COVID-19 was last present on March 29.

Paramus, N.J. – 404 Rt 17 N Crew Members have tested positive for COVID-19; the latest date on which a Crew Member with symptoms was in the store is March 31.

Metairie, La. – 2949 Veterans Blvd.

Two Crew Members have tested positive for COVID-19; the latest date on which one of these Crew Members was in the store is March 23.

HOW TO REACH US Our offices are located at 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 and are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

MAIN PHONE: (516) 569-4000 ■ WEB SITE: www.liherald.com/merrick ■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: merrickeditor@liherald.com ■ EDITORIAl DEPARTMENT: Ext. 203 E-mail: merrickeditor@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Press ”7” E-mail: circ@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ ClASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Ext. 286 E-mail: ereynolds@liherald.com Fax: (516) 622-7460

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■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: sales@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643 The Merrick Herald life USPS 017651, is published every Thursday by Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Periodicals postage paid at Garden City, NY 11530 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Merrick Herald, 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Subscription rates: $36 for 1 year within Nassau County. Out of Nassau County: $58 for 1 year. Copyright © 2020 Richner Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sewing hope for front-line workers Centre, St. Francis Hospital, St. Catherine’s Hospital and NYU Winthrop Hospital.

The team has produced surgical gowns and bonnets, as well. Fuentes said that a health care worker contacted her for a gown, so she made her one using leftover fabric from the masks. When she got the proper material, Fuentes made her two more.

“As remotely as we’re all working, I’ve never felt closer to this group of people as I do right now,” Towers said of her Runway “family.” “My whole team is donating their time and talent to make these masks for anyone who’s at risk and needs them.”

Mara, Runway’s manager, said she, too, was moved by the team’s efforts.

“At a time where there’s so much need around,” she said, “so many people were willing to donate their time to do something for the greater good.”

runway employee laura, far left, stitched an elastic band onto one of the masks. in a week, the Runway team produced 1,000 masks, bottom left, for medical workers in need of personal protective equipment.

Photos courtesy Kimberly Towers

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runway Coowner BianCa Fuentes, near left, cut the shape of the masks using a pattern she designed.

Continued from front page The masks are not medical grade, but they are machine washable, Towers said, so they can be used as a protective cover for N95 masks “again and again.” When developing the prototype, Fuentes referenced a N95 mask that her husband uses for work in construction. She spent so much time cutting the first batch of material that her fingers blistered.

“It’s in our hands to do it,” Fuentes said, “and we are here doing it.”

After the fabric was cut to size, the Runway team pre-shrunk the material using their home laundry machines.

Fuentes then made kits containing the pre-cut fabric, wire, elastic and instructions, and had them delivered to nine other seamstresses.

T h e f i r s t b at ch o f m a s k s w a s donated to Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside. Runway’s masks have a l s o b e e n d o n at e d t o wo rke r s at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville

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April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

On Saturday, COunty Executive Laura Curran said, “We’re in the heat of the battle,” as she spoke about the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Nassau. As of Monday morning, the state was reporting 15,600 cases here. At back was Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggiWhitton, who represents the 11th District on the North Shore.

Christina Daly/Herald

The week that was: coronavirus in Nassau

By SCOtt BrintOn sbrinton@liherald.com

The coronavirus outbreak took a sharp turn this past weekend, as cases soared on Long Island. Governor Cuomo said the epidemic appeared to be shifting east from New York City.

That shift was straining Nassau’s hospitals, according to Cuomo and County Executive Laura Curran Meanwhile, the governor pushed back the May 19 school vote to June 1.

Below is a day-by-day timeline of how it all played out.

Friday, april 3

School budget votes were delayed until at least June 1 because of the coronavirus outbreak, by order of Governor Cuomo.

The votes were to have taken place May 19.

The governor issued the executive order March 30. It states: “Any school board, library board, or village election scheduled to take place in April or May of 2020 is hereby postponed until at least June 1, 2020, and subject to further directive as to the timing, location or manner of voting for such elections.”

Whether the school budget votes take place on June 1 remains to be seen. The coronavirus pandemic is fluid, and if new cases were to continue to arise, the vote could be delayed further, state officials said.

“The state budget was difficult,” Cuomo said in his Friday news conference.

Pushing back the vote will give state and local officials a clearer picture of New York’s finances after the Covid-19 virus forced tens of thousands of businesses to close and sales tax collections to plummet. The governor had earlier predicted a $10 billion to $15 billion gap in the state budget, which is unprecedented.

GOvernOr CuOmO Said over the weekend that the center of the Covid-19 epidemic appeared to be shifting away from New York City toward Long Island.

Friday, april 3

Cuomo had warned in recent weeks that New York’s apex of Covid-19 cases was coming within seven to 21 days.

Already, though, the state had surpassed 100,000 cases as of last Friday, he said, and Thursday into Friday was the deadliest 24-hour period during the coronavirus crisis to date, with 562 new deaths statewide.

“We had more deaths,” Cuomo said, “we had more people going into the hospitals than any other night.”

In all, 2,935 New Yorkers had died of the disease.

In Nassau County, more than 12,000 people had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday.

The governor identified Nassau and Suffolk counties as emerging areas of concern.

He also noted that a number of Nassau County hospitals were identified as hot spots because of the high volume of Covid-19 patients they were seeing, including St. Francis Hospital, North Shore University Hospital, NYU Winthrop Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Good Samaritan Hospital.

Saturday, april 4

Nassau County had the third-highest number of coronavirus cases of any county in New York as of Saturday, surpassing Westchester, Bronx and New York counties.

New York County includes all of Man-

hattan.

That was according to the state Department of Health’s newly implemented Covid-19 tracker, found at covid19tracker. health.ny.gov.

In his daily briefing Saturday, Cuomo described the virus as a “fire spreading” across Long Island.

As of Saturday, Nassau had 13,346 coronavirus cases, compared to 13,081 in Westchester, where the Covid-19 outbreak began in New York a month ago. Meanwhile, the Bronx had 12,315 cases and Manhattan, 9,300.

Queens and Brooklyn — both geographically on Long Island — had 20,114 and 17,504 cases, respectively.

Suffolk County had 11,370 cases.

Combined, Nassau and Suffolk represented 21.7 percent of the state’s 113,704 cases — up from 16 percent earlier.

Cuomo described his concern for Long Island as the growing center of the coronavirus outbreak.

“You see the Long Island number growing,” he said, “and it’s growing steadily. It’s growing more east than north.”

He also noted, “We’ve been saying for the last few days watch Long Island.”

Cuomo spoke of the increasing need for ventilators, breathing machines to keep the hardest-hit patients alive — Covid-19 is primarily a respiratory disease afflicting the lungs.

The state had ordered 17,000 ventilators, but had received only a fraction of them by Saturday, the governor said.

Saturday, april 4

Speaking Saturday afternoon, Curran reported 11 new deaths overnight of the coronavirus, bringing the total number to 149.

That number, she said, contradicted a Continued on next page

Coronavirus outbreak shifts to Long Island

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

continued from previous page state report that indicated 396 people had died in Nassau. The county Department of Health was working with local hospital officials to quantify the exact number, she said.

County officials were also checking whether all of the people reported dead by the state actually lived in Nassau or a surrounding area.

As of Saturday morning, the state Department of Health was reporting 13,346 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in Nassau. Many of those cases, the county executive said, had resolved, though she did not give an exact number.

“We are in the heat of battle now,” Curran said.

Some 355 patients were reportedly on ventilators to enable their breathing, Curran said. That figure was up 31 people from the day before, she said.

Sunday, April 5

Coronavirus cases in Nassau County continued to climb steadily overnight from Saturday into Sunday, nearly reaching 14,400, up from 13,346 the day before — an almost 8 percent increase, according to Cuomo.

Statewide, 4,159 people had died of Covid-19 as of Sunday, he said.

Speaking that day, Cuomo said, “There is a shift to Long Island … As Long Island grows, the percentage of cases in New York City has reduced.”

The sharp rise in Nassau cases in recent days contrasted with data that showed an emerging “plateau” of cases statewide over the past three days, the governor said.

It is too early to tell, he said, if New York was reaching the apex of cases, when the number of deaths will drop, but it appeared the high point could be reached sometime in the next week. Previously, he had said it could be seven to 21 days before the apex is reached.

Data appeared to suggest the state was nearing a plateau or the apex, Cuomo said. Overnight from Saturday to Sunday, the state saw its highest number of hospital

Source: New York State Department of Health Illustration by Christina Daly/Herald

discharges — 1,709. The total number of people who had been treated for Covid-19 and released from the hospital stood at 12,187 as of Sunday.

“Discharge is way up, and that is great news,” Cuomo said.

The state also saw its smallest number of new hospitalizations overnight, at 574. That was a 52 percent

decrease from the day before, when there were 1,100 new hospitalizations. The day before that, there had been 1,400.

The state had not seen such a low number of new hospitalizations for 16 days, according to state data.

In all, 16,400 people were hospitalized as of April 5.

Urgent care centers debut rapid Covid-19 test

By BRIAN STIEGLITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com

Three urgent care centers on Long Island are among the first in the nation to debut a rapid test to detect coronavirus, which gives patients results within minutes.

The American Family Care health care providers in East Meadow, Farmingdale and West Islip began testing patients as part of a full examination on March 31, before launching regular tests the next day.

The molecular, point-of-care tests reduce wait time from days to roughly five minutes for positive results and 13 minutes for negative results.

Testing will only be available to those who are symptomatic, according to officials at the AFC Urgent Care centers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of such testing, developed by Abbott Laboratories, on March 27.

The urgent care centers began regular testing the same day Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals would

7

donate 500,000 test kits to the state, in shipments of 25,000 per day. Corning Life Sciences also donated 100,000 tubes for testing and provided an additional 500,000 at a reduced cost.

As of April 1, the state had given 220,880 tests and continued to provide roughly 15,000 tests each day. Of those tested, 83,712 were positive.

“Rapid testing is the fastest way to return to normalcy and get the economy back up and running, and will also help end the anxiety that has become the most oppressive part of this situation,” Cuomo said. “In the meantime, New Yorkers must continue to comply with all social distancing protocols and stay home as much as possible to prevent spreading this virus to others.”

ThE AFC URGENT Care center on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow is one of three on Long Island to debut the nation’s first rapid coronavirus test.

Christina Daly/Herald

April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Remote learning gets restructured in CHSD ‘No harm’ policy used for quarter three grades

By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com

April 1 marked the first day of a standardized class schedule for Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District students as remote learning continued. On April 2, the processing of third quarter grades by district teachers also began.

The new schedule, which mimics typical 45-minute school classes, will help avoid conflicting video lessons and extra help periods, according to a Tweet by John F. Kennedy High School Principal Gerard Owenburg.

The Monday through Friday schedule sets time for teachers of each subject to host lessons or issue assignments, with 12 to 12:45 p.m. reserved for lunch.

On Fridays, extra help will be offered in most subjects.

The grading portal on Infinite Campus, the district’s student management system, was set to close on April 2 as teachers began processing third marking period grades, according to a letter from Owenburg to parents.

Report cards will be posted on Wednesday, April 22.

The district implemented a “no harm” policy in calculating the third quarter grades. Final marks will compile any exams, projects, presentations or other works completed prior to the March 13 school closure. Grades for work completed after the closure (between March 16 and 27) will only be used if and only if it benefits the student’s third quarter average.

Third marking period averages will be determined by using the higher of the two scores: the traditionally calculated average for the third marking period or an average of the scores for quarters one, two and three.

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

ThE BEllmoRE-mERRICk CENTRAl High School District has introduced a more structured schedule for remote learning classes.

“While there are no decisions at this time to extend the school closure into the fourth marking period, the district is prepared to move to a Pass/Fail system for fourth quarter averages,” Owenburg wrote. “We will update you as more information becomes available.”

“Even though we have only completed two weeks of

remote learning, I can say with certainty that our faculty is working hard to provide the best learning experience possible for our kids during these difficult times,” wrote Superintendent John DeTommaso in a letter to parents.

“We are proud of how our teachers have adapted and adjusted.”

District budget votes delayed until June 1

Statewide school closures will remain until April 29

By ANDREW GARCIA and SCoTT BRINToN agarcia@liherald.com

The Bellmore-Merrick school budget vote has been delayed until at least June 1 due to the coronavirus outbreak, by order of Governor Andrew Cuomo. It was originally scheduled for May 19.

On Monday, Gov. Cuomo also ordered all schools to continue to remain closed until April 29. Remote classes will be held throughout the district’s originally planned spring break, which was from April 9 to 17.

The Monday announcement was preceded by another cancellation from the New York State Education Department: the 2020 June regents exams are off, according to Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa.

In a letter to parents sent on April 2, Central High School District Superintendent John DeTommaso noted the budget vote postponement, adding that the community will be informed when a new date is set.

The district’s preliminary budget was approved by the Board of Education at their April 1 meeting, which was held over video conference via Zoom. It does not pierce the allotted tax cap.

It is not yet clear if the district will still hold public hearings for the budget, or how the delay will affect the budget pro-

Christina Daly/Herald Life

AS SChool CloSuRES continue, several delays and cancellations have impacted the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s schedule. cess overall.

In the letter, DeTommaso also noted school closures will likely extend beyond the then April 15 re-opening date. “There is no question that we are living through days, weeks and soon to be a month that defy even our wildest thoughts,” DeTommaso wrote. “Yet, while my professional world is changing by the moment, my commitment to your kids and families has not and will not, no matter what the future may bring. That singular mission is the shared purpose of everyone who

works in Bellmore-Merrick.”

Superintendent of Business Kate Freeman said that while a delay in the budget vote was anticipated, officials “can’t be 100 percent sure” on a rescheduled date as of yet.

“Right now, there’s just a lot of sitting back and waiting — but not all sitting back; we’re still doing a lot of work over here,” Freeman told the Herald Life.

In a statement to the Herald Life, Bellmore School District Superintendent Joseph Famularo wrote, “We are waiting

for more guidelines from the governor’s office and the NYS Education Department. These are unprecedented times and we will respond accordingly.”

The Bellmore Board of Education will also be providing virtual meetings, Famularo wrote.

Whether the school budget votes take place on June 1 remains to be seen. The coronavirus pandemic is fluid, and if new cases were to continue to arise, the vote could be delayed further, state officials said.

“The state budget was difficult,” Cuomo said in his Friday news conference.

Pushing back the vote will also give state and local officials a clearer picture of New York’s finances after the COVID19 virus forced tens of thousands of businesses to close and sales tax collections to plummet. The governor had earlier predicted a $10 billion to $15 billion gap in the state budget, which is unprecedented.

The state Legislature passed a $177 billion budget April 2, but it is riddled with uncertainty as no one knows precisely how long the coronavirus crisis will last, or what form it will take in the near future. The governor has said modeling predicts the peak of cases in New York is expected within the following seven to 21 days, but the state could continue to see cases into August.

Uncertainty surrounds H.S. spring sports tbellissimo@liherald.com

Minutes after completing the opening week of practice March 13, even before Mepham’s softball team made the short trek from the field to the high school building, coach Brenda Dolan received word the district was shutting down the following Monday and Tuesday due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It took a few seconds before the girls realized no school meant no practice,” said Dolan, who last spring guided the Lady Pirates to the Nassau Class A title, marking the program’s first-ever county championship. “These are scary times,” she added. “We’re three weeks into this and it’s going to be a day-by-day and week-by-week situation. My phone is blowing up with messages and emojis from the girls, and I’m just trying to keep their spirits up and stay positive.”

Schools throughout Nassau County are closed until April 20, and President Donald Trump extended social-distancing guidelines through the end of the month. Section VIII Executive Director of Athletics Pat Pizzarelli said no decision would be made on spring sports until schools get the green light to open.

For a senior-laden team like Mepham, which has six major award winners and state championship dreams, it’s difficult to think about the worst-case scenario. “It would be really heartbreaking if we don’t play, but there’s not much we can do about it except keep hoping for the best,” said Hofstra University-bound senior Brianna Morse, the 2019 Nassau Player of the Year

and First Team All-State selection who batted .623 with 17 RBIs, 22 runs and 17 stolen bases.

“Our team has a special bond,” she added.

Morse (second base) is part of a star-studded infield that includes her younger sister, Alanna, a sophmore, at third base, senior Stefanie Simone at shortstop, and sophomore Gianna LaSpira at first base. Other returning senior standouts are Jenna Giliberti in center field and Emma Greiner in the pitching circle.

“We’re like a family, and everyone wants to be on the field,” Dolan said, but “health and safety come first.”

Unlike Mepham’s softball roster, Calhoun’s girls’ lacrosse program is loaded with youth.

The Lady Colts also boast a pair of seniors, Kerry Pearson and Kerri Keener, said coach Melissa Rohr.

“I’m in constant contact with the girls,” she said. “While this is all disappointing and sad for the athletes and coaches, when you think about medical staff and first responders on the front line, and what some families are going through, you understand and appreciate that things are being done to keep people safe and healthy.”

Kennedy baseball coach Mike Gattus remains positive that some form of a season will happen. The Cougars have four seniors — Vin DiMartino, Anthony Comunale, Chris Costaro and John Ohanian — and are looking to be a playoff team in a highly competitive Nassau Class A. “We’ve put in a ton of time to prepare, and I would love for our kids and community, when it is safe to return to school, to be able to play baseball this spring,” he said.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

By TONY BELLISSIMO

Ron Manfredi/Herald

SENIOr BrIaNNa MOrSE and the Mepham Lady Pirates softball team have lofty goals for 2020, but may not get a chance to play.

Bellmore-Merrick’s school fields are closed By aNDrEW GarCIa agarcia@liherald.com

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District closed all school fields, effective April 2.

The fields had been open to the public amid the coronavirus outbreak, but groupings that were not following state guidelines have been spotted in the areas in recent weeks. On March 22, district officials urged the community to refrain from gathering in large groups.

Use of the tracks will still be permitted as long as social distancing guidelines — 6 feet of space — are adhered to by walkers and runners alike, according to a letter to parents from Superintendent John DeTommaso.

Security will continue to monitor all fields seven days a week.

“Please know, that the BMCHSD Board of Education and I understand how incredibly difficult this whole crisis has been on all of our families,” DeTommaso wrote. “We sincerely hope that our school fields can be opened up to the community in the not-so-distant future. We are all looking forward to seeing all of you again very soon.”

“Despite warning after warning from officials, we are seeing children of all ages and parents congregating together, completely disregarding that we are in the middle of a public health emergency,” wrote Board of Education Trustee Nancy Kaplan on social media addressing the surrounding communities. “While our children may not fully understand the gravity of this situation, as adults we surely should. It is up to you to be responsible and help us move through this crisis as quickly as possible.”

9

Christina Daly/Herald Life

ThE BELLMOrE-MErrICk CENTraL High School District closed all school fields on April 2.

April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

10

Restoration project goes virtual amid Covid-19

By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com

Looking to get out of the house? Take a stroll near the intersection of the Bellmore Creek and Mill Pond — you may be able to catch a glimpse of River Herring families splashing through the water.

Around this time, the diadromous fish start to migrate from the ocean to the freshwater pond, where they go to spawn.

The growing population benefits a small part of Long Island’s ecosystem, and Bellmore Creek is one of roughly two dozen spots where Herring can be found.

Life for these travelers, however, isn’t always easy. At the spot where the creek meets the pond is a dam that the Herring (also known as Alewives) have difficulty surpassing when the water is not high enough, which can potentially harm their chances of having offspring.

“If they don’t have a spawning habitat, [Herring] populations will decrease over time,” said Emily Hall, a member of the Seatuck Environmental Association.

Hall is heading Seatuck’s “Bellmore Creek Fish Passage Project,” which aims to create a path for the Herring to get past the dam. It’s still in its early stages, but the result will likely be a ladder or bridge for the fish to swim over, or a man-made channel connecting the creek and the pond.

Why are the Herring so important, though? “Pretty much everything eats them,” Hall said. “They’re like the base food that [many animals] eat — they’re kind of like the bread. Everyone can eat them.” The Herring’s predators include large oceanic fish, such as dolphins and whales, as well as otters, raccoons and a myriad of bird species on Long Island.

Seatuck, an Island-wide nonprofit based in Islip, was awarded a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to complete the project. Its Advisory Committee includes members from Bellmore’s civic associations, local independent environmental groups and officials from Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead.

A permanent solution for the Herring is still in the early stages of development.

Requests for proposals will soon be posted to get an engineering firm on board so Seatuck can approve plans.

In the meantime, however, the Herring will be helped through more practical methods. A virtual Advisory Committee meeting was held when the in-person meeting at the Bellmore Memorial Library was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It was the last meeting before the Bellmore Creek Fish Lift, which is still scheduled for April 27. Volunteers will go to the dam, net up the fish, and manually transfer them to the pond.

“There’s more to this site than meets the eye,” said Diane Worden, a volunteer with a background in environmental education who discovered the Herring population in Bellmore Creek. “They’re a very important component of the food chain.”

A fish lift, Worden added, only takes a few people to construct.

While Hall said she wanted to open the fish lift to the public, and involve school-

Photos courtesy Emily Hall

HERRING CAN BE found in Bellmore Creek as they make their way to Mill Pond to spawn in the freshwater there. Seatuck’s Bellmore Creek Fish Passage Project aims to help them get over the obstacle. children, it may be a much smaller group now. “I was looking forward to making the fish lift a really good public event and generating more energy around the Bellmore Creek Project, so that is a bit of a disappointment,” she said. “Luckily we are in the stage where everything else can be done remotely, and the project can move forward at the pace we originally set.”

Residents can stay updated on the project at www.seatuck.org, on their Facebook page, Seatuck Environmental Association, or their Instagram, @seatuckenvironmental. If you’d like to get involved or attend an Advisory Committee meeting, email Hall at ehall@seatuck.org for more information.

“Your heart really goes out to these fish,” Worden said. “They’ve gone thousands of miles from down the east coast, and they get here, just trying their best to get over the dam.”

As tHE spRING season heats the water up to 48 degrees, Herring migrate from saltwater to Mill Pond’s freshwater, above. tHE DAm At the end of Bellmore Creek, left, blocks Herring from spawning in Mill Pond. The Fish Passage Project will likely install a ladder or man-made channel to help them pass.

11

AVAILABLE NOW TO LOCAL BUSINESSES

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING GRANT

Apply for your share of the $500,000 marketing grant available to assist locally owned businesses.

STUART RICHNER Publisher Herald Community Newspapers

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. We are a small business ourselves, so we understand the pain that small business owners are going through right now. We at the Herald want to do our part to make sure that members of our small business community can continue to promote themselves during this trying period.”

Herald Team

WHO For all locally owned and operated small businesses on Long Island that have been negatively impacted by coronavirus.

WHAT A $500,000 grant program to support local small businesses. Each local business is eligible to receive up to $15,000 of matching grant funds, which can be used for Herald Community Newspapers print, digital and direct mail products in April, May and June 2020.

WHERE Apply at www.liherald.com/grants.

WHEN Applications are currently open and are first come, first serve. Businesses will receive a decision within two business days of submitting their application.

WHY Studies show that businesses that continue to market themselves during down times are the ones that fare the best long-term. This grant program will allow Long Island small businesses to continue promoting themselves and any new services they are offering during these unprecedented times.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: • Every dollar that a grant recipient spends on marketing in Herald products will be matched with a dollar of grant funding, up to the award amount, to be applied towards marketing costs.

• Businesses must be locally owned and operated.

• Grants range from $300 to $15,000.

• Grants can be applied to any Herald Community Newspaper marketing product or service during April, May and June 2020.

• Grants applied to direct mail products are net of postage/mailing costs.

RHONDA GLICKMAN VP Sales

LORI BERGER Sales Manager

AMY AMATO Executive Director

rglickman@liherald.com

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COURTNEY MYERS Media Consultant cmyers@liherald.com

For more information call Rhonda at 516.569.4000 ext. 250

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

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April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

this Covid-19 Pandemic. We offer free PiCk uP and delivery and we also disinfect before and after servicing your vehicle for your safety.

Our best wishes to all!

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Teacher volunTeers made sure to stay six feet apart as they organized the Community Cupboard.

Community Cupboard open for those in need VILLAGE AUTO

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The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s food pantry, the Community Cupboard, is open despite school closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We want to continue to spread the word that we are here for them, and also to the community that we are collecting donations,” said Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mara Bollettieri.

Residents can drop off donations in a container outside the Brookside building

(1260 Meadowbrook Road, Merrick) Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and noon. District staffers Karin McMahon, Catrina Christensen and Darlene Boden are among the volunteers spearheading the effort.

Families in need can visit the district website at www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny. us/ or call (516) 992-1073 for more information.

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

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April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

Spread the news(letter) not the virus!

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What you need to know today.

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Sign up for an online account at www.liHerald.com to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox.

A rabbi was asked what to feed a person quarantined due to Covid-19. “Matzo, of course,” he rabbi replied.

“Well, does it help?”

“That I can’t tell you,” the rabbi said, “but it slides easily under the door!” (Of course, we must not make light of a serious situation, but incorporating some humor can help us retain our sanity in these trying times.)

This is not the first Passover that Jews have been in quarantine. In fact, the night before the Exodus from Egypt, God instructed the Jews: “Do not leave the entrance of your home until the morning.

God will pass to strike Egypt. He will pass over the entrance and not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you.” But how, indeed, can one celebrate the festival of freedom in quarantine? It depends on how you define “freedom.”

At first glance, freedom means the ability to go where you wish, do what you wish, and act how you wish. Passover, however, teaches us that freedom is not a condition but a decision. Freedom means to realize that there’s a supreme being running the show, and no one else — even the coronavirus — has the ability to decide your fate. When we submit ourselves to God and say, “I know that only you are in charge of my future. I am in your hands!” — that is true freedom. So this Passover, make sure to attend Seder and express your freedom.

The annual Seders at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life have not been cancelled, and we are accepting reservations (at ChabadJewishLife.org or our office at (516) 833-3057). However, in the event that you or someone you know will celebrate in private, we are here to help. Seder-to-go kits are available, including the food items needed for the Seder plate, handbaked shmurah matzo, wine, a kiddush cup, a Hebrew-English haggadah, and instructions. (The matzos were baked a while back, and will be delivered with all the necessary precautions.)

While people are waiting in line to stock up on long-lasting food items, make sure you stock up on handmade shmurah matzo, the one food item that is sure to last all Passover! The Zohar, the most fundamental work of Kabbalah, describes matzo as “food of faith and healing.”

Let us all remain positive. “Think good and it will be good!” Let us utilize this time as a teachable moment for ourselves and our families to strengthen our faith and trust in God, and let us also pray for the well-being of those who are affected and for all of humanity. May God protect each and every one of us and give us a year of health, tranquility, and freedom.

Rabbi Shimon Kramer Director, Chabad Center for Jewish Life of Merrick-Bellmore-Wantagh

My original Easter message would have had no reference to a pandemic, but the first Easter was a shocker, too.

“Do not be afraid,” had to be said twice on that day, once by the angel and then emphatically by Jesus. At the first Easter, the world was disrupted like ours: an earthquake, lightning — “The guards shook and became like dead men.” On the first Easter there was fear. So, my Easter message to you uses the same words: do not be afraid.

Where is Jesus in this first Easter?

We don’t see him anywhere near the tomb, the place of death. Jesus quickly distances himself from the place of anguish and moves forward. Jesus is on the move. Where is he? The angel tells the faithful women “He is not here; he has been raised . . . he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”

That’s Jesus, our good shepherd, always ahead of us. Always leading us.

He goes ahead, preparing the way.

Remember what he said before he raised Lazarus? “My sheep, hear my voice.”

These women clearly hear the voice of their shepherd and run forward to meet him.

When the women set out, “with fear and great joy,” that is when they meet Jesus. They had fear, but their joy outweighed their fear. The women put their feet in motion despite anxiety pulling and dragging at them — despite all

rationality telling them all was lost.

Faith and hope pulled them along, and then they met the Lord.

Today, when Covid-19 stalks us, and we are fearful, we might search for Jesus like the women. Where is he?

Where did he go? We may wonder, is Jesus still with us? There is so much death, yet the angel’s message is for us, too. Jesus amplifies the message: “Do not be afraid: go and tell my brothers.”

The message is twofold: don’t be afraid, and there is work to be done.

In the midst of sorrow, there is life.

Like the women who find an empty tomb with a vibrant creature of light guarding the entrance, there is still joy.

He is with us. He is risen. Death did not win. We can firmly hold on to this Easter promise — because of Christ we have eternal life right now. Because of Christ’s sacrifice of love, we can move forward out of fear, and we will meet him, our Savior, on the road ahead of us.

Where will he lead us we don’t know, but we know that trust, faith, love and hope have the last words in this Easter story. My Easter message to you echoes our Savior’s: do not be afraid.

Pastor Nancy Rakoczy St. John Lutheran Church, Bellmore

A theme for this year’s Passover: persevere How can we celebrate Easter this year?

“How is this night different from all other nights?” It is a question that we ask every year as we begin the festive meal of Passover. This year, however, the answer to our question feels abundantly clear: So much about this coming Passover night will be different from other Passover nights.

While we typically spend the weeks prior to Passover shopping for the perfect ingredients to our favorite recipes, this year more of us are using what we have in our pantries, limited in our shopping options or nervous to spend hours in the supermarket. Most years, we sit around the Passover Seder table surrounded by friends and loved ones.

This year, many of our Passover Seder meals will be conducted virtually for the first time, our Seder plates held in front of our computer webcams or IPads, as we do our best to stay connected spiritually while remaining socially distant.

The holiday of Passover is when we remember the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, and recall the plagues that rained down on Pharoah and his army. It is a story that feels all too real this year, as we wait with uncertainty and the world continues to push back against the spread and impact of Covid19, our modern-day plague.

At the Merrick Jewish Centre, we are doing everything we can to stay connect-

ed as we remind ourselves that the focus of Passover is not the plagues, but the redemption, courage and hope that allowed our ancestors to persevere. Over the course of these weeks, we have initiated many programs to guide our community through this time. With immediacy, we gathered a group of volunteers to take on the task of calling every member of our large congregation to offer the support of a listening ear.

In times of crisis, prayer and spiritual study and more important than ever, and through it all we have adapted as a synagogue to offer daily online classes, virtual services, and counseling. Come the holiday of Pesach itself, our congregants will be able to find the familiar faces of their rabbis on video sermons.

The story of the Jewish people throughout history is one of resilience and hope in times of darkness. On behalf of our community, I pray for all of us that in the coming days we may call forth strength and faith from the deepest reserves of our hearts. God willing, may we soon be gathered together in person once more in celebration, community and health.

Rabbi Jack Dermer Merrick Jewish Centre

How can we celebrate Easter this year? The churches will be empty on this grandest of days. The succulent aroma of Easter lilies, hydrangeas and azaleas will be absent from the church chancels. The sacred stories will be silent. Shouts of alleluia will be stilled.

People in their Easter fineries overflowing the pews will be absent. Egg hunts and gifts of yummy candies and toys cancelled. Beloved dinner guests will be missing from the Easter table.

In its place is the ordering of antiseptic spray, masks and latex gloves.

Instead of warm Easter hugs, people are observing social isolation, carefully gauging to make sure the appropriate six feet is followed.

Covid-19 has changed, for the first time in most of lives, how we can observe our most treasured holiday. It has turned our lives upside down. Every day becomes a new normal as quarantine, social distancing, and proper hand washing become standard parts of our lives.

So, how can we celebrate Easter this year? We must remember that Easter arrived in times such as these. We are

reminded that Easter came in the midst of sorrow and pain. A tight-knit community was torn apart by death. Disciples of Jesus were quarantined out of fear. Jesus’ body was wrapped in linen and anointed with oil and aloe. His resurrection occurred while tears were shed and doubt still reigned.

But Easter is our reminder that new life has the final word — that hope conquers fear. The tomb cannot contain death, cannot be subdued by the customs of death, and in the midst of heartache, new life conquers death.

Those first witnesses of the empty tomb were sent forth to proclaim, “He is Risen!” So we, in the midst of Covid-19, are called to hope, called to care, called to witness that there will be an end to this virus and, after, a new life. It will be different, but like the first Easter witnesses, we can start anew. Our spirits will rise again and together we will proclaim “Alleluia! As he is Risen, now so are we!”

Rev. Moira K. Ahearne Community Presbyterian Church of Merrick

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

Holiday greetings from your local rabbis and pastors This Easter, do not be afraid Passover and Covid-19

15

April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

16

Bike biz takes off as homebound get out Gym, school closures leave families with time on their hands

By TIMOTHY DENTON tdenton@liherld.com

When it comes to social distancing, residents of Nassau County’s South Shore may be luckier than most. With more than 60 miles of beautiful pedestrian trails and bike paths, the area in and around Seaford and Wantagh is a rich environment for anyone seeking a cure for cabin fever.

It is not surprising then, that the Covid-19 crisis and its concomitant cadre of stay-at-home families has been a boon for the bicycle business.

“Pretty much everything,” was one sales associate’s response at Merrick Bicycles when asked last Thursday what was selling. He was even too busy to give h i s f u ll n a m e, simply identifying himself as “Mike.”

Dan Sirota, one of the managers at Brands Cycle & Fitness, finally got a breather at 8 p.m. on Saturday evening.

N o r m a l l y, sEaN MaHON Wantagh’s venSales associate, e r abl e b i cycl e Merrick Bicycles emporium, with more than 50 years’ experience, closes at 6. But with the crisis, the store has an appointment sheet similar to those used at computer stores to book consultations on equipment and exercise regimens.

Cycleries always show an uptick as winter gives way to spring, Sirota said, “but this year’s different.” People cooped up inside are looking for ways of escape.

The two stores limit the number of customers who may be inside the s t o re a ny t i m e, a n d d ro p - i n s a re strongly discouraged. Some of the stores’ empties work from home, but “this is a face-to-face business,” Merrick’s Sean Mahon said on Monday morning, when the store was quieter.

Both Sirota and Mahon said home exercise equipment was a top seller

a

nyone who can [work from home] is. … But some things have to be face to face.

Courtesy Merrick Bicycles

MErrIck BIcYclEs Is selling “everything,” a sales associate said last week, as people try to stay fit despite gym closures. r i g h t n o w. I n d o o r t r a i n e r s l i k e Wa h o o a l l ow cycl i s t s t o p ro g r a m their courses, including factors like wind sheer, difficulty of gradient and even the country or area they want to cycle in.

And clubs have formed, according to Brands’ Byron James, enabling people to have some sense of social contact as they ride the loops in Central Park, for example.

On the other hand, demand for apparel has gone down. “We’re selling everything from kids bikes to racing bikes,” said Mahon. But clothes and shoes? Not so much, he said.

Some of the two stores’ employees are working from home. “Anyone who can do that is,” Sirota said. “But some things have to be face to face.”

Public Notices

LMER1 0409

LEGAL NOTICE ASSESSOR’S NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF THE FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLL THE ASSESSOR OF THE COUNTY OF NASSAU HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that he has completed the 2020/2021 final assessment roll, which will be used for the 2021 levy of Town and County

Taxes in the Towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and the City of Glen Cove and the City of Long Beach, and for the 2020/2021 levy of school taxes in such Towns and in the City of Long Beach.

A certified electronic copy of the roll was filed with the Department of

Assessment on April 1, 2020. The electronic roll may be examined on public terminals located in the offices of: DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENT NASSAU COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING 240 OLD COUNTRY ROAD, FOURTH FLOOR MINEOLA, NY 11501

where the same will remain open for public inspection for fifteen days.

Dated this 1st day of April, 2020.

DAVID F. MOOG Nassau County Assessor 121537 Search for notices online at: www.mypublicnotices.com

Timothy Denton/Herald

BYrON JaMEs, Of Brands Bicycles & Fitness in Wantagh.

17

HE1 04/09

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

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Q. We live near the water and have vertical plank siding. I’m told it’s cedar. It’s been there many years, and we noticed that it’s rotted from the back side and ready to crumble. We like the look and even have it on our family room ceiling, which still looks new, but we’re concerned about how long it will last if we have new outside planks installed. Is there a better material to get the same look or a way to prevent the rotting?

We’ll meeT & beaT any priCe guaranTeed Owner/Operated • residential/COmmerCial

A.

© 2020 Monte Leeper Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

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I was looking at my ceiling just the other day, since you mentioned it. It’s not the best ceiling in the world, but it’s definitely up there.

In the early 1980s I must onte eeper have designed dozens of homes near the ocean that were covered in vertical tongue-and-groove interlocking siding. All cedar, it was coated with opaque stain that did a pretty good job of covering it and penetrating the wood. There were two problems I noticed. As often as possible, I tried to prevent potential rotting from the back side when I was either able to see the job or at least advise the owner to look for the method I specified for installation. The planks were to be installed over staggered horizontal wood strips that created a half-inch air space to allow inevitable moisture to drain downward, preventing mold and rot. The other item was to make sure the siding, and especially the joints, were fully stained to protect them.

Over the years, when an installer defied our notes on the plans by placing the planks right against house-wrap paper, I would stop by and walk up to the walls, which must have looked pretty suspicious to neighbors who wondered who was peering at the house. What I observed wasn’t surprising. The boards with the airspace lasted much longer, even though they still required expensive re-staining, than the boards with no airspace, which all deteriorated from the back side outward.

And you need not worry about the possibility of flame spread due to the chimney effect in the air space. Studies were done by several public and private agencies over the years, and they showed that flame consumes the oxygen in such a small airspace before it can replenish. It turns out that it takes at least an inch of airspace to support continuous combustion.

The alternative that will still give you the nautical look is vertical cement board, which also comes prefinished in numerous colors, can’t rot or support mildew, can’t burn and won’t chip, peel or crack. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, you still need to provide a moisture barrier that has enough spacing to drain from behind the panels. The best choice for this is a drainage fabric that resembles the intertwined look of an air conditioning filter. The best part of this choice is that the cement board siding is wind-rated for hurricanes. Enjoy your home!

Nass.

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April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

HERALD

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HE3 04/09

April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

20

News briefs Dean Skelos, citing coronavirus fears, wants out of prison now, not later

By Jill Nossa jnossa@liherald.com

Former State Sen. Dean Skelos, of Rockville Centre, sought early release from federal prison because he was worried about the c o r o n av i r u s p a n d e m i c , according to court papers.

Skelos, 72, filed a motion in federal court in Manhattan last week, asking to spend the remainder of his 51-month sentence in home confinement to lessen the risk of contracting the virus. Skelos still has more than two years left on his sentence for political Dean corruption, which he began serving in January 2019 at Otisville Correctional Facility, in Orange County. The motion, filed under seal, was opposed by federal prosecutors in papers filed publicly, saying that an application

for release should first be filed with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which could better assess his health situation.

The prosecutors noted that steps were being taken to stop the spread of the disease in federal prison, and said that, since Skelos lives in New York state, “the global epicenter of the coronavirus,” he has not provided any information to show that he would be better protected outside of prison. The judge, Kimba Wood, had decided as of press time.

Skelos was convicted in July 2018 of using his political power to secure roughly skelos $300,000 in jobs and fees for his son Adam, also of Rockville Centre. They were each convicted on eight counts of conspiracy, extortion and bribery. Adam Skelos was sentenced to four years in prison.

Courtesy Debbie Greco Cohen

Nassau couNty is hiring a consulting firm to develop an “economic portrait” of the county after the coronavirus crisis has abated.

PeoPle have uNtil Aug. 14 to respond to the U.S. Census.

Be counted — the 2020 Census is under way By scott BriNtoN sbrinton@liherald.com

April 1 was Census Day, when the federal government counts every person across the United States and five of its territories.

Population counts are used to allocate seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to states. The 435 seats in the House are divided up by the population of each state. The larger the population of a state, the more seats it receives.

A state’s population is also used to allocate federal funding for a variety of programs.

Federal officials are urging everyone to fill out the census online, by phone or mail. Census invitations were mailed earlier in March. You may respond after April 1.

The census is mandated every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution.

Who is counted? Here are directions from the 2020 Census website, 2020census. gov: “You should be counted where you are living and sleeping most of the time as of April 1, 2020. If you are responding for your home, count everyone who lives and sleeps there most of the time as of April 1, 2020. This includes young children, foster children, roommates, and any family members or friends who are living with

you, even temporarily.

“Please note that if someone is staying with you temporarily on April 1 due to the COVID-19 situation, they should be counted where they usually live. This includes college students, who should still be counted at school, even if they are home early because of the COVID-19 situation. If they live in student housing, the college will count them. If they live off campus, they should respond for the offcampus address and include any roommates or other people living there.”

Below is a timeline of upcoming dates: ■ April 29 – May 1: The Census Bureau will count homeless people over these three days. Census takers count people in shelters, at soup kitchens and mobile food vans, on the streets and at outdoor locations like tent encampments.

■ April 16 – June 19: Census takers will work with administrators at colleges, senior centers, prisons and other facilities that house large groups of people to ensure everyone is counted.

■ May 27 – Aug. 14: Census takers will interview homes that have not responded to the 2020 Census to help make sure everyone is counted.

■ December: The Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the president and Congress as required by law.

County hires consultant to study the economy Hempstead Town waiving water fees By scott BriNtoN sbrinton@liherald.com

County Executive Laura Curran stood last Thursday at the Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola with the two heads of Nassau’s Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council — Industrial Development Agency Chairman Richard Kessel and Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz —to announce results of a weeklong survey to assess the state of local business amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The news were grim.

The county received 1,431 responses to the survey, Curran said. Many businesses said they have or would need to lay off workers. Half predicted no profit for the year. And 80 percent said they would need loans to sustain their businesses.

“It’s pain now, and we know it’s going to be pain down the road,” the county executive said.

Nassau, she said, has hired HR&A Advisors, a real estate and economic advisory firm based in New York City, to develop an “economic portrait” of the county before and after the crisis. From there, the firm can create models of the county’s potential economic state in order to prove future need for federal and state aid.

Curran said she was “incredibly grateful for the help received by the state and federal government.”

But, she noted, “we will need more.”

She also said she would work closely with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on a regional plan for future economic development after the medical crisis has abated.

The Town of Hempstead is waiving all late fees and penalties for three months for its water customers who do not pay their bills on time, according to a news release issued by the town Wednesday.

The measure required legislation, which was supported unanimously by Town Supervisor Donald Clavin and the other six members of the town board.

The town’s Department of Water serves 37,000 customers in the Bowling Green, Donald East Meadow, Levittown, Roosevelt Field, Lido Beach, Point Lookout and Uniondale water districts.

“People are worried and concerned about COVID-19, and are contending

with major life changes, including business and job losses, reduced income and medical concerns,” Clavin said. “Our hope is that this bill will help give people one less thing to worry about during this uncertain period.”

Customers are billed quarterly according to their metered consumption, and late payments are subject to penalties and interest. Under the new legislation, all penalties and interest charges for an individual that would norclavin mally accrue during the Water Department’s billing period – March 15 to June 15 this year – are waived.

–Scott Brinton

21

oPinions

lease allow me to reminisce about the past. I’m no longer a young politician, but I’m very much an alert senior citizen who can clearly recall the experiences in my life that have left an indelible imprint on my heart and soul.

I refer specifically to my recollections about the presidents of my past. I vividly recall my early childhood, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. My parents came of age during the Depression, and they worshipped Roosevelt for his soothing messages to AmerJeRRY ica during World kReMeR War II. I was a child, but I could see how his fireside chats helped my parents survive the stresses of the war.

I still can feel the tremors that reverberated across the country the day Roosevelt died. The neighborhood churches in Brooklyn rang their bells incessantly to tell the world that one of its greatest leaders was gone. My mother and father kept asking, how would their America survive?

i

Along came a former haberdasher named Harry S. Truman, who assured America that all would be well. In the ensuing years, he helped end the war, and assured our country that he was in charge, and that “The buck stops here.”

He assured us that our national agony was over. He did his job but never lost sight of his local roots. Truman was a great cheerleader for America.

He was followed by former Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had helped defeat the enemy armies in the war. He became a grandfatherly symbol to Americans, and made us feel that we no longer had to worry about foreign wars.

Fast-forward to the days of President John F. Kennedy. Young and vibrant, he made the nation feel that our future would be bright and promising. He energized the White House, and made millions of young people eager to embark on careers in public service. When he died, almost everyone in our nation felt the pain.

After the failures of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan emerged as the strong father figure that was needed to soothe our new global fears. His experience in

s

Hollywood helped him eloquently express his concerns for America, and he won over many of his skeptics.

The next trauma came during the tenure of Bill Clinton. On April 19, 1995, two American-born terrorists blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring nearly 700 others, many of them children. Our nation went into shock after the tragedy, and President Clinton became the healerin-chief with his soothing words, assuring us that we were better than those two criminals.

I recall President George W. Bush standing amid the rubble of the still-smoldering World Trade Center on Sept. 14, 2001, assuring America that we would catch the perpetrators of the attacks three days earlier. It was a shining moment not just for him, but for all of America.

Fast-forward to 2015, when a gunman opened fire at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., killing nine people.

Afterward, President Barack Obama offered words of compassion that captured the feelings of all Americans — and even led the singing of “Amazing Grace” at the funeral of one of the victims.

adly, there’s no FDR, no Reagan, no Bush, no Obama in this White House.

Now it is 2020. We are a nation living in fear of the unknown. Caught in the clutches of a pandemic, we must seek solace from our governors and our local leaders. We cling to the words of medical experts and our clergy, because we lack a powerful voice in the White House that could tell us that we are stronger than any virus.

We survived World War II and Oklahoma City and Sept. 11 because, when challenged, we united and rose to the occasion. Facing a disease that keeps us awake at night and could wreck our economy, we’re in need of a voice from on high that would give us the strength to carry on, but sadly, there is no such voice in the Oval Office. All we hear is the echo chamber telling our president how great he is, not how great he could be.

I pray that in your lifetimes we will again have a national leader who will remind us what Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama sounded like in times of national need.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years.

He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? JKremer@liherald.com.

Dear President Trump: This is killing us

f only Donald Trump had taken the same Hippocratic Oath our doctors take when they graduate from medical school: “First, do no harm.”

Instead, as we live through this global pandemic, we are caught between trained doctors, offering us fact-based science, and the White House, offering political expediency and short-sighted policy that could actually lead to more loss of life.

This is the worst, I thought as the virus spread over the past two weeks. But it wasn’t the worst.

The medical fight against the disease has been handiRandi capped by a presikReiss dent who is ignoring scientific evidence and the best advice of medical professions. He has denied, lied and deceived the public about the very existence of the coronavirus. He misled his fellow Americans about the severity of the disease. Early on, when he could have blunted the effects of a fullblown epidemic, he refused to take action, which would have mitigated the loss of life we are seeing every day.

What a week. As we move through this all-consuming emergency, ordinary peo-

ple, who want to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, are looking for advice based on sound medical practice.

The Hippocratic Oath, which evolved from the work of Hippocrates of Kos, who lived in the 5th century B.C., codifies the ethics and standards doctors still embrace. Not every doctor actually takes the oath in modern times, but some still do, and doctors around the world adhere to the tenets of selflessness, service and care.

In a bizarre turn of events, Trump has set himself up as qualified to tout experimental medicines that have been rushed through the approval process and administered to sick patients on a trial basis. He has pushed right past the obvious equivocation of the physicians standing with him during the nightly press conferences/ political rallies. Was it ever writ larger than this? Elections have consequences, and one of the unforeseen consequences of 2016 is our living through a once-in-acentury pandemic without qualified, stable or sensitive leadership.

This is a human rights issue, a political issue and a medical issue. We are stumbling through this valley hobbled by leaders who have no regard for the health and

T

safety of millions of vulnerable Americans.

As I wrote two weeks ago (during this siege my column may not appear every week), the heartening news is that this ship can sail without a captain. All hands are onboard. All of us in our everyday lives are listening to the experts and trying to limit the spread of Covid-19 by observing physical distance rules and absorbing the pain of isolation and loneliness. Hundreds of thousands of us are quarantining ourselves and staying indoors to help stop this modern plague. We’re doing our part.

As always, there is inspiration and precedent to be found in literature. I’ve been reading “Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour,” by Lynne Olson. What we’re living through has similarities to the Blitz, when Germany dropped some 30,000 incendiary bombs on London beginning in September 1940 and continuing for 57 consecutive nights. The bombing did not end for eight months.

Britain had Winnie, of course. Winston Churchill helped the people of London survive the Blitz by telling them how hard it was going to be. He said it would cost

he heartening news is that this ship can sail without a captain.

them blood, sweat and tears. He spoke the truth in terrible times, asked much of his fellow Brits, and they, in turn, summoned the courage they needed.

Hand in hand with the English people were the American journalists who lived through the bombing and reported the stories of stoicism and survival back to the American public. Those reports helped pull the United States into the war, and led ultimately to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The heroes of that era were the leaders who never faltered, the everyday citizens who crawled out of bombed apartments to go to work and the journalists who told the story. The heroes of this troubled time will be the doctors and other medical workers who turn up every day on the front lines of this epic battle, and the reporters and photographers who are telling the story, writing the first rough draft of history.

We don’t have a Winston Churchill in the White House. Trump delayed enacting the Defense Production Act until last Friday, and thereby delayed the manufacture of desperately needed ventilators. He continues to mislead the nation about the availability of testing, and the hard news about how long we will live in crisis mode.

In that, he is failing to protect and defend us.

Copyright 2020 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

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Longing for a comforting voice from a true leader

22 Merrick

Herald editorial

Merrick

April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

HERALD HERALD and Merrick Herald News Established 1994

Incorporating Merrick Beacon 1950-2020

AlyssA seidmAn Editor Andrew GArciA Reporter Audrey cohen robert cumminGs Advertising Account Executives office 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Web: www.liherald.com E-mail: merrickeditor@liherald.com Copyright © 2020 Richner Communications, Inc.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS Robert Richner Edith Richner Publishers, 1964-1987 ■ clifford richner stuArt richner Publishers michAel boloGnA Vice President - Operations

Give what you can in these challenging days

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t the Herald, we want to add our voices to the growing chorus of supporters thanking our frontline medical workers and first responders who are, as they say, doing God’s work. Each day, they put their lives on the line to save others. We can only admire their bravery, tenacity and sense of humanity.

That being said, these good men and women could use more than our thanks.

They could use our financial support.

We don’t presume to speak for them, but they no doubt appreciate the cards, cheers and pizzas — keep ’em coming. Hospitals, however, have been stretched to their limits, not only in people power, but also in their finances.

These are tough times financially. So many have lost their jobs or had their

■ scott brinton Executive Edtitor Jim hArmon

Copy Editor christinA dAly Photo Editor tony bellissimo Sports Editor KAren bloom Calendar Editor ■ rhondA GlicKmAn Vice President - Sales ellen reynolds Classified Manager lori berGer Digital Sales Manager ■

Jeffrey neGrin Creative Director crAiG white Production Coordinator crAiG cArdone Art Director ■ diAnne rAmdAss Circulation Director

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emergency medical technicians are putting themselves in harm’s way like never before. Covid-19 is a respiratory disease.

Many firefighters’ lungs are damaged because of the smoke they have breathed in while responding to calls over the years, potentially making them more susceptible to this virus.

You might also give to your local food pantries, which are running low.

Finally, the Herald is coordinating the purchase of large orders of food and other goodies for our healthcare workers and first responders, as well as patients in hospitals and other care facilities. Go to liherald.com/heroes to donate. We will use all donations, along with donations from our parent company Richner Communications Inc., to purchase food and other goods from our local restaurants and businesses.

Keep up the social distancing wo weeks ago, one South Shore school board member issued an urgent appeal to students in her district: Stop congregating. Stay

apart.

That same day, an editor of this paper was riding his bicycle through his neighborhood and couldn’t help notice groups of people gathering on sidewalks. One older man was smoking a cigar in a circle of neighbors. A family was barbecuing in their driveway, welcoming folks from surrounding homes.

These were the initial days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a stay-at-home order, which too many people seemed to treat as a mini-vacation. They had no idea what was coming.

In the days that followed, as the number of positive tests for Covid-19 climbed and

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herAld community newsPAPers

hours reduced. Many people are suddenly scraping by after having been solidly in the black only a matter of weeks ago.

For those who can, however, please consider giving to our hospitals, which are nonprofits. We need them, and they need us.

To give to Mount Sinai South Nassau, go to https://www.southnassau.org/sn/give.

• To give to the Northwell Health Foundation, go to https://give.northwell.edu.

• To give to Mercy Medical Center, go to https://mercymedicalcenter.chsli.org/ ways-give.

• To give to NYU Winthrop, go to https:// nyuwinthrop.org/giving/.

• To give to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, go to https://ehs.org.

You also might donate to your local volunteer fire department. Firefighters and

letters We still have to care for the environment To the Editor: I have mailed, faxed and emailed Governor Cuomo’s office about the specifics of “essential” landscapers and what they are allowed to do and not do. Specifically, I’m asking about the use of leaf blowers.

With several landscaping companies using them at once, they are potentially blowing toxic air into our homes, cars and faces during this Covid-19 pandemic. I hope their use will be temporarily banned.

I’m also disappointed that the state has postponed enforcement of the single-use plastic bag ban. Plastic bangs are polluting our waterways

the sobering death totals began streaming in, people got the message. No longer do they stand side by side or in tight lines in supermarkets. Gone are the barbecues and close clutches of socializing teenagers.

The message was loud of clear: This pandemic is not a hoax. It is very real.

Over this past weekend, however, we learned that Nassau County had the thirdhighest number of coronavirus cases of any county in the state, surpassing Westchester, where the outbreak began in New York, Manhattan and the Bronx. Only Queens and Brooklyn (a.k.a. Queens and Kings counties) had higher totals.

Nassau’s and Suffolk’s fast-climbing numbers prompted the governor to warn that the outbreak was shifting from New York City to Long Island. As of Monday,

more than 15,600 people had tested positive in Nassau.

That figure may very well reflect lax social distancing practices in the days after people were first told to stay home.

We will be tempted to loosen our social distancing practices. It’s hard to remain regimented for weeks on end. We can’t give up, though. There’s simply too much at stake. Forgoing social distancing and sound hygiene practices now would only prolong the crisis.

The pandemic will end. Statewide, we saw hopeful signs on Sunday.

On the other hand, those hopeful signs could be illusory. Hospitalizations and deaths could very well climb again. Which is why we must — must — remain disciplined and continue to practice social distancing.

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opinions

s another week has passed, and as we fight through this pandemic together, I continue to think about our Long Island Rail Road workforce, which continually rises to the challenge.

They are on the front lines, playing a key role in the response to this emergency as the LIRR provides a vital service to Long Island and the region, currently the nation’s epicenter of a global health crisis.

Our employees are heroes moving heroes. The workforce shows up each day to ensure phiLLip that we can safely enG transport fellow front-line workers — the nurses, doctors, police and other first responders, as well as the grocery store, pharmacy and transportation workers, and so many others who are helping us live.

Together with our labor partners, we’re ensuring that employees and customers alike remain safe.

Since this pandemic began hitting our state, the LIRR has seen a decline in ridership of about 90 percent. Adjusting to this

drop, while ensuring that we’re able to care for our employees and still provide critical service, we enacted the MTA Essential Service Plan, which began March 27. We are still running over 500 weekday trains, maintaining a 65 percent service level compared with a typical weekday. We also have crews and equipment on standby to supplement service if necessary.

We’re constantly monitoring this new service, and staying engaged with our customers and local elected officials and community leaders, listening to their feedback and adjusting where we need to. We’ve added trains strategically where the need was greater to enable customers to maintain safe social distancing.

We have eliminated cash transactions, closed all station waiting rooms and ticket windows, shut down our Lost & Found Office and the West End concourse of Penn Station.

We continue to distribute masks and gloves to employees, and provide washing stations, hand sanitizers, disinfected work areas and other protections they need, and deserve, to stay healthy. Our courageous workforce is doing what public ser-

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hey doing not just a job, but a true service to their fellow New Yorkers.

Letters and harming wildlife. I don’t understand why markets can’t use paper bags for the time being.

Finally, I received a notice from the Town of Hempstead indicating that, as of Monday, there would no longer be recycling during the pandemic. The town wants us to hold on to all of our recyclables until further notice. I plan to call the town to inquire if there could at least be drop-off bins where conscientious people could deposit them.

We’re not moving in the right direction on the environment. Three wrongs will not make anything right.

MARCIA DITIERI North Merrick

Pets and the coronavirus To the Editor: Pet owners can rest easy that there is no reason to believe dogs or cats in the U.S. might be a source of infection for Covid-19 or cause its spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And so far, according to the CDC, there have been no reports of pets becoming sick with the coronavirus.

It appears to be transmitted primarily from human to human. Pet owners may have heard of canine coronavirus, an intestinal infection in dogs, especially puppies, and feline coronavirus, which can cause feline infectious peritonitis, or

vants do. They aren’t just doing a job; they are doing a true service to their fellow New Yorkers. I simply can’t thank them enough.

I ask my fellow Long Islanders to continue to practice good hygiene. Social distancing is key. We cannot stress enough the importance of flattening the curve and what it will mean to the recovery of New York, New Yorkers and the rest of the country.

We know how trying these times are. But it is the efforts of our customers and LIRR employees that are an uplifting boost to us as management and labor leaders. They are the backbone of this pandemic response.

LIRR management and local labor leaders are in contact daily. They’re sharing important feedback, too, and this open dialogue has enabled us to better support the LIRR workforce, as our employees and as union members. Thank you to those who have been providing us the feedback that helps us better protect you. Please know that this line of communication remains open, always, and we’re all better for your thoughts and suggestions.

Even with all the precautions we’re

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 9, 2020

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I’m proud of our LIRR workers

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taking, it’s crucial that we continue to focus on reducing the spread of the coronavirus. This means that unless you’re an essential worker, stay home. Do not ride public transportation unless it’s absolute- can cle life tha ly necessary.

Whether you’re at home or reporting my hea I ref to work, wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds, and use hand sanitizer if about t soap and water aren’t available. Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve if you don’t have a tissue, and, most important, if you’re feeling sick, stay home.

My heart goes out to all who are affected by this illness, especially those in our MTA family. To those who are currently being treated for Covid-19, please know that you are in our thoughts, and we wish you a speedy recovery. Take good care of yourselves.

If there is a bright side to all of this, it’s that a large percentage of people, including many railroad employees, who have contracted the virus are recovering from it and returning to their daily lives. side ch Of the 378 LIRR employees who were on stresse I sti home quarantine as of last Thursday, 103 berated have returned to work.

I look forward to the day our LIRR fam- evelt d ily is all back together, standing side by Brookl tell the side and marching forward, together. ers wa Phillip Eng is president of the Long Island asking vive?

Rail Road.

FrAmework by Jack Healy

FIP. These viruses have been around for quite some time, and are not associated with the current outbreak.

To protect yourself, your family and possibly even your pets from this new coronavirus, you should follow these precautions:

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■ Frequently wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer with more than 60 percent alcohol if you can’t wash.

■ Maintain social distancing outside of your immediate family.

■ Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and then throw the tissue away and wash your hands.

■ Sanitize often-used surfaces in your home and office.

The CDC recommends that you restrict contact with pets and other animals if you become sick, just as you would with people. Ask another member of your household to care for your pets while you’re ill. If you must do it yourself, wash your hands before and after you interact with your pets, and wear a facemask. The toughest part for pet lovers is that you must remember that you should not pet, snuggle or share kisses or food with your pet.

THE STAFF OF THE NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAgUE AMERICA

He’s gonna need a bigger mask — Seaford

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April 9, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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