Valley Stream
HERALD
lIJ V.S. confirms more virus cases
Solages, Meeks update public
New VSFD procedures
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Vol. 31 No. 13
MARCH 26 - APRIl 1, 2020
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Most businesses shut down Governor orders closures amid Covid-19 outbreak by PeteR belFIoRe pbelfiore@liherald.com
Peter Belfiore/Herald
WItH tHe NuMbeR of coronavirus cases soaring statewide, Mitzs Walcott, owner of Mitzs Trend Inc., said the order to close all barbershops, hair and nail salons, and tattoo parlors in New York was likely necessary. “Our life is more valuable than anything,” she said.
Jonathan Diaz said he wondered how he would feed his child. He has worked as a barber at Valley Stream’s Klipper Kings on Merrick Road for the past 16 years, and with the clientele he has developed in that time, he said he could make nearly $300 a day. On March 16, as word of the coronavirus got out, he made $68. Despite the downtur n, which Diaz attributed to mounting fears of the COVID-
19 outbreak leading customers to stay home, he said the haircutting business had remained steady, albeit reduced. “People still want to look fresh,” he said. All of that changed last Frid ay m o r n i n g wh e n G ov. Andrew Cuomo closed all barbershops, hair and nail salons, and tattoo parlors statewide, effective at 8 p.m. on Saturday, to slow the pandemic’s spread. Later, he ordered the closure of all “non-essential” businesses. Essential services include medical, police, fire, water, sewer Continued on page 10
Valley Stream students cope with virus’s new realities by NICole AlCINDoR nalcindor@liherald.com
Amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, Valley Stream students have turned to their loved ones for support, comfort and e n t e r t a i n m e n t s i n c e G ov. Andrew Cuomo closed schools across the state through April 1 and mandated the closure of businesses for everyone except “essential” workers. Over the past two weeks, 2019 South High School graduate Abigail Arjune, 18, said she has relied on her sister, Sarah, 15, to help get her through what she described as one of the hardest times of her life.
“I didn’t think it would get to this point and that it would get this bad,” Abigail said. “The hardest part is that I have to stay at home, and I can’t see my friends or [extended] family members . . . I miss them, and it’s lonely.” After a few days in isolation, Abigail said she started to connect with her sister in new ways. “We go for walks together now, and recently we even had a mini-photo shoot together in the park,” she said. “This is weird that we’re living through this time . . . but we’re trying to have fun while establishing a routine.” As a freshman at St. John’s
University, Arjune said she had experienced a seismic shift in her education since the school’s switch to online learning, after St. John’s and colleges across the state closed their campuses. “Everyone’s online experience is different,” she said. “I’m taking five classes, and in some of them I’m struggling to keep up, but at least I don’t have to sit through long, extended classes anymore.” Va l l e y S t r e a m e r S a s hy Palaguachi, 19, a freshman at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the pandemic has affected her financially and emotionally. Last week she filed for unemployment after she was
laid off from her job at a car dealer. “This is scary,” she said. “I have to figure out how I’m going to pay for things now.” John Jay has also moved to online learning, which Palaguachi said lacks the hands-on experience of classroom learning that she was accustomed to and appreciates.
“When you learn in the classroom, you can talk more about lessons and learn directly from a teacher,” she said. “Online learning just requires you to submit to a virtual world.” Palaguachi said, though, that the statewide quarantine has allowed her to express her creative side. “I’ve been writing, Continued on page 3