Coronavirus In Nassau: 27 Dead, 4,657 Cases

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Nassau County is implementing new measures to keep the government operating as coronavirus cases in the area continue to grow by hundreds every day and the number of deaths grew to more than two dozen.

As of Friday morning, there were 4,657 coronavirus cases in Nassau County — the third-highest in the state. That's an increase of 743 from Thursday. There were also eight new deaths linked to the virus, bringing the total number of Nassau residents killed by coronavirus to 27.

A number of police officers have been infected. As of Friday, there were 49 officers infected and 120 in self-isolation. One officer was admitted to the hospital; the officer is recovering and expected to be released shortly, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.

Residents are urged to maintain social distancing and keep themselves at home. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced he was extended the closure of New York schools to April 15. And Long Beach closed its boardwalk, where people were gathering in large groups despite repeated warnings.

"If this is a war, we each have to do our part to support the front line," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.

Curran also signed an executive order Friday mandating that all county employees, where possible, work from home. Those employees will have to track and report the hours they work.

Nassau County Sheriff James Dzurenda outlined steps the Nassau County Correctional Center is taking to protect inmates and corrections officers. All new inmates are being held in a special housing unit for 14 days after arrival. All new admissions will be monitored for signs of coronavirus and will not be transferred out of the unit unless they are medically cleared and show no signs of the virus.

Any inmate who shows signs of infection will be moved to a special quarantine unit. Inmates in the general housing units are still allowed outside, but only in small groups to maintain social distancing. As no visitors are currently allowed in the prison, the inmates are getting free phone time each week to maintain contact with family and friends. There are also two crews who have been trained on properly cleaning surfaces at the facility.

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While cases continue to rise in Nassau, the coronavirus is spreading quickly across the state. Though the rate of infection is slowing, the number of confirmed cases is still growing every day. Cuomo said the state is now expecting to reach the height of cases in 21 days.

There are more than 44,500 confirmed cases in New York and 519 deaths attributed to the virus.

"That is going to continue to go up, and that is the worst news that I could possibly tell the people of the state of New York," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he is seeking permission from the federal government to build four more temporary hospitals, each of which would have 1,000 beds. The goal would be to have one temporary hospital in each of the five boroughs, as well as Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties.

But throughout the craziness, there has been a bright spot: People have stepped up in droves to help. Earlier this week, the state put out a call to retired medical professionals to volunteer to help staff the hospital beds that are being added. In just a few days, Cuomo said, 62,000 people answered the call to help. Additionally, more than 10,000 mental health professionals in the state volunteered to offer online counseling to people who are feeling isolated and scared during the pandemic.

Here are the latest coronavirus case totals for the most-impacted areas of New York:

• New York City: 25,398
• Westchester: 7,187
• Nassau: 4,657
• Suffolk: 3,385
• Rockland: 1,457
• Orange: 910
• Dutchess: 225
• Erie: 219
• Albany: 187
• Monroe: 160

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