Coronavirus In Nassau: County Facing Huge Budget Deficit

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Though more Nassau County residents are leaving hospitals than being admitted to them with the coronavirus, there is now another crisis looming over the horizon for the county: a massive budget deficit.

At her daily press briefing on Tuesday, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said that the county is facing a deficit of $260 million out of its $3.5 billion budget — a budget hole of 7.4 percent.

"Just like as for our families and businesses, these are going to be very challenging, very rough times," Curran said.

Sales tax makes up 40 percent of the county's revenue, Curran said, and the county is forecasting a 1o percent decline in sales tax. It actually comes out to a loss of more than $300 million, but the county has funds to cover part of that.

"We've been very disciplined in our spending," said Curran. "We've been holding the line on spending and holding the line on government growth. Wo we can apply the savings we got from being fiscally disciplined last year toward this crisis."

Curran said she is directing all county department and agency heads to find cost-saving opportunities. The first of those is an immediate freeze on new hires and non-essential purchases. It will also entail a thorough review of outside contracts.

The county's federal representatives are working to secure funding for local municipalities. Curran said she is hopeful that will be able to help the county recover.

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The coronavirus is still a problem in the county as well, although it seems to be on the decline. There are now 31,079 confirmed cases of the virus in the county, which goes back to the first case in early March, Curran said, and includes many people who have already resolved.

There are currently 1,999 coronavirus patients in Nassau hospitals, Curran said, which is a decrease of 44 from Monday. It is now the sixth straight day of declining hospitalizations. There are also fewer people on ventilators.

The number of deaths, however, continues to increase. There are now 1,390 Nassau residents who have been killed by the virus.

But there are also fewer people testing positive for the virus, Curran said. At the peak of the crisis, nearly half of the coronavirus tests that were conduct came back positive. Today, it's 30 percent.

"If any healthcare workers are listening, thank you for what you're doing," said Curran. "You're amazing and you're saving lives."