Glen Cove Ferry Service Launch Delayed Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

GLEN COVE, NY — The long awaited Glen Cove ferry service will not open Memorial Day as the state grapples with new coronavirus, which has led to thousands of deaths statewide, decimated business and forced all nonessential workers, many of whom commute to New York City, to stay home.

Tim Tenke, the mayor of Glen Cove, announced last week that the city's first priority is to protect the community and keep people safe. As the coronavirus outbreak leads to the deaths of several hundred New Yorkers a day, officials decided launching the service was "not a viable option." The mayor's office was in contact with state transportation officials and the Federal Highway Administration when it came to the decision, Tenke said.

Tenke said the city received an extension of the official launch, which will be planned to coincide with when commuters will regularly return to work in Manhattan. Furthermore, officials will try to be in lockstep with its ferry operator, Hornblower.

"We are all optimistic and remain excited to launch this extraordinary amenity to serve our residents in Glen Cove and all of Long Island," Tenke said.

He added: "Above all, we will continue to keep the health and safety of residents and commuters our top priority and we look forward to providing more updates on the timing of the ferry launch as soon as possible."

Glen Cove has been one of the hardest hit communities in Nassau County, with 444 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease as of Wednesday. As of Tuesday, there were over 25,000 confirmed positive cases in Nassau County and about 1,000 deaths. In New York, the death toll climbed to ver 10,800 on Tuesday.

Workers hoping to return to normal work life could be waiting a while.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday reiterated he will try to avoid restarting the economy too soon, which has led to so-called "second waves" of outbreaks in other places, including Italy and Hong Kong. Cuomo has been at odds with President Donald Trump, who tweeted Tuesday that Democratic governors were acting like "mutineers" in resisting his desire to reopen businesses.