Coronavirus in Nassau: County Hits 2 Reopening Goals

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — At her daily briefing Wednesday, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said the county has achieved two of the three milestones the CDC says municipalities need to meet to begin lifting coronavirus-related lockdowns.

Curran said that the county has seen steady decreases in COVID-19 hospitalizations and tests for the virus coming back positive — two measures the CDC says municipalities must achieve before they can lift lockdown restrictions. The third — more robust testing — is being worked on.

"These milestones are the result of work we've done together as a county," Curran said.

For 14 days straight, the county has seen decreasing hospitalizations for people with the coronavirus, Curran said. There are currently 1,368 people in Nassau hospitals with the virus Wednesday, which is a drop of 91 from Tuesday. There has also been a steady decline in the number of patients in the ICU and those on ventilators.

There are also fewer people testing positive for the disease, Curran said. During the height of the outbreak in March, about half of the coronavirus tests of Nassau residents were coming back positive. Today, it's around 15 percent.

Expanded testing, both viral and antibody tests, is the third item the county needs to meet CDC criteria for reopening. The county has been expanding the availability of viral tests, which determine whether or not a person currently has a COVID-19 infection, Curran said. Last week, the county opened up testing sites in the hard-hit communities of Hempstead and Freeport. On Tuesday, a testing site was opened in Elmont, and another should be open in Westbury by the end of the week, Curran said.

The county has is now partnering with Northwell Health to conduct antibody tests, Curran said. The antibody tests determine whether a person has antibodies for COVID-19, which could mean they can't become sick with it again. Curran said the tests won't be available to everyone, but will before first responders and employees of the county's Department of Health.

"We waited to get the right test," said Curran. "There were a lot of tests out there were not validated. We want the best for our workers."

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But despite the positive numbers, reopening Nassau depends on the state. Curran said that state orders would supersede the county's plans.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York state will remain closed until at least May 15. The stay-home order will be extended for areas of the state, but he has not yet said which. It is likely, however, that Nassau County will have its order extended because of the high number of coronavirus cases here, as well as its proximity to New York City, which is still a hotbed of the virus.

Curran also said she will be holding a live Facebook Town Hall this evening with local congressional representatives. Those interested in viewing can go to the county executive's Facebook page at 6:30 p.m. Representatives Peter King, Tom Suozzi, Kathleen Rice and Gregory Meeks will join Curran for the event.