Five Towns officials: Covid-19 is not over

With Inwood and Lawrence currently in the orange zone of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s cluster hotspots and Cedarhurst in the yellow zone, local officials are reacting.

Lawrence village mayor, Alex Edelman, said that he has spoken with Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and county Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, and Cuomo’s office.

In an email to residents Edelman said. “As a result, the village once again urges every resident to obey the law and wear a mask outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained. As holidays approach, compliance is required so that cases do not increase and subsequent intrusive governmental action can be avoided.”

Edelman noted that the current 5 percent Covid-19 infection rate in Lawrence compared to the county’s 1 percent infection is “unacceptable.” “These numbers must be reduced and each of us must comply with the Covid restrictions in order to do so,” he stated.

Cedarhurst Mayor Benjamin Weinstock pulled no punches regarding Cuomo’s present initiative. He noted that placing restrictions on houses of worship and mass gatherings and closing schools is not the right response. “It is the wrong solution, ineffective and puts people at risk,” Weinstock said. “It doesn’t solve the problem and with kids not in school it makes it worse.”

 Edelman’s email included an update on the coronavirus pandemic written by Dr. Marc Sicklick, a Lawrence resident with a practice in Cedarhurst who specializes in allergies, asthma and immunology.

“One basic premise that I stated a few months ago is that coronavirus infections typically tend to decrease in the mid-spring and to return in the early fall,” Sicklick stated. “We cannot behave in the fall as we did in the summer if we expect to beat Covid without many casualties and deaths.

“A second premise is that what I’m writing is not about the politics of personal choice vs. government mandates,” he stated. “My agenda is from a medical perspective. It is to minimize damage to ourselves and our families while maximizing life as much as possible. Our collective goal should be to be as safe as possible while keeping children in school, businesses and stores open, religious life functioning -- to keep life as close to normal as is possible.  If we don’t do this on our own, it will be done through state government action and will be at times heavy handed and arbitrary. The state is not acting as a partner with local government. It has decided to be the overall supreme authority.”

Sicklick reviews eight common misconceptions.

1) “I already had it.  I can't get it again.”
This is wrong. We don’t know that and there are suspected second cases. In addition, even if you can’t get it again in the short term, and three months might be a reasonable window, it is not a lifetime pass. Furthermore, it's quite possible that you can carry and spread the disease even if you can't get sick.

2) “I have antibodies so I'm protected.”
This, too, is wrong. Antibodies are a nice epidemiologic tool to track the disease. Antibodies mean that you have been exposed to the virus. They do not guarantee immunity and don't justify risk taking.

3) “It’s over.”
This is so wrong that hearing this said is incomprehensible to me. Look at all the numbers. They are rising. We are a hotspot. We don’t have herd immunity. It’s not over. It’s not even stable. It’s getting worse. The good projections show us going from what was a handful of daily deaths in the state in the summer to triple digits daily deaths by late fall.

4) “I'm only seeing family so I'm being careful.  It's only my siblings, my married children, etc.” This, too, is wrong. If they don’t live in your house, they have a different world of risks and contacts. Common DNA is not a source of  protection.

5) “I don't need to mask.”
It doesn’t help. It isn’t worth the discomfort. It’s my personal choice. I’ve heard all the reasons. While a non-N95 does not (fully) protect me from you, you and I wear masks to protect you from me. It is a communal obligation to be part of society and a collective obligation not to put anyone else at risk. This isn’t about me taking a chance on my health or life. It’s about me taking a chane on your life.

6) “If I'm in quarantine, I can take a test to see if I have Covid and if I'm negative, I can end my quarantine.” Wrong. It can take up to 14 days to turn positive. You cannot test yourself out of quarantine. A negative test early in the period does not rule out Covid.

7) “My grandchildren are coming in from out of state. They look healthy and I’m not quarantining them. There’s no need.” Wrong. I don’t even understand this thought process. Do you think it’s okay to endanger your neighbors?   

8) “I'm taking a vacation in a quarantined state, but I’m flying into Philadelphia, or I’m driving all the way, so I don’t need to quarantine.” Who’s to know and I feel fine. Really?  Does the 14- day medical period needed to develop Covid not apply to you? I get calls from people every day asking me to do something about their neighbors. We all have to make this behavior socially unacceptable.