The Peru Gazette

We are seeing thousands of New Yorkers exercising their right to peacefully protest — twenty thousand protesters in New York City, one thousand protesters on Long Island and more throughout the state. But we still need to remain vigilant about spreading the COVID virus. New York has expanded Coronavirus testing criteria to include all protesters who attended recent events. I encourage any individual who participated in a protest to get a test. Be responsible, wear a mask and get a test. There are 700 testing facilities throughout New York and anyone can go to coronavirus.health.ny.gov and find a testing site near you.

Chart of the Day: New York has aggressively ramped up our testing capacity and the percentage of positive tests has dropped dramatically.

1. Schools will be permitted to hold drive-in and drive-through graduation ceremonies this year. The state will reexamine socially-distanced outdoor commencements at a later time.

2. The State Department of Financial Services will issue an emergency regulation to help businesses and consumers who suffered damage from looting and vandalism. DFS is directing insurers to expedite claims, provide free mediation of disputes and accept photos as reasonable proof of loss so businesses don’t have to wait for police reports. More information is available at dfs.ny.gov.

3. Medical schools statewide will be allowed to reopen on June 22nd. Medical schools are following appropriate precautions in order to safely prepare for and welcome new cohorts of medical students this summer and fall.

4. Two regions are on track to begin Phase 2 of reopening next week. The Mid-Hudson Valley is on track to enter Phase 2 on Tuesday, June 9th, and Long Island is on track to enter Phase 2 on Wednesday, June 10th, following a review of regional data by global public health experts.

5. The total number of COVID hospitalizations is steadily declining. Total hospitalizations fell to 2,894, from 2,978 the day before. Tragically, we lost 52 New Yorkers to the virus.

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: Music is something that connects all of us. To spread positivity through a shared love of music, the Glen Cove School District’s Music Department virtually performed “Lean on Me” by the late Bill Withers. Watch it here.