John, 

New York has been hit the hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, changing many aspects of our day to day lives. This is a pandemic that affects every one of us, so it is going to take every one of us, together, doing everything in our power to combat it. To that end, I wanted to inform you of some of the many updates from the past few days with ongoing efforts to slow the spread of this virus in our community.

• The East End has a new drive-thru testing location in Riverhead at 1149 Old Country Road, open 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, call 1-516-874-0411 to schedule an appointment. 

• Over 82,000 healthcare workers have now volunteered to work in NY hospitals during this time of heightened stress on our healthcare system. Any medical professionals willing to volunteer should visit https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/roll_up_your_sleeves_and_servny.htm.

• I have been working the phones day and night, in constant communication with the White House, FEMA, New York State, our local officials in need of supplies, and independent entities that can assist, to help secure as much PPE as possible for our Long Island hospitals and others in need. 

• The Defense Production Act has been invoked, allowing more masks and ventilators to be manufactured domestically, instead of relying primarily on China and other countries. 

• Small businesses can now apply for the new Paycheck Protection Program to help retain employees & stay in business beyond this temporary shutdown. To learn more about this important program to protect small business, go to SBA.gov.

• The Army Corps of Engineers this week awarded the contract to build a temporary hospital at Stony Brook University, which is set to be completed by April 18. 

• The USNS Comfort, a 1,000 bed hospital ship, arrived in New York Harbor on Monday and is now starting to treat patients.

While progress is being made, there remains much more work to do. We must overcome this virus together, as one community, and come out the other side stronger than ever. Please stay home whenever possible, stay safe, and remain healthy.

Be well and best wishes,

Lee Zeldin, Member of Congress (NY-01)