John,

I hope you and your family are staying healthy and safe during these difficult times. As Americans, we are no strangers to adversity. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly all parts of our day to day lives but we will get through this as one nation and emerge stronger than ever. In the meantime, I wanted to give you the latest update on ongoing efforts to slow the spread of this virus in our community.

After my request to Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to include Suffolk County in the Municipal Liquidity Facility, the Federal Reserve Board decided to expand the Facility, allowing Suffolk County to become eligible for low interest loans, saving our local taxpayers money. This was an amazing team effort getting this done!

One of the updates everyone has been watching closely in New York has been the amount of deaths each day. These updates are filled with a tremendous amount of mixed emotions. The good news in recent days is that the total number of deaths in New York are now on the decline. The bad news is that we are still losing hundreds of New Yorkers every day and these individuals have loved ones now in mourning. Hopefully the amount of death continues to go down each day from here. This progress wouldn't have been possible if not for our medical professionals and other front line workers fighting so hard for the rest of us.

I visited a new drive thru coronavirus testing facility in Southampton yesterday, being run by Hudson River Health Care. This new facility will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. by appointment only. If you are a South Fork resident experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, you can call 1-844-HRH-CARE to schedule an appointment.

I helped out at a food distribution in Riverhead yesterday, hosted by the Donald and Barbara Zucker Family Foundation, that donated $10,000 for those in need during this outbreak. Thank you to Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar and the Riverhead Town Board for their leadership to make this all happen as well.

Week after week, we see stories about small businesses and community leaders doing what they can and pitching in to help our healthcare workers, first responders, and all those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. From Wendy’s Deli in Mattituck delivering food to local hospitals to Long Island Community Hospital raising over $550,000 in 10 days to help combat the virus, Long Islanders have really shown the rest of the country who we are and how we look out for our neighbors.

We have made big strides in the right direction to get through this crisis. This is in no small part due to the valiant efforts of our healthcare warriors putting themselves on the line to protect public health, and the sacrifices we have all made to stay at home and stop the spread. We still have a lot more to do to beat this thing, and we will do it together as one nation and one community.

Be Well, Best Wishes, and Stay Healthy,