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A summer town on Long Island’s North Fork has become a coronavirus hot spot — and locals are blaming it on outsiders from New York City.
Southold in Suffolk County, best known for its beaches, vineyards and laid-back vibe, has the region’s highest concentration of confirmed coronavirus cases, according to reports.
Southold, with a year-round population of 22,000, had 174 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday, or 7.9 cases per 1,000 residents.
There have been eight deaths in Southold, all residents of a nursing home and retirement community.
Suffolk and New York City had lower rates of infection than Southold, the New York Post reported Thursday.
A digital sign on Stony Brook Road in Stony Brook, N.Y., on Long Island directs patients to the drive-thru coronavirus test site at Stony Brook University on March 28. (Photo by John Paraskevas/Newsday via Getty Images)
Suffolk’s five western towns had significantly more confirmed COVID-19 cases than Southold, but those towns have much larger populations, according to the paper.
Some locals blame Manhattanites who drove out to their summer homes in Southold to escape the virus, the Post reported.
Southold Supervisor Scott Russell has urged outsiders to stay away, according to the paper.
“First thing we need to do is shut down the valve for people who are getting out of the New York City region and renting in Southold,” he said.
Peconic Landing in Greenport (Google Maps)
Southold’s eight deaths were residents of Peconic Landing in Greenport.
As of Tuesday the coronavirus had infected 25 people at Peconic Landing, including 10 residents, Riverheadlocal.com reported.
Two of Peconic Landing’s deaths were a married couple, Edward and Joan Porco, the Southampton Press reported Wednesday. He was 89 and she was 90. They died last week in a four-day span.
“Our one solace is that they didn’t know of each other’s death,” said Joan Porco’s daughter Julia Chachere, told the weekly paper. “That was a small blessing.”
