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Suffolk County Police officers disrupted a rally in Brookhaven early Monday morning, which they estimated to be around 300 to 400, violating Covid-19 regulations which limit residential gatherings to 10.
Several neighbors, as well as the owner, who was not at home when the incident occurred, called 911 to report a sea of cars and people heading for the house at 51 Hawkins Lane, located at the end of the deadlock. The agents responded around 12:25 a.m.
“There is no question that an event like this is a public health concern,” said Stuart Cameron, Suffolk County Police Chief. “The ministry is committed to taking enforcement action in this regard, locating the responsible party and ensuring that it is held accountable.”
Cameron and Suffolk County Manager Steve Bellone told reporters about the incident at a press conference today. Bellone said the party host was renting the house through the Airbnb short-term rental app and the owner had cooperated with authorities.
The Airbnb listing for this property states that parties and events are not allowed and “we do not allow more than 8 people on the property.” House rules also list Covid-19 guidelines.
Officers remained at the scene for more than four hours to make sure people got away from the party safely, Cameron said. They said many of the guests had just arrived and were still in their cars, so police were able to halt the party before people put themselves in danger of spreading the virus.
The investigation is ongoing and officials say they plan to file a complaint when they find the individual responsible for the party.
“We have worked too hard, we have overcome too much, to allow some really selfish and reckless people to really delay our efforts to continue to protect people’s health,” Bellone said, “and to advance our economic recovery, and so on. what these events represent. “
This potential super-spread event comes when Suffolk County has a confirmed Covid-19 positivity rate of 5.2%, which is at its highest since May 17, Bellone said. Suffolk has 238 Covid-19 hospitalized patients and 46 in ICUs.
“These figures are alarming, to say the least,” Bellone said. “There is no doubt now that we are in this second wave that we have been talking about for so long.
In the month of November alone, Suffolk’s Covid-19 positivity rate fell from 1% on November 1 to around 5% today, December 1. To combat the sharp rise in cases, Suffolk has increased its contact tracing team from 30 investigators to more than 200.
Suffolk has also added new community testing sites in Riverhead and Patchogue, Bellone said. A list of testing sites is available at suffolkcountyny.gov/covid19.
Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Long Island’s infection rate was 3.9%.
For more coronavirus coverage, visit longislandpress.com/coronavirus
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