Supervisor Yvette Aguiar has declared a state of emergency in the Town of Riverhead effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, March 13 and until further notice.
Aguiar canceled next week’s town board meeting, as well as all town committee meetings through the end of the month.
According to the order signed this afternoon:
All in-house recreation programs are canceled through March 31.
All senior citizen in-house programs are canceled through March 31.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade scheduled for March 28 is canceled, as is the Riverhead Rocks Run scheduled for March 22.
All town facilities and buildings are closed to the public until further notice with the exception of the police department and court complex. Town Hall will remain open on a limited basis.
Residential repairs through the expanded in-home services for the elderly will be performed on a limited basis.
Transportation requests will continue on a very limited basis. Call (631) 722-4444, Ext. 0, for availability.
Curbside meals and Meals on Wheels will continue for previously registered participants.
All limits on part-time employees weekly hours shall be suspended for the duration of the emergency.
All Town of Riverhead departments are authorized to take whatever steps are necessary to preserve the public safety and to render all required and available assistance to protect the security, well-being and health of the residents and visitors of the Town of Riverhead.
Aguiar signed the order pursuant to Article 2-B Section 24 of the New York State Executive law. Any person who knowingly violates any provision of the order is guilty of a class B misdemeanor, according to the order.
“The Town of Riverhead is addressing the threat that COVID-19 poses to the health and welfare of its residents and visitors,” the order says, noting that “cases of COVID-19 have been documented in Riverhead’s adjoining Towns with more expected to continue in all townships including the Town of Riverhead.”
Riverhead has not yet had any confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus that is spreading across the state.
“It’s on both sides of us,” Aguiar said after she signed the order. As of early this afternoon there were eight confirmed cases in Southold Town and four in Brookhaven. Suffolk reported 20 confirmed cases today, more than double the number of cases reported yesterday,
Town of Riverhead Emergency Declaration COVID-19 by RiverheadLOCAL on Scribd
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
