Long Beach
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
A man’s battle with Covid-19
Candidates in school board race
City approves 2020-21 budget
Page 4
Page 29
Page 31
Vol. 31 No. 22
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020
Remembering the fallen, and the coronavirus By JAMEs BErNstEiN jbernstein@liherald.com
Christina Daly/Herald
ViNCE MCGowAN sAlUtEd the flag during the singing of the national anthem.
Long Beach VFW Post 1384 observed two waves of death on Memorial Day: those who died in America’s wars, and those who have died in its current coronavirus pandemic. A small group gathered outside the VFW hall on West Park Avenue to memorialize those who died in the two world wars, Korea and Vietnam. They did so with prayers, patriotic songs, speeches, the playing of taps and the firing of guns. But speakers could not ignore
the virus that had taken nearly 100,000 American lives in a mindb e n d i n g t wo m o n t h s. D a n McPhee, the post’s commander — who, as a 21-year-old Marine, was wounded in Vietnam — begged people to “keep safe” amid the pandemic by wearing masks. McPhee wore his, as did everyone else at the 30-minute-long ceremony. “People fought to keep us safe,” he said. “We have to keep ourselves safe in their memory.” McPhee noted that more Americans had died of Covid-19 than in the Vietnam War, in Continued on page 3
Stark warnings to keep a safe distance at the beach By JAMEs BErNstEiN jbernstein@liherald.com
Under slate-gray skies last Sunday in Long Beach, beachgoers unfolded their umbrellas and chairs and sat on the cool sand, staring at the sea. They jogged on the boardwalk, or pushed baby strollers. But all it took for an observer to realize that this was an opening of summer like none other was the sight of protective masks and the big blue signs warning of a danger that could not be seen. “Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Have Fun,” the sign on the boardwalk read. “If you don’t live together, stay 6 feet apart. Wear your
mask. No group sports. Respect your neighbor’s space.” There had never been such a sign on the boardwalk, but there had never been a viral pandemic, either — at least not in living memory. Most of the beach-goers followed the posted guidelines, wearing masks and keeping their distance from one another. Many had not been out much in the past two months, and were enjoying what they could of the fresh ocean breeze and the sun that occasionally peeked from behind mostly unfriendly skies. “I’m very conservative about this,” Amy Langer, a facilities planner who lives in town, said
through a snugly fit mask. “I wouldn’t want to get on a plane right now. I wouldn’t want to get on a subway.” Her friend George Ridler nodded in agreement. “We’ve been playing by the rules,” he said. “I keep a rag soaked with alcohol in my car and rub down whatever I touch” — like door handles, Ridler added. “It’s a ritual.” But the rituals of summer were not here. Not yet. The beach was mostly empty, though lifeguards were on duty. The day was decidedly unseasonable, with no hot dogs, ice cream or soft drinks, because concessions were closed. The weather seemed almost
menacing, and then there were all the newly minted beach patrol officers in their dark blue uniforms, charged with seeing that people maintained social distancing. But 10-year-old Kennedy Lee wasn’t afraid of any virus because, she said, she was wearing her blue mask. She had been jogging earlier, she said, and was
taking a break on a bench. “I feel good outside,” she said. Wayne Bennett and Katya Teygankovy had come out for the day from Manhattan, to take a break from the high-pressure world of their jobs in commercial and residential real estate. Barrett said he was dubious about the strictures surrounding Continued on page 3