MINEOLA, New York (WABC) -- Nassau County Executive Laura Curran sought to reassure the public on Monday about the threat posed by coronavirus, saying that most people would be fine, but that residents had to look out for the well-being of senior citizens and others who might be vulnerable to the virus.
The Nassau County Legislature held a forum Monday to update residents on how they can better prepare for the inevitable spread of the virus. New York state now has the most coronavirus cases in the United States.
"Most people will be fine, but we got to look out for our seniors," Curran said. "We gotta lookout for people who may have a compromised immune system. We want to hug, kiss and shake hands, but I don't know if you guys agree, but I think we need to take a little break from that."
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Curran demonstrated examples of how to greet someone while reducing the risk of infection. The examples included offering an elbow bump, making a peace sign and flashing a smile.
Curran also announced she was postponing the annual State of the County Address that was scheduled for Wednesday night, in light of the coronavirus threat.
RELATED INFORMATION:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
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"This is a time of concern and carefulness, but not chaos," said Islamic Center of Long Island Chairperson Isma Chaudhry at the forum. "These kind of small challenges, bring communities together. They should not have us standing against each other or targeting one community or the other community. This is the time to come together and deal with this situation in an intelligent, smart, humane way."
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