Three Long Island communities are among 20 zip codes around New York, where state officials have deployed rapid testing machines in response to several clusters of COVID-19.
They are densely populated towns of Brentwood, Huntington and Valley Stream, which are home to large Latinx and Black communities. The towns each have fewer than 10 cases and a positive infection rate of 3%, more than triple the state average at 1%. Hotspots in the Hudson Valley record infection rates as high as 17%.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says contact tracers will track clusters that might have been spread at churches, bars and work locations. He says increased testing, wearing masks and social distancing will stem the virus. Officials say coronavirus testing sites were removed from Brentwood and Huntington after infection rates dropped in June.
