Main Street in Patchogue is open for business, but is closed to cars.

The street has been turned into a “food court” of sorts where restaurants have set up tables and chairs for people to eat. The mayor says this is just one way to give struggling businesses a boost.

“The people you see coming down, they seem to really appreciate it.  It’s become a place to go.  The ability to eat outside… the virus… they keep talking about being inside being an issue.  Take a day like today, you can feel the breeze, you get the breeze off the bay, it’s really giving us energy we didn’t have before,” says Mayor Paul Pontieri Jr.   

The mayor says he expects the crowds to grow throughout the summer and into the fall.