Murphy Says We May Have To Stay Home Again

HOBOKEN, NJ — After saying on Saturday that the Hoboken Heath Department reported 13 new coronavirus cases Thursday and Friday, the most since mid-May, Mayor Ravi Bhalla sent out what he said was an “urgent appeal” on Monday.

“I’ve been in touch with Governor Murphy’s staff who have indicated to me that if rates of infections begin to rise, not only could certain re-openings be put on hold, but our state may again resort to stay-at-home orders to curb a further spread,” Bhalla said in a release. “According to the governor, today New Jersey had a rate of transmission (the rate COVID-19 spreads from one person to someone else) of over 1.0 for the first time in 10 weeks. In other words, every COVID-19 case is leading to at least one other infection, on average.”

Bhalla had a request:

“If you traveled to states on New Jersey’s quarantine list, quarantine for a full 14 days when you return, and get a COVID-19 test at least five to seven days after you get back home,” he wrote. “Even if you do not have symptoms but traveled to these states (see full list below), you should still get a test. The majority of those 13 residents who were reported as new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and Friday, the highest two-day total since May, were asymptomatic when they were tested or reported very mild symptoms” but could transmit the disease to others.

Bhalla noted, “Due to the incubation period of the virus, we won’t fully know the impact of travel from the July 4 weekend for approximately another two weeks.”

New Jersey’s mandatory quarantine list includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

To get a rapid, 15-minute test through the city’s partnership with Riverside Medical, call the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) at 201-420-5621 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. If you are returning from a trip out of state or the region, let the CERT team know when you returned. If you do not have insurance, the city will pay for the cost of your test.

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The city has also encouraged residents to consider alternative locations for tests, including Prompt MD in Hoboken and other public locations throughout the region. Additional nearby testing sites can be found at https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/testing. (Some sites have antibody testing, too.)

As of Saturday, the death toll in America from coronavirus was over 128,000, with 50,000 new cases in one day, a record.

Even among those who recover from the virus, some have had a long battle and suffered lung damage.

In Hoboken, the death toll has remained at 29 since mid-May. While Hoboken is a city of 53,000 people across from a former hotspot of New York City, the mayor was one of the first in the country to begin shutting down certain facilities to slow the spread of the virus.

The virus has taken the lives of more than 13,000 New Jersey residents in three months. At New Jersey’s peak, 460 residents died of the virus within 24 hours on April 30, or one death every three minutes.

Here are other recent Hoboken coronavirus updates, and resources:

SCHOOLS

• The Hoboken public schools are slated to reopen Tuesday, Sept. 8, but whether it will be in person will be determined by the state. The state is presently considering in-person schooling, virtual schooling, and a “blended option” involving both. There will be restrictions, such as kids wearing masks and maintaining a 6-foot distance. Superintendent Christine Johnson gave information about the local planning process on Monday evening.

• The summer camp run by the Hoboken schools has been canceled. Limited recreational options have been scheduled. The mayor made reference to them here.

• Day cares were able to reopen June 15, with certain rules in place, and recreational camps can reopen in July. READ MORE.

LIBRARY

• Residents can return library books and other materials by placing them in the library book/media dropbox in front of the library (500 Park Ave.) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The library will begin no contact “curbside pickup” service. Library patrons will be able to reserve the materials online, place their orders via email to [email protected], or call (201) 4202346, ext. 5102. For additional details, visit hobokenlibrary.org.

PARKS

GYMS

• Bhalla said last week, “According to Governor Murphy, the following activities are permitted at indoor gyms starting July 2, as provided by his office: ‘individualized indoor instruction by appointment only where an instructor is offering training to an individual, and the individual’s immediate family members, household members, caretakers, or romantic partners. If a gym or fitness center is offering multiple simultaneous instructions at the same facility, these instructions must take place in separate rooms or, if they take place in the same room, must be separated by a floor-to-ceiling barrier that complies with all fire code requirements.’ “

TESTING

• Any resident can get a 15-minute rapid coronavirus test at the Riverside site in uptown Hoboken by appointment by calling 201-420-5621 Monday through Friday. If you don’t have health insurance, the city will pay the cost.

• There are other medical offices in Hoboken with coronavirus and antibody tests; if in doubt about what to do, call your physician, then check with your insurance. Many insurances are waiving fees and copays for these tests.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

• More than 50 of the city’s restaurants opened two weeks ago for outdoor dining. READ MORE.

• Kings supermarkets updated residents on their sanitizing procedures and on an employee who tested positive last month. READ MORE.

• Two of the city’s weekly farmers’ markets reopened in June. READ MORE.

• The city and Patch both have directories of businesses that are open and closed. Check it out and add your listing. READ MORE.

• The city will be closing off certain blocks for businesses to expand and draw foot traffic. READ MORE.

• Here’s what you need to know about applying for unemployment and other benefits during coronavirus. MORE.

• Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.

NURSING HOMES

• New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities, and have charged that the facilities are undercounting the numbers and not adequately protecting residents and staff. The state has faced questions for weeks from the press about how they will address the problems. They announced plans last month to increase testing at some long term care facilities and to bring in the National Guard to help make changes.

• The state has begun releasing death toll statistics for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.

• You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.

• Some nursing homes reopened for limited visits, with precautions, in July.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/

• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1

• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

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This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch