UPDATE: Coronavirus case reported in Roseland; Murphy orders more closures – New Jersey Hills
A Roseland resident has tested positive for the coronavirus, the borough said in a press release late Thursday morning, March 19.
No details about the case were released.
“The Borough of Roseland Office of Emergency Management team has been preparing for the potential of a coronavirus outbreak in our area. Residents should be assured that we are taking all necessary steps to deal with this virus,” the release said.
About noon Thursday, March 19, Gov. Phil Murphy reported that nine people have died of the coronavirus in New Jersey, and cases in the state now total 742. One of the latest deaths was a man in his 60s from Essex County.
Three of the nine deaths were tied to two nursing homes, one of which is in Essex County, officials said, without providing more details.
Murphy also ordered personal-care businesses, such as barbershops, hair salons, spas, nail and eyelash salons, and tattoo parlors, as well as social clubs that cannot meet the social distancing guidelines to close as of 8 p.m. Thursday.
Mobile Testing Site
A mobile testing site at Bergen County College in Paramus is scheduled to open Friday, March 20. Priority will be given to health-care workers with symptoms of the disease. They must bring identification.
“The ‘worried well’ should not be coming to Bergen County tomorrow,” officials said.
The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week as long as supplies last; 2,500 tests will be available each week. Results of the tests are expected to be available in two to five days.
Another testing site is planned at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.
No changes to the June 2 primary elections have been made, although candidates may file their petitions by Monday, March 30 electronically and should be collecting signatures online only, Murphy said.
2 Deaths In County
Two deaths of Essex County residents tied to the coronavirus were reported Wednesday, March 18 as the number of cases continued to grow. The county had 63 cases reported positive for the virus as of Thursday.
“We are saddened to hear about the first two deaths in Essex County that are related to the Coronavirus,” said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. “This news really hits home about the devastating impact the virus can have on the well-being of our residents and community.”
He said the deaths show “why the dramatic steps we have taken to close our parks and reduce contact visits at our offices are so important.”
“These measures promote social distancing that can help slow the spread of the virus. We hope everyone is taking this seriously and doing their part to be careful and to stay well.”
No details about the deaths were available immediately.
One resident each in Caldwell, North Caldwell and Roseland are among the 45 cases reported in the county.
A 65-year-old woman in Caldwell tested positive but had not had a fever, Mayor John Kelley said Monday, March 16. She and her husband are under quarantine at home.
North Caldwell Mayor Joseph Alessi did not respond to a request, sent Monday, for information about the case in that borough.
On Wednesday, Robbie Vargo, the mayor of Cedar Grove, reported three confirmed cases there, two tied to nursing homes. The third person is quarantined at home. “All of the identified cases that we have were identified early and were quarantined immediately,” he said in a video posted to Facebook.
Also on Wednesday, the Montclair Health Department reported that a 62-year-old man from Verona has tested positive and been admitted to the Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center for treatment.
Montclair State University on Wednesday said two employees had tested positive for a total of three cases connected to the university. Both were recovering at home.
3 Deaths In 1 Family
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that three people in the same family have died: Grace Fusco, 73, of Freehold; her daughter Rita Fusco-Jackson, 55, of Freehold; and her son Carmine Fusco, of Bath, Pa. Four of her other children are hospitalized with the coronavirus; three of them are in critical condition.
According to the state Department of Health, Bergen County has the most cases, at 195. Passaic County had 38 cases, Union County had 29, Morris had 26, Somerset had 21 and Hunterdon had eight, as of noon Thursday.
Nationally, 150 people had died and 10,442 cases had been reported as of noon Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases were reported in every state as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Worldwide, 8,648 deaths and 207,855 cases had been reported as of Thursday, according to the World Health Organization. Cases were reported in 166 countries, areas or territories.