Coronavirus in New Jersey: A timeline of events from first cases to mass casualties – NorthJersey.com

Editor’s note: This file will be updated frequently.

New Jersey has been on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak since January, when Newark Liberty International Airport became a major screening and quarantine station for foreign travelers, to March, when the first New Jerseyans were diagnosed with the disease.

Here is a timeline of events based on news reports and information from the state Department of Health. 

March 4

James Cai, a 32-year-old New York physician assistant with an apartment in Fort Lee, is the first person in New Jersey to be diagnosed with coronavirus. 

The man developed symptoms of COVID-19 on March 1, went to an urgent care facility and was eventually admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center. 

The victim had not traveled to countries where the virus is spreading, and has no school-aged children. He said he had recently attended a medical conference in Times Square.

March 5 

An Englewood woman becomes the second New Jerseyan to test positive for coronavirus. The woman, who officials would only say is in her 30s, is treated at Englewood Health and sent home to self-quarantine.

March 6

A Camden County man in his 60s becomes the third New Jersey resident with coronavirus. The man, who had been hospitalized since March 3, is listed in stable condition. Officials said the resident of Cherry Hill had visited Cooper University Urgent Care on Route 70 in Cherry Hill before he was diagnosed. 

Later in the day, officials announce that a man, 55, is New Jersey’s fourth coronavirus case. He was hospitalized at Englewood Health since March 5.  The man had attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also attended the conference, but conference officials said the Englewood man did not interact with Trump or Pence.

Several lawmakers, including Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, later said they would self-quarantine out of precaution because they attended the CPAC conference.

March 8

State officials announce New Jersey’s fifth and sixth residents to test positive for coronavirus.

One is a 70-year-old Teaneck man whose symptoms began on Feb. 28. The man, a health care worker, was admitted to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson on March 6 and was in stable condition in the intensive care unit. He is the fourth case from Bergen County.

The other resident lives just a few miles south in West New York. The 32-year-old man began showing symptoms on Feb. 28 and entered Hackensack University Medical Center on March 5.

Officials also said two New Jersey patients had received care at CityMD Urgent Care on Route 4 in Paramus when they showed symptoms but had not yet been diagnosed.

March 9

Gov. Phil Murphy declares a state of emergency after five additional residents are diagnosed with the disease, bringing the statewide total to 11. 

The declaration allows state government to deploy resources more quickly by waiving a number of bureaucratic requirements like the bidding process for medical supplies.

Murphy says the action is necessary “to ensure that local health agencies on the front lines of the state’s response are equipped with the resources needed to further prepare our health care system for a broader spread of COVID-19.”

The disease has now been detected in five counties with Bergen having the most: 5.

The new cases included:

• An 18-year-old woman from Clifton, who is hospitalized. She may have been in contact with a patient from New York who has the illness.
• A 30-year-old Teaneck man, who is hospitalized at Holy Name Medical Center. 
• A 48-year-old man from Berkeley Heights in Union County, who is at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. 
• A 27-year-old man in Little Silver, who is not hospitalized. He is among 170 people who attended a conference in Boston and have tested positive.
• An 83-year-old woman from Hazlet, who is being treated at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel.

HOW IT AFFECTS YOU: NJ declares state of emergency over coronavirus concerns

March 10

Officials announce New Jersey’s first coronavirus victim: John Brennan, a 69-year-old Little Ferry man who diedthe morning of March 10 at Hackensack University Medical Center. 

The man had a number of underlying health issues including emphysema, diabetes, hypertension, irregular heartbeat and gastrointestinal bleeding.

The man went to his primary care doctor last week with a fever and cough. He was treated with antibiotics and Tamiflu. He was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center on March 6. He was isolated. His condition deteriorated. He had a heart attack Monday night and was revived, but then died the next morning from a heart attack.

He was a horse trainer and mainstay in the paddock of Yonkers Raceway, according to several horse racing publications.

PROFILE: A passionate horse trainer is NJ’s first coronavirus death

He regularly went into New York, but had no recent history of overseas travel.

The man is one of four new cases reported: two in Bergen County and two in Burlington County. The state total is 15.

Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces all county-run technical and specialty schools and Bergen Community College will be closed for two weeks. Visitation at the Bergen County Healthcare and Rehabilitation home for seniors in Rockleigh is suspended.

Rutgers announces it will offer only online courses until at least April 3 and urges students to remain off-campus.

March 11

New Jersey has eight new cases, bringing the total to 23, a day after the state’s first death from the virus – just one week since the first patient in New Jersey was diagnosed with the disease. 

All of the eight new cases are in hospitals. Four are in Bergen County, two in Middlesex and two in Monmouth counties. 

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on March 11 declares the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic as the global death toll rose above 4,300 and the number of confirmed cases exceeded 120,000.

Schools throughout the state begin preparing for possible closures.

Officials announce the postponement of two of New Jersey’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in Morristown and Bergenfield. They will be held in September.

March 12

Large swaths of daily life in New Jersey began shutting down to avoid spread of coronavirus.

Several public school districts announce they will close beginning next week.

The Newark Archdiocese cancels Mass on Sunday and will close schools next week. 

Gov. Murphy recommends against holding any gatherings with 250 or more people including concerts and sporting events.

Concert venues like Bergen PAC close. Annual events like the Montclair Film Festival are postponed.

New Jersey courts suspend all new jury trials until further notice.

NJ Transit reports ridership is down 20% on buses and trains, but service will continue to be normal.

Six more corornavirus cases are announced in New Jersey. They include: 

• A 16-year-old girl from Englewood who was admitted to Englewood hospital
• A 66-year-old Montclair woman who is hospitalized at Mountainside Hospital
• A 51-year-old Butler man who is hospitalized at Chilton Medical Center who had exposure to someone with the virus
• A 23-year-old Bridgewater man who may have been exposed to the virus from close contact to a Pennsylvania patient
• A 53-year-old Manalapan man who is hospitalized at CentraState hospital and had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19
• A female from Teaneck whose age is unknown. Officials didn’t know if she was hospitalized. She was exposed at a synagogue carnival on March 1.

Bergen County now has 13 cases – the highest in the state. Officials label the county as a moderate risk.

There are now four cases in Englewood, one Fort Lee resident, two cases in Bergenfield, five cases in Teaneck and one Little Ferry case, a patient who earlier this week had become the first New Jersey resident to die from coronavirus.

Thirty-seven more people statewide are being investigated.

March 13

New Jersey announces 21 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 50. 

Of those, two are in Bergen County, which leads the state with 15.

Other new cases were reported in: 

• Monmouth: 3
• Essex: 2
• Morris: 2 
• Hudson: 2
• Middlesex: 2
• Ocean: 1
• Mercer: 1
• Burlington: 1
• Passaic: 1  

No new deaths are reported, but officials say they are investigating whether a recent death was due to coronavirus.

Among those diagnosed is a prominent physician – Dr. James Pruden, head of emergency services at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson.

Murphy said it was inevitable that all schools in the state will soon close for an undetermined amount of time.

Among the day’s other developments: 

• Bergen County orders all movie theaters to close. The county zoo is closed. American Dream will be shut down for a month.
• The state is expected to receive 84,000 respirators, 200,000 surgical face masks and thousands of face shields for health care workers.
• All residents who have their driver’s license, auto registration, or vehicle inspection due for renewal by May 31 will receive a two-month extension.
• All utility shut-off orders for customers with unpaid bills have been suspended for the time being. 
• The state is working to receive federal waivers to ensure that schoolchildren in districts retain access to a healthy lunch that they normally would have received at school.

March 14

Gov. Murphy announces the second coronavirus death in New Jersey – a woman in her 50s who was being treated at CentraState Medical Center in Monmouth County.

The number of coronavirus cases continues to climb in New Jersey, as testing becomes more available. The state reports 19 new cases bringing the total to 69 statewide.

Teaneck officials call for all residents to self-quarantine and only leave their residences for food and medicine as the township grapples with the most coronavirus cases (18) in the state.

Officials are working to set up a “widespread testing center” at Bergen Community College in Paramus.

Hospitals begin taking more steps to contain and test for the virus.

St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson begins barring visitors.

Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck and Morristown Hospital erect tents outside to test for coronavirus.

Some towns begin ordering the closure of businesses that attract many people. Hoboken closes gyms, day care centers and movie theaters along with playgrounds and ballfields.

State prisons suspend visits for 30 days.

March 15

The number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey shoots up to 98 with 31 new cases added.

Bergen County had seven new cases, for a total of 32 cases, according to the site, and Monmouth and Middlesex counties each have 12.

Gov. Murphy says he is considering more aggressive steps — including closing all schools statewide and a possible curfew — to slow the spread.

Hospitals continue to burn through supplies of personal protective equipment. Holy Name Medical Center, at the center of the outbreak in Teaneck, is using 700 to 1,000 sets of masks, gowns, face shields and gloves daily.

With at least 18 cases in Teaneck the most of any one town in New Jersey, local officials order the closing of many businesses including restaurants, bars, gyms, nail salons and other places where larger groups gather. The order allows only one member of a family to enter a supermarket at one time to limit the number of people. 

Bergen County officials say they are considering a similar order for the county’s other 69 municipalities. 

The Motor Vehicle Commission announces it will close for two weeks.

Towns that have bustling restaurant scenes like Montclair and Hoboken order restaurants to provide only takeout meals.

March 16

A 90-year-old man becomes New Jersey’s third coronavirus casualty, Gov. Phil Murphy announces. The Saddle Brook man died from complications due to the coronavirus at Hackensack University Medical Center. 

New Jersey officials announce 80 new coronavirus cases bringing the statewide total to 178. It is the biggest surge yet.

A wide range of businesses in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are ordered to close indefinitely at 8 p.m.: restaurants, bars, movie theaters, casinos and gyms.

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco orders all malls in the county to close.

Gov. Phil Murphy mobilizes the National Guard to help in containment efforts.

Murphy asks New Jerseyans not to leave their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to help avoid the spread of coronavirus.

Restaurants can offer takeout and delivery services. Supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and medical offices will remain open.

Gatherings of 50 or more people are not allowed.

As expected, Murphy orders all schools statewide to close.

Edgewater and Leonia tell students and staff at two schools (George Washington and Anna C. Scott) to self-quarantine after staff members test positive for the virus.

State officials announce that all state parks would remain open for “healthful passive recreation.”

March 17

St. Patrick’s Day comes to New Jersey with few, if any, public celebrations as bars close the night before.

Gov. Phil Murphy announces all malls and indoor amusement centers to close as the state’s coronavirus cases rise to 267 as more testing is done.

Other retail stores begin curtailing their hours.

The Attorney General’s Office warns 82 more businesses over price gouging for coronavirus.

Officials make preparations to open two drive-thru test sites at Bergen Community College in Paramus and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. 

Hoboken requires residents to stay at home unless they are traveling for work, getting food or exercising in what appears to be the strictest restrictions on movement in New Jersey since the coronavirus outbreak.

March 18

Two more New Jerseyans die int he coronavirus outbreak, bringing the statewide total to five. Both were women (one from Essex County, one from Hudson County) over 60 years old and had other underlying medical conditions.

Officials also announce 162 cases for a total of 427 statewide. 

Bergen County continues to be the virus epicenter for the state, with 27 new cases, for a total of 113.

About 55% of all cases are or were hospitalized.

Gov. Phil Murphy says New Jersey could be short by upwards of 300,000 hospital beds in the coming months and doctors may be forced to make the “agonizing” decision to deny care to victims of COVID-19 if the state doesn’t get federal help.

Offiicals say they are working to reopen Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury, Gloucester County, with a 300-bed capacity for acute care. 

Gun store owners report sales are up especially from first-time buyers.

March 19

State officials confirm another four deaths related to complications from coronavirus as new cases statewide surge by 318 to a total of 742.

The four deaths are:

• Bergen County man in his 30s
• Monmouth County woman, 70s
• Ocean County man, 70s
• Essex County man, 60s

While health officials say those at greatest risk from the virus are over 60 years old and have underlying medical conditions, the youngest case so far in New Jersey is a 3-year-old child. The oldest is 95.

Bergen County continues to be the virus epicenter for the state, with 194 cases, a jump of 80 on Wednesday. Essex County has 62 people with the disease, Middlesex has 60, Hudson has 54 and Monmouth has 45.

A record number of New Jerseyans are applying for unemployment benefits. From March 8 to March 14, claims jumped nearly 21 percent to 9,467 compared to the same week in 2019.

NJ Transit officials request a $1.25 billion bailout to account for losses the agency is experiencing with ridership down 88%.

Gov. Phil Murphy signs a law and executive order that prevents residents from being evicted or losing their homes to foreclosure during the crisis.

Murphy also orders the closing at 8 p.m. of personal care businesses that can’t comply with social distancing, such as barbers, salons and tattoo parlors.

Elections for March and April are pushed back to May 12 and will be only vote-by-mail.

An employee at an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth tests positive for thecoronavirus.

March 20

New Jersey reports 2 new deaths related to complications of the coronavirus bringing the total to 11, while the number of cases statewide increased to 890, with 155 new cases.

Among the new deaths are a Bergen County man in his 50s and an Essex County man in his 30s.

In Paramus, hundreds of drivers in cars line up in the early morning hours outside Bergen County College to be tested for coronavirus as the largest testing facility in North Jersey opens.

Health workers manage to test 654 at the site before shutting down operations.

The National Guard is sent in to assist with crowd control. 

March 21

Gov. Phil Murphy orders all nonessential businesses to close indefinitely and orders nearly all residents to stay home starting at 9 p.m. Saturday.

He also cancels gatherings of any number, including parties, weddings and religious ceremonies, joining New York, Pennsylvania, California and other states taking more draconian measures to stop the surging levels of the novel coronavirus

Businesses offering essential services will remain open, including grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, hardware stores, laundromats, pet stores, mail and restaurants that offer only takeout out and delivery.

Murphy announces five new deaths caused by complications related to coronavirus bringing the total 16. They are

• a man in his 50s from Monmouth County
• a man in his 80s from Essex County 
• a man in his 40s from Bergen County
• a man in his 90s from Bergen County
• a woman in her 70s from Morris County

In Bergen County, the state’s first mass testing center for coronavirus is declared to be at capacity 15 minutes after opening Saturday as hundreds of cars stood in line for the site’s second day of operation.

Flights in and out of the New York region are halted for a brief time after an alert was issued because of staffing issues with an air traffic control tower at JFK International Airport.  An air traffic controller trainee tested positive and the control tower had to sanitized.

March 22

As the state shuts down, New Jersey reports 4 more deaths related to complications from the virus, bringing the statewide total to 20.

There are also 590 new cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total to 1,914.

Coronavirus starts spreading at local jails and other institutions.

The Hudson County jail goes on lockdown after two inmates test positive for the coronavirus. 

Fifteen Bergen County jail inmates are placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure after a corrections officer tested positive for COVID-19.

Staff at New Jersey’s state psychiatric hospitals are taking steps to “contain and mitigate” the spread of coronavirus after a doctor and patient at Greystone Park in Parsippany tested positive for the virus.

March 23

New Jersey’s deaths related to coronavirus continue to climb, reaching 27 with seven new deaths;

Total cases rise to 2,844 with 935 new cases as testing continues to accelerate.

Among the new deaths are five men and two women, aged 57 to 91. Two had preexisting medical conditions. The deaths included: 

• two Bergen County residents
• one Essex County resident 
• one Passaic County resident
• one Union County resident
• one Warren County resident
• one Somerset County resident

Meanwhile, state officials continue to make dramatic moves to contain the spread.

Up to 1,000 inmates serving sentences in county jails will be temporarily released, under an order by New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner.

It calls for the release no later than 6 a.m. Tuesday of inmates who are serving county jail terms as a condition of probation or as a result of municipal court convictions.

No later than noon Thursday, any inmate serving county jail sentences for any other reason, including violations of probation, low-level indictable crimes, disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses, will be released.

Gov. Phil Murphy orders all elective surgeries and invasive procedures for adults – both medical and dental – effective 5 p.m. on March 3/27. This applies to all operations that can be safely delayed, as determined by the patient’s doctor or dentist.

Close to $1 billion in state spending is frozen as an effort to keep the state afloat amid the pandemic.

March 24

The number of New Jersey residents who have died from coronavirus increases to 44 total out of 3,675 cases. 

The new deaths include:

• 5 Bergen County residents
• 3 Morris
• 3 Essex
• 2 Hudson
• 1 Monmouth
• 1 Union
• 1 Passaic
• 1 Camden 

Gov. Phil Murphy says the state is getting another shipment of protective equipment from the national stockpile including 200,000 N95 masks and more than 84,000 respirators.

The Bergen County testing site at Bergen Community College reaches capacity before it opens, marking the fifth day in a row the site reached capacity early.

March 25

The death toll from coronavirus rises from 44 to 62 and the number of cases increases by 736 to 4,402.

Here is the county breakdown of the 18 new deaths:

• Ocean (4)
• Essex (3)
• Monmouth (2)
• Bergen (1)
• Burlington (1)
• Cumberland (1)
• Hudson (1)
• Middlesex (1)
• Morris (1)
• Passaic (1)
• Somerset (1)
• Union (1)

Gov. Phil Murphy orders all childcare centers to close by April 1 unless they can certify that they are caring only for the children of essential workers.

A mass testing site for Passaic County is opened at William Paterson University. It is not nearly as crowded as its Bergen counterpart because it is open only to Passaic County residents who have a doctor’s note. 

March 26

Officials announce 2,492 additional cases – by far the highest total for a single day. There are now 6,876 cases in New Jersey.

Officials report 19 new deaths, bringing the total to 81.

New Jersey has an infection rate of 31.7% with 6,137 positive tests out of 19,364 tests performed.

The state’s 43 of its 375 long term care facilities lie nursing homes have at least one resident who has tested positive.

President Donald Trump approves a Major Disaster Declaration for New Jersey, making federal funding available to the state to aid in the response to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Scott Fallon covers the environment for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about how New Jersey’s environment affects your health and well-being,  please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: fallon@northjersey.com Twitter: @newsfallon 

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