COVID-19: Virus has taken more in NJ than Korean, Vietnam wars combined – Montclair Local

BY JAIMIE JULIA WINTERS
winters@montclairlocal.news

Montclair reported seven new cases of COVID-19 and one more death on Monday, April 13.

The total number of cases in Montclair is 243, with deaths related to COVID-19 at 25. Monday was the third consecutive day the township announced fewer than 10 new cases.

In New Jersey, 2,734 new cases were reported today, for a total of 64,584 since the pandemic began. The day-to-day increase is lower than Sunday’s reported increase of 3,699. And for the second day in a row the state reported fewer people dying from COVID-19-related illnesses than the day prior, 94 on Monday, after 167 deaths were announced Sunday. Twenty-nine of the deaths reported today were patients living in long-term care facilities. Deaths have now reached 2,443 statewide, which is more than New Jersey’s death toll for both the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. 

“[Positives] are still rising. We are right in the thick of it folks, we can’t take our foot off the gas yet,” said Gov. Phil Murphy at today’s debriefing. 

Yesterday, Hudson County surpassed Essex County in the number positives tests and continues to be second in the state at 7,879. Essex is third at 7,634, rising by 224 cases. Bergen County now has 10,092 cases. 

Essex County continues to rank number two in the number of deaths however now at 433. Hudson reported 236 deaths today and Bergen has 482. 

Commissioner of the Department of Health Judy Persichilli said that as of 10 p.m. Sunday night, 7,781 residents were hospitalized for COVID or were under investigation, 1,042 were in critical condition and 55 percent were on ventilators. The state received 200 new ventilators today. 

Yesterday, 556 COVID patients were discharged. 

Last night, seven hospitals diverted patients, mainly in the northern part of the state and most due to staffing issues, said Persichilli.

Over 118,000 New Jersyans have been tested at the 58 sites now available throughout the state. Forty-six percent of those tested had or have COVID-10.

INTERNET, PHONE SERVICE

Murphy signed an executive order prohibiting cable and telecommunications providers from terminating Internet and phone service due to nonpayment until 30 days after the current public health emergency has ended. Any Internet or voice service that was disconnected after March 16 due to nonpayment must be reconnected.

“Our children need Internet access for remote learning, our workforce needs the resources to telework, and families need to be able to keep each other informed. It is critical for our New Jersey residents to maintain these connections and not have their ability to communicate with the outside world severed,” he said.

GETTING BACK ON OUR FEET

The governor also announced the creation of a multi-state council to restore the economy and get people back to work. Recognizing that their states have one integrated regional economy, Murphy, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo will work together to develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states’ stay-at-home orders while minimizing the risk of increased spread of the virus. 

The council’s goal will be to ease back social isolation without triggering renewed spread — including testing, contact tracing, treatment and social distancing — and will rely on the best available scientific, statistical, social and economic information to manage and evaluate those tools. 

“No one has given more thought or is more eager to restart our economy than I am, but if we don’t get the sequencing right, we put more lives at risk,” Murphy said. “The only path to a sustainable economic recovery is through a strong healthcare recovery. Then, and only then, do we position ourselves to fully ignite our economy and get the residents of our state back to work while minimizing the danger of this disease.”

ARREST MADE IN REFUSAL TO WEAR FACE MASK

On Friday, the governor ordered that shoppers as well as store employees be required to wear face masks to slow the spread of the virus. 

On Saturday, a Toms River man was arrested twice for failure to wear a mask at two different Wawa stores. Shortly before 11 a.m., the man allegedly became belligerent when he was told to wear a mask inside the Wawa store. He allegedly started screaming, flailing his arms, and cursing at employees and threatened a customer in the store that he was going to hit him with a pipe. When police arrived, he screamed at officers and resisted arrest. Then again at 1:30 p.m., he went to a second Wawa, where he again refused to wear a mask. He allegedly punched a male customer in the face, and then retrieved a pipe from his car and wielded it. He was then arrested again and jailed, charged with violating the emergency orders, disorderly conduct, failure to submit to fingerprinting, resisting arrest (disorderly persons offense), second-degree terroristic threats during an emergency and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. 

The following was reported this morning at 10 a.m. by the county and may not reflect numbers provided today by the state and Montclair: