New Jersey: Latest updates on coronavirus – Livescience.com

Last updated March 17 at 9:51 a.m. E.D.T.

As of Tuesday (March 17) there are 178 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state of New Jersey, rising from 98 cases that were confirmed yesterday (March 16). 

Bergen County currently has the highest number of cases with 61 positive test results, an increase of 32 reported since yesterday, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Camden County reported its first three COVID-19 cases and Hunterdon County reported its first case.

On March 16, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued an executive order to limit social contact and thereby slow the spread of COVID-19. 

In the order, which he shared on Twitter, the governor stated that all gatherings statewide should be limited to no more than 50 people, except in limited circumstances. All of New Jersey’s preschools, elementary and secondary school programs will be closed as of tomorrow (March 18), and will stay closed “as long as the Order remains in effect,” according to the tweet.

All colleges and university will also end in-person classes on March 18, according to the executive order. Recreational facilities including gyms and fitness centers, concert venues, racetracks, nightclubs, performing arts centers, casinos and movie theaters were closed as of 8 p.m. yesterday, and will be closed until further notice; all other businesses will close from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Restaurants may remain open for delivery or takeout service only.

Governor Murphy also recommended that New Jersey residents stay in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., though he later clarified that it was “not a curfew,” CNN reported.

“But it is strongly recommended and travel is strongly discouraged,” Governor Murphy told CNN. “If you don’t need to be on the roads, you should not be on the roads.” Limiting person-to-person contact can help restrict how far and how quickly the disease will spread, which will prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by a wave of life-threatening COVID-19 infections, he explained.

“New Jerseyans MUST practice social distancing,” Governor Murphy tweeted yesterday. “I urge everyone to take this seriously. We need everyone to STAY HOME,” the governor said in the tweet.

Governor Murphy also activated the New Jersey National Guard, which could be deployed to help convert nursing homes and university dormitories into temporary hospitals; to coordinate traffic at drive-through testing sites; and to distribute food, according to CNN.

Two deaths

There have been two deaths in New Jersey from COVID-19, with the second fatality, a woman in her 50s from Monmouth County, announced on Sunday (March 15), NJ.com reported.

Municipal court sessions were suspended statewide and the state Motor Vehicle Commission is closed for two weeks; the agency announced that any driver’s licenses, non-driver IDs, vehicle registrations, and inspection stickers that expire prior to May 31 will receive a two-month extension, according to CBS.

State health officials are working with Bergen County to establish New Jersey’s first “widespread” coronavirus testing site, at Bergen County Community College in Paramus, NJ.com reported. Only people who display COVID-19 symptoms will be tested, State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli told NJ.com.

New Jersey opened the state’s first drive-through testing site in Secaucus on March 12, at the Riverside Medical Group’s command center, according to NJ.com. Samples are collected from patients without requiring them to leave their vehicles, reducing the risk to other patients and to healthcare providers.

Patients who wish to be tested at the drive-through facility — which administers tests for flu as well as COVID-19 — must first call and undergo a screening procedure by a member of the Riverside Medical Group. An appointment will be made if a patient meets CDC criteria for testing, NJ.com reported. The center is currently capable of testing about 20 patients per day. 

“We’re doing everything we can to get ahead of this challenge,” Governor Murphy said during a telephone briefing on March 14. 

“We will get through this. It will not be mistake-free, I’m sure,” Governor Murphy said.

Governor Murphy declared a state of emergency on March 9, after the number of cases in New Jersey rose to 11.

Citywide quarantine in Teaneck

On Saturday (March 14), the mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey asked its 40,000 residents to voluntarily self-quarantine as a protective measure against the rapidly spreading coronavirus, NorthJersey.com reported. Teaneck has 18 COVID-19 cases, the most in Bergen County.

“They should stay home,” said Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, according to NBC New York. “When I say stay home that doesn’t mean go out to lunch with your friends across the street. That means no play dates, that means your nuclear family stays with your nuclear family. I’m not visiting my sister, I’m not visiting my parents. That is the best way to stop the spread of this,” Mayor Hameeduddin said.

Coronavirus science and news

Curfews, restrictions and business closings in Hoboken,  Jersey City and Union City

On Thursday (March 12), Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop issued an executive order enacting a 10 p.m. curfew for any establishment with a liquor license, to reduce large crowds and to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, CNBC reported.

Public city meetings have also been cancelled, and all houses of worship, event venues and restaurants with a capacity of 25 people and higher will now have sign-in sheets, to assist health officials with tracking COVID-19 exposure within the community.

On March 15, Union City officials announced a 10 p.m. business curfew effective immediately, and all public recreation events and senior activities are suspended until March 20, according to Hudson County View. Residents were also advised to stay in their homes from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., until further notice.

“At this time, we have no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Union City, but we are working around the clock to institute safety measures such as closing schools and restricting exposure,” Mayor Brian Stack said in a statement. 

In Hoboken, a citywide curfew went into effect on March 16, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced on March 14.  

“During this curfew, all residents will be required to remain in their homes except for emergencies, or if you are required to work by your employer,” Mayor Bhalla said.

The city of Hoboken also enacted restrictions on bars and restaurants; food service on the premises is now prohibited — limited to takeout and delivery service only — and all bars were closed as of March 15. All gyms, health clubs, day cares and movie theaters in Hoboken were also shuttered until further notice, beginning on Saturday (March 14). 

School closures

As per Governor Murphy’s executive order of March 16, all preschools and primary and secondary school programs are closed statewide, until further notice.

Colleges and universities in New Jersey are also suspending face-to-face instruction, with some moving learning online, according to NJ.com (see their list for details).

Cases by county:

  • Bergen: 61
  • Essex: 20
  • Hudson: 19
  • Middlesex: 17
  • Monmouth: 14
  • Passaic: 8
  • Union: 8
  • Mercer: 6
  • Morris: 6
  • Burlington: 5
  • Somerset: 5
  • Camden: 3
  • Ocean: 3
  • Hunterdon: 1

Originally published on Live Science. 

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