Novel Coronavirus News

Novel Coronavirus Updates
Posted on 08/01/2020
Novel Coronavirus Updates

MONTCLAIR COVID-19 UPDATES

Visit the township COVID-19 updates section for the latest information on township operations.

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Cumulative COVID-19 Cases, Fatalities
Date 7/28 7/29 7/30 7/31 8/1 8/2 8/3
Cases
474
474
475
478
479
479
479
Deaths
54
54
54
54
54
54
54

Essex County Weequahic Park Testing Site (Nasal Swab Test)

  • New hours: Mondays 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday and Friday testing hours: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
  • Drive-through only

Appointments are required – to make an appointment visit www.EssexCOVID.org or call 973-324-9950.

  • Essex County residents with or without symptoms are encouraged to get tested
  • Residents are encouraged to get tested if they have taken the swab or saliva tests 14 days ago or more and have received negative test results.
  • Residents age 13 and older are welcome to get tested
  • Testing is provided free of charge to Essex County residents. No insurance is required.

Posted Thursday, June 4, 2020

We all need to work together with our Health Department staff to slow the spread of COVID-19.

  • Now that we’ve worked together to flatten the curve, it’s time to slow the spread of COVID-19.
  • Be part of the solution to slow the spread.
  • Help the Health Department slow transmission in our community.

Your actions make all of us safer. Public health workers are here to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, a case investigator from the Health Department might call you to check-in on your health, discuss who you’ve been in contact with and ask you to stay at home to self-isolate.

  • Unless you give permission, your name will not be revealed to those you came in contact with, even if they ask.
  • The Health Department will ask you to stay at home and self-isolate.
    • Self-isolation means staying at home in a specific room away from other people and pets, and using a separate bathroom, if possible.
    • Self-isolation is critical to protecting those you live with as well as your community.
    • Self-isolation helps slow the spread of COVID-19 and can help keep your friends and neighbors healthy.
    • If you need support or assistance while self-isolating, then the Health Department or community organizations may be able to provide assistance.
  • Seek medical care if symptoms become severe. Severe symptoms include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face.

If you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, a case investigator from the Health Department might call to inform you that you’ve been exposed. They will ask you to stay at home and self-quarantine.

  • Close contact means you were within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 10 minutes.
  • You should stay at home and self-quarantine for 14 days, starting from the most recent day that you were possibly exposed to COVID-19. The contact tracer will inform you of the dates of your self-quarantine.
    • Self-quarantine means staying home, monitoring yourself, and maintaining social distancing (at least 6 feet from others at all times). You should remain in a specific room separate from other non-exposed people and pets in your home, and use a separate bathroom, if possible.
    • If you need to be around other people or animals in or outside of the home, wear a cloth face covering. This will help protect the people around you.
    • If you need support or assistance with self-quarantine, then your health department or community organizations may be able to provide assistance.
    • Self-quarantine helps slow the spread of COVID-19 and can help keep your friends and neighbors healthy.
  • You should monitor yourself for any symptoms of COVID-19 and notify your health department if you develop symptoms. Seek medical care if symptoms become severe. Severe symptoms include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face.

Key Actions

  • Pick up the phone when a Health Department employee calls.
  • Follow Health Department guidance.
  • Notify your healthcare provider if you become ill.
  • Call your healthcare provider if you start to feel ill and you have not been tested for COVID-19.
  • If you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, you should stay at home and self-quarantine for 14 days, starting from the most recent day that you were possibly exposed to COVID-19. Monitor yourself, and maintain social distancing (at least 6 feet) from others at all times.
  • Notify those who you had close contact with recently if you become ill.
  • Know what symptoms mean you need to go to the hospital right away.
  • Seek medical care if symptoms become severe. Severe symptoms include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face.

The bottom line: Making a choice to help the Health Department in the fight against COVID-19 keeps you, your family, and our community safe.

NJ DMI Resource Guide

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The spread of COVID-19 has negatively impacted statewide infrastructure and reduced the availability of a wide number of Health and Prevention Sharing Network (HPSN) resources, which are essential for NJ’s Drug Monitoring Initiative (DMI) partners and the individuals they serve.

In response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, NJ's DMI created a “New Jersey Resource Guide” to provide its partners and the public with links to relevant resources for a variety of topics. The Resource Guide includes information on the Governor's COVID-19 updates, COVID-19 links, COVID-19 testing sites, list of programs still offering naloxone in NJ, where to find mental health support, grief support, crisis hotlines, food banks, emergency shelters, and much more.

The Resource Guide can be downloaded here:

https://www.njcares.gov/ohh/downloads/DMI_COVID-19_Resource-Guide.pdf

Check back to the above "New Jersey Resource Guide" link for updated versions of the guide (last updated May 7, 2020).

Council Approves Rent Increase Moratorium Ordinance on First Reading

Thursday, May 7, 2020

The Ordinance Imposing Temporary Moratorium on Rent Increases During Covid-19 Pandemic State of Emergency (O-20-08) was introduced on May 5, 2020.
Download a copy of this ordinance.

Council Extends Property Tax Grace Period to June 1

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Montclair, NJ – Montclair Township Council unanimously passed Resolution R-20-079 this evening to extend the second-quarter property tax payment grace period to June 1st. The Governing body took immediate action to ensure the resolution was on the May 5th Council Meeting agenda after Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 130 last week to allow municipalities to make the grace period extension, moving the payment due date from May 1st to June 1st.

“We are pleased with the Governor’s decision to extend the grace period to provide a bit of breathing room for our homeowners, many of whom had been asking for an extension,” said Mayor Robert Jackson. “The COVID-19 pandemic is severely impacting so many of our residents and businesses and we hope this measure will help to somewhat ease the burden.”

The Township continues to waive e-check bill payment fees and encourages property owners to pay their bills using this method. Credit card transaction fees will be waived through May 11.

To pay property tax bills online, visit the online payment portal at https://wipp.edmundsassoc.com/Wipp/?wippid=0713.

Payment checks may also be mailed or dropped off at the Municipal Building into the payments box located at the front of the building next to the US Postal Service mailbox.

Municipal Parks to Open May 2

Thursday, April 30, 2020
Consistent with Governor Murphy's Executive Order 133(2020) reopening state parks and forests to the public, effective Saturday, May 2, 2020 at 6:00 A.M. for certain passive recreational activities subject to safeguards and restrictions, I hereby reopen parks and recreational areas owned by the Township of Montclair, with the limitations and regulations set forth below:

1. Only the following passive recreation activities in which social distancing can be readily achieved are permitted:

  • Hiking;
  • Walking;
  • Running or jogging;
  • Biking;
  • Birding

2. The following shall remain closed to the public:

  • Picnic areas;
  • Playgrounds;
  • Exercise stations and equipment;
  • Restrooms;
  • Other buildings and facilities, such  as the Edgemont Park House;

3. The following recommendations and policies shall apply to all parks and recreation areas:

a. Employees and visitors should wear cloth face coverings while in the park or recreation area in all settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, except where doing so would inhibit that individual's health or where the individual is under two years of age;

b. Available parking must be limited to 50% of the maximum capacity at one time, and visitors shall be prohibited from parking in undesignated areas, including in roadways and other undesignated areas;

c. No picnicking shall be allowed, including on picnic blankets in signed picnic areas, and no picnic blankets, chairs, coolers, and other such personal property shall be carried into any parks or recreation areas;

d. Consistent with Paragraph 3 of Governor Murphy's Executive Order No. 107 (2020), visitors must practice social distancing and stay six feet apart whenever practicable, excluding immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners;

e. No organized or contact activities or sports shall be allowed; and

f. Consistent with Paragraph 5 of Governor Murphy's Executive Order No. 107 (2020), gatherings of individuals, including in parks, are prohibited.

4. Consistent with Paragraph 11 of Governor Murphy's Executive Order No. 133 (2020), it shall be the duty of every person or entity in the Township of Montclair or doing business in the Township of Montclair to cooperate fully in all matters concerning this Order and to cooperate fully with Administrative Orders issued pursuant to this Order.

Timothy F. Stafford, Esq.
Acting Township Manager
April 30, 2020

Weequahic Park Testing Site to Open Three Days a Week

Wednesday, April 29, 2020 The Essex County drive-through testing site in Weequahic Park, Newark will open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 a.m. until further notice. Tests will be conducted each day until test kits run out. Residents can register for a test at www.EssexCOVID.org, or by calling the Essex County Office of Emergency Management COVID-19 Testing Call Center at 973-324-9950 if they do not have internet access. The call center will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Phone: 973-324-9950
Email: covidtesting@essexsheriff.com Fax: 973-324-9958

Weequahic Park COVID-19 Screenings

Essex County Executive Divincenzo, Freeholder President Gill And Vice President Richardson Announce Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Screenings Will Continue In Essex County Weequahic Park

Friday, April 17, 2020
Essex County, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Freeholder President Brendan Gill and Vice President Wayne Richardson announced that testing for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) will continue in Essex County Weequahic Park. Three additional dates have been scheduled for Monday, April 20th; Wednesday, April 22nd and Friday, April 24th. Screenings are for Essex County residents only who are symptomatic of the Coronavirus and are by appointment only. They will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 noon; 250 tests will be available each day. Residents must arrive by car.

There are still a significant number of people who submitted a registration for an earlier testing date and were placed on a waiting list. Their information has been kept on file and those placed on the waiting list will be given an appointment to get tested at Weequahic Park in the order their registration was accepted. Residents will be provided with a confirmation number which they must bring with them to their appointment. New registrations will be accepted when the waiting list is exhausted.

“We are pleased to be able to offer additional dates to allow more residents to be tested for the Coronavirus. Testing is the most effective way to determine if a person has the virus and will help us get a handle on how far-reaching it has become,” DiVincenzo, Gill and Richardson said in a joint statement.

“We continue to urge our residents to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, which include practicing social distancing, washing their hands and staying indoors. We are in a public health crisis and the actions we take today will help reduce the virus’ impact,” they said.

The screenings are being offered to Essex County residents only who are symptomatic of COVID-19. This means anyone wishing to be tested must meet specific testing criteria, which includes a fever of at least 99.6 degrees and respiratory symptoms of shortness of breath. Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Those who do not meet the criteria were not given an appointment. If you are exhibiting severe symptoms, please contact your local health care provider or local health department for guidance.

Tests are being offered free of charge to Essex County residents. Having health insurance is not a requirement. Follow up contact will be made to assess the continuing health of the person who completed the screening.

Medical personnel from RWJBarnabas Health System, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, University Hospital, Hackensack Hospital, Essex County Hospital and nurses from public schools in Essex County are staffing the testing sites and call-in center. NJIT has provided personal protective equipment (face shields). Security at the site is being provided by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and Newark Police Department.

Coronavirus Hotline at New Jersey Poison Center Assists Over 15,000 Residents

Friday, April 10, 2020
The COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) outbreak has hit New Jersey hard. Thousands of residents are ill with coronavirus (confirmed positive) and the numbers continues to soar each day. During this time of uncertainty, all residents are frightened and concerned for their health and that of their loved ones. In response, Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Health established the NJ Coronavirus Hotline, 1-800-962-1253, to provide up-to-date medical information about this emerging outbreak to the public, 24/7, in any language. This is in partnership with NJ 2-1-1, the statewide hotline providing non-medical assistance about COVID-19 including information about housing, unemployment, and testing site locations.

The New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES), also known as the New Jersey Poison Center, has been part of the State’s COVID-19 response since late January when the Governor announced opening the NJ Coronavirus Hotline. Poison Center staff have worked around the clock to provide a reliable resource to concerned New Jerseyans — credible information to alleviate fear and dispel rumors, up-to-date guidance for ill persons and the worried well, and best-practices for prevention. NJPIES has also recruited many healthcare volunteers within Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) to assist with call volume. With emerging outbreaks, information changes quickly. Poison center staff are in daily contact with State and Federal health officials to monitor questions as they arise and to also participate in daily briefings on new information.

“Since its inception, the State’s Coronavirus Hotline has assisted over 15,000 New Jersey callers, with an unprecedented surge in call volume as the pandemic has unfolded in our state,” says Diane Calello, MD, Executive and Medical Director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Emergency Medicine. “To ensure the coronavirus hotline stays accessible to the public during the current surge, we implemented a contingency plan which enables us to continue our mission of providing medical advice and assistance 24/7 — expanded our available phone lines, put remote teleworker status into effect to allow additional staff on the phones, and deployed a multidisciplinary team of Rutgers graduate student and faculty volunteers. Moving forward, we continue to expand our staffing with dedicated healthcare volunteers throughout the state.”

As COVID-19 continues to march through New Jersey, the hotline will be available 24 hours a day to assist the public with their growing concerns. “We ask that callers remain patient while waiting to speak with one of our staff. Hold times are longer than usual for the Poison Center as we continue to provide medical advice and assistance to over 500 callers a day,” says Calello.

Are you a New Jersey resident looking for information on novel coronavirus (COVID-19)? There are three options available — Call 2-1-1; Call 1-800-962-1253 (the NJ Poison Center); or Text: NJCOVID to 898-211.

If someone is unconscious, not breathing, hard to wake up, or having a seizure, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Help is Just a Phone Call Away!

Stay Connected: Facebook (@NJPIES) and Twitter (@NJPoisonCenter).

COVID-19: Health Actions to Protect You and Your Family

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) provides a chart with information to help people determine actions to take based on their health status and symptoms.

According to NJDOH people with mild illness do not necessarily need to be tested for COVID-19. Contact your health care provider for more information based on your personal health history.

Download the NJDOH COVID-19: Health Actions to Protect You and Your Family chart.

Proper Disposal of Masks and Latex Gloves

Wednesday, April 8, 2020
The recycling facility that receives and processes Montclair’s recycling has reported receiving a large amount of latex gloves and masks in the recycling loads.

MASKS AND LATEX GLOVES ARE NOT CONSIDERED HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING.

THEY MUST BE DISPOSED OF AS TRASH.

For the sake of the health of recycling facility crews who must remain healthy to continue this essential service, please dispose of these items properly – IN THE TRASH.

Notice to Water Consumers: Spring Hydrant Inspection and Flushing Program Underway

Updated Thursday, April 2, 2020

The Montclair Water Bureau is currently conducting its 2020 Spring Hydrant Inspection and Flushing Program. You may see some discoloration in your water– this is temporary and should clear up within a short period of time. Go to Water Bureau page for more information.

COVID-19 Testing Facilities

Updated Monday, March 30, 2020

Below is a list of locations in Essex County and others offered by the State of New Jersey where residents can be tested for COVID-19. You must be symptomatic to be tested. In the facilities where no appointment is required, please call ahead to tell staff you are coming and to make sure they still have tests available.

Bergen Community College
400 Paramus Road
Paramus, NJ 07652
No appointment, drive in only

PNC Bank Arts Center
Garden State Parkway, Exit 116
Holmdel, NJ 07733
No appointment, drive in only

American Family Care Urgent Care
480 Pompton Avenue, Suite 6, C
Cedar Grove, NJ 07009
973-239-2300

CityMD Newark Urgent Care
617 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
862-201-4596
Walk in, no appointment

The Doctors’ Office Urgent Care of West Caldwell
556 Passaic Avenueaa
West Caldwell, NJ 07006
973-808-2273

American Family Care Urgent Care
464 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite C,
West Orange, NJ 07052
973-669-5900