Full Notification

UPDATE (4/2/20): There are 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hackettstown and 4 recovered. There are 131 confirmed cases and 10 recovered in Warren County. (From The Warren County Health Dept.)

Important Information 

The Town of Hackettstown has become aware of a proposed gathering at Hackettstown Medical Center on Friday, April 3, 2020 at 7:30 p.m., car horns and car alarms will be deployed to show support for the Doctors, Nurses and the entire staff at Hackettstown Medical Center. Although the Town appreciates the proposed show of support, and recognizes that many of us are seeking ways to assist, in light of Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 107, which mandates stay-in-place under most circumstances, and social distancing in all circumstances, neither the Town nor the Hospital endorse this event and encourage those who were planning to attend to show their support in other ways. Local efforts and groups are currently supporting Hospital staff through the provision of meals to the frontline staff. This is a practical, pro-active way to support our Hospital staff while remaining compliant with social distancing mandates. You can support these efforts at: Hackettstownrotary.org

, facebook.com/groups/flagofhackettstown or atlantichealth.org/…/donate-v…/donate-supplies-covid-19.html.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Murphy Administration Launches Emergency Child Care Assistance Program

TRENTON – Administration officials with the New Jersey Departments of Children and Families (DCF) and Human Services (DHS) yesterday issued guidance for the Emergency Child Care Assistance Program for children of workers designated as ‘essential’ under Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 110.

Through this program, the state will help support child care costs for essential workers. In order to participate, essential employees who wish to utilize emergency care services must complete an online registration form available at www.childcarenj.gov/emergency

. The State-supported, county-based Child Care Resource and Referral agencies will reach out to those who register to assist with enrollment and placement.

Executive Order 110 directed the closure of all childcare centers except for those on federal property or military bases, family-based centers caring for five or fewer children, and any centers that register to exclusively provide emergency child care services to essential personnel. Following a registration process last week, nearly 600 childcare agencies statewide have been certified by DCF to provide emergency child care services.

“Our essential workers are keeping our state running every day and every night,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “We are establishing this new Emergency Child Care Program to support them and their families as they continue to serve the residents of New Jersey.”

“Safe, dependable and affordable childcare is vital to working families, particularly now, as so many parents are being called to serve their state in critical roles during a pandemic,” said DCF Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “These childcare centers are fulfilling a necessary function and giving parents across the state the peace of mind to go to work knowing their child is with licensed, reliable and skilled professionals.”

“Child care providers and staff who care for the children of essential workers are vitally important to our children and to the state’s response during this ongoing emergency,” Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson said. “We thank child care workers for their hard work and commitment, especially during this difficult time. We urge essential workers who need child care to visit www.childcarenj.gov/emergency

For the month of April, under this program, the state will pay the following rates per week. Once final details are available on federal funds available through the CARES Act, this information will be updated for future months.

State Rate for Emergency Care:

➡️INFANT $450.35

➡️TODDLER $415.70

➡️PRESCHOOL $415.70

➡️SCHOOL-AGE $336.00
(Full-time weekly rate for one child)

Families choosing a child care center with higher rates will need to pay the balance directly to the provider, but such rates cannot exceed up to a limit of 110 percent of the rate the center charged in February 2020.

Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 110 defines ‘essential’ workers as:

➡️Health care workers, including staff working in health care facilities and in community-based services including home health and behavioral health;
➡️Law enforcement personnel, fire and emergency services personnel, and correctional facility staff;
Individuals employed at emergency child care centers operating on or after April 1, 2020;
➡️Staff working for entities that provide essential social services, including, but not limited to, group home and shelter staff;
➡️Essential government employees who are unable to work from home, including child protection services workers, child welfare workers, foster care workers, unemployment compensation processing staff, and public health employees; and,
➡️Certain critical workers, as defined by the Commissioner of DCF, at essential retail businesses, as defined in Executive Order No. 107 (2020) and subsequent Administrative Orders, which includes, for example, grocery store and gas station employees.

More information can be found on the childcarenj.gov website.
 

Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Authorizing Commandeering of Property Such as Medical Supplies

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 113, authorizing the New Jersey State Director of Emergency Management to use the Governor's full authority under the Disaster Control Act to commandeer personal services and/or real or personal property. This includes medical supplies and equipment from private companies and institutions in order to help meet the continued need for ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the State in hospitals, health care facilities, and emergency response agencies due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.

“We must continue to take action to meet the critical medical needs of our hospitals and medical centers during this pandemic,” said Governor Murphy. “While we look forward to these facilities cooperating in providing this equipment, this order gives the Office of Emergency Management the express authority to protect the public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring that supplies go to where they are most needed.”

Executive Order No. 113 authorizes New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan, the State Director of Emergency Management, to take or use resources from private sources in order to address the continued pressing public health concern presented by COVID-19. This authority shall be exercised in consultation with the Department of Health. The Order also states that compensation for such takings will be provided by the procedures established under the Disaster Control Act.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that heath care professionals in dire need of personal protective equipment are our first priority, because they are the heroes on the front lines, providing life-saving care to the sick," said Colonel Callahan. "We will continue to work cooperatively with our partners at the Department of Health to determine where these critical resources are best allocated."

Executive Order No. 113 builds on direction in Executive Order No. 109—signed on March 23, 2020—mandating that all businesses and non-hospital health care facilities submit an inventory to the State of PPE, ventilators, respirators, and anesthesia machines in their possession. Today’s executive order also builds on direction in Executive Order No. 111—signed on March 28, 2020—requiring health care facilities to report data concerning their capacity and supplies to the State on a daily basis, including data relating to bed capacity, ventilators, and PPE.

To read Executive Order No. 113, click here ➡️nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/pdf/EO-113.pdf

Make Sure To Follow the Hackettstown Police Department on Facebook.com/hackettstownpd, Twitter.com/hackettstownpd, or Instagram.com/hackettstownpd