Full Notification

Fellow Leonians:

There are several important updates I’d like to provide to you today, as well as to reinforce some of the key areas I’ve covered previously.
 
Current Status

• Current Cases: 
  • New Jersey (1,327): As of this afternoon, there are 1,327 presumptive positive or positive cases in New Jersey; this is an increase of 437 from yesterday.
  • Bergen County (362): Of the total cases shown above, 362 are reported to be in Bergen County.  This represents an increase of 113 cases from yesterday. 
  • Leonia (5):  Leonia now has five (5) positive cases, with two more being reported in the last 24 hours. 

As the number of tests increases, we will continue to see a commensurate increase in the number of positive cases statewide, as well as in Bergen County and, unfortunately, in Leonia.
 
Updates/New Information

• Statewide Executive Order to Stay at Home/Shelter in Place:  Today, Governor Murphy issued Executive Orders #107 and 108, which require all New Jersey residents to stay in their homes, effective at 9:00 PM today (Saturday), March 20, 2020, except to undertake essential activities.  The order also includes new restrictions on business closures (both retail and non-retail), and bans non-essential travel in the State of New Jersey, 24 hours a day.  Full details were transmitted in a separate Nixle email, and can also be found on the Borough website at https://www.leonianj.gov/Home/Components/News/News/109/179
• Townwide Conference Call: We’re going to give this another try, so please read these instructions carefully.
  • Date: Sunday, March 22, 2020
  • Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
  • Registration Required: To register for the call, visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8302167515960481035
  • Once you visit the link and register, you’ll receive an email with a unique link; you’ll click on this link tomorrow, in order to join the webinar. You can join by phone as well, but you must still register, using the link above. 
• Conference Call with Federal Officials:  This morning, I, along with 100 other New Jersey Mayors, participated in a conference call with Senators Menendez and Booker. Following are some of the key points that we discussed:
  • Aid Package: Congress is currently finalizing negotiations with the White House on a $1 trillion aid package that covers a number of key items, including, but not limited to;
    • Extension of unemployment insurance benefits
    • Providing small business grants (in addition to loans)
  • Direct Cash Payments: The Senators indicated that if the Federal Government issues direct cash payments to individuals, these will be the same for everyone who qualifies (vs. based on a predetermined scale). Currently, the plan is to distribute these based on 2018 income tax records; I urged the Senators to push for a different mechanism, as there are many people whose circumstances have changed significantly since that time. The Senators agreed with the concern, however, I have my doubts as to whether there will be any movement on this.
  • Small Business Loan Forgiveness: There is a strong push to include a provision forgiving certain small business loans, in order to ensure that small businesses remain viable once the health crisis itself begins to abate. This has not yet been finalized.
  • Tax Filing Deadline: The date by which you must file your income tax return for 2019 has been moved from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. If you owe tax, you will not incur interest or penalties if you file by the new date. You are of course permitted to file before the deadline (and if, like many, you are receiving a refund, you are encouraged to do so).
  • Student Loans: Student loan payments have been deferred for 60 days (you should check with your lender for details). There is a push for forgiveness of a portion of student loan debt, but this has not yet been finalized.
  • Funding for Municipalities: I raised a question to the Senators regarding what assistance could be provided directly to municipalities in the event that we experience a decline in property tax collection, due to significant unemployment, business closure or other financial hardships. There is currently a bill being developed which will permit the Federal Reserve to purchase municipal bonds; however, I pushed hard (as did other Mayors who spoke after me) for direct financial assistance from the Federal Government, rather than simply asking municipalities (and, by extension, taxpayers) to simply incur more debt. This relief is far from certain – and frankly, is something that is a significant concern. I will continue to push our Federal officials on this point, and urge everyone to do the same.
  • November Elections: All are in agreement that Election Day must occur; the current bill packages include additional funding for elections, including increased reliance on vote by mail and other alternative voting protocols.

Important Information and Reminders
 
Following are important reminders and information:

• Quarantined:  All Anna C. Scott School students and Staff, as well as Leonia Middle School students who attend SACC at ACS, and SACC staff working at ACS, should be in a self-quarantine period, through March 27, 2020.
• Shelter in Place:  Mandatory for ALL residents, beginning at 9:00 PM on Saturday, March 21, 2020, except for certain essential activities. Additional details can be found here: https://www.leonianj.gov/Home/Components/News/News/109/179. 
• Social Distancing: When you are not in your home, you should remain at least six feet away from any non-family member not living with you.
  • If you want to go for a walk or run with your neighbor or friend, that’s fine; however, make sure that you remain six feet away from them at all times.
  • Playing catch, using neighbor’s play equipment, or using anyone else’s items for shared exercise should be avoided. For example, if you are standing six feet away from someone, but playing catch, you are sharing with each other whatever is on the ball that you are using (including, potentially, the COVID-19 virus), which completely negates the effectiveness of social distancing.
  • Playing basketball with friends (either at home or at a park, all of which are closed, but some of which are continuing to be frequented) is also not an example of social distancing; not only are you playing a sport requiring close interaction between participants, but the ball itself is “shared,” further endangering anyone who is participating…and those frequently MUCH more vulnerable members of their households.
• Ongoing COVID-19 Information:  As a reminder, it is VERY important that people carefully review any information provided to them about COVID-19. It is HIGHLY recommended that you obtain your information ONLY from one of the following sources:
  • Centers for Disease Control (CDC):  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
  • New Jersey State Department of Health: https://covid19.nj.gov/ 
  • New Jersey State Department of Health telephone hotline:  1-800-222-1222
  • Borough of Leonia website:  https://www.leonianj.gov

Today’s Executive Order does little more than make a requirement those guidelines that we have already been asking all Leonia residents to follow for some time. In case there are any Leonians who still think that everyone is overreacting…the time has long past for you to get over it. The crisis is real, and the virus is in our community. Everyone has for some time been asked to do the right thing; now, you are legally required to do the right thing.
 
As Mayor, I take the responsibility of ensuring the health and safety of all Leonia residents as my highest priority – and I assure you that our municipal government will have NO tolerance for people who continue to ignore what are now their legal obligations. We all need to remember that we are part of a larger community – and thus must each do our part to help “flatten the curve” and limit exposure, active cases and ultimately, loss of life.
 
Thanks to all of you who have been, and will continue, to do what’s right – as I’ve said so many times before, we are all in this together. Please – let’s support one another, care for one another – and emerge from this time of great challenge as a stronger community.
 
Judah Zeigler
Mayor
Borough of Leonia
[email protected]