Full Notification

Impact of COVID-19 in Hoboken
 
The Hoboken Health Department has reported the following new COVID-19 cases:
 
July 9: 4 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases
July 10: 4
July 11: 4
July 12: 0
July 13: 0
 
Hoboken now has a total of 634 known, confirmed cases while fatalities remain unchanged at 29.
 
The majority of new COVID-19 cases reflect the trend across the rest of the country, with most under the age of 35. As always, the Health Department continues with diligent contact tracing on every confirmed case. In addition to the Health Department’s contact tracing, I ask all residents who test positive to follow up with your own contact tracing and urge anyone who may have been in contact with you to self-quarantine for a full 14 days and get tested at least 5-7 days after exposure to you. In addition, I also ask all residents who receive a call from our Health Department to return any message and speak to our health officers without delay so they can provide important information to you regarding health procedures.
 
Grand re-opening of Jefferson Park

We as a City are continuing to prioritize healthy, outdoor activities and upgrading our public spaces. I’m glad to share that yesterday, we celebrated the grand re-opening of Jefferson Park (Jefferson Street between 1^st and 2^nd Streets) with new playground equipment, climbing structures, and new safety surface, while improving the layout and maximizing park space. Thank you to the all of the members of the community who provided valuable feedback regarding the park designs, especially everyone from the Boys and Girls Club and HoLa, as well as to Councilmembers Ruben Ramos and Emily Jabbour for their assistance.
 
Please avoid large gatherings when possible
 
Please take note that other communities have recently had COVID-19 outbreaks related to both graduation parties and other types of gatherings. As an example, Westfield went two weeks without a COVID-19 case but had a spike when a cluster of new cases was confirmed of residents between the ages of 18-25 who attend local parties.
 
I know it’s the summer, but going to a party or any large social gathering simply isn’t worth getting infected and spreading it to a parent or grandparent, who could have their lives at risk. I urge all residents to avoid large gatherings whenever possible, and remember that staying outdoors when interacting with others is much safer than indoors. The best precautions, as always, remain to wear a mask and socially distance at all practical times.
 
Please also do not forget that if you are returning from a state that is on New Jersey’s quarantine list, or if you were in another social setting where social distancing wasn’t possible and think an exposure could have occurred, please be sure to get a test at least 5-7 days after the day of potential infection and quarantine for a full 14 days.
 
Reminder to plan ahead for a COVID-19 test
 
As a reminder, if you are looking to get a test before a specific trip or date through the Riverside Medical site in Northwest Hoboken, please be sure to call the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hotline (201-420-5621) at a minimum of seven before you need the test, to ensure you can receive one in time. CERT has reported that residents sometimes call a day or two before traveling, for example, and that the turnaround for the test in that short amount of time is sometimes not possible. Other locations in Hoboken are also offering COVID-19 tests, including Prompt MD which also can be utilized by residents.
 
Billing through Riverside Medical
 
As a reminder, if you do not have insurance or your insurance does not cover the cost of a COVID-19 test through Riverside, the City will pay for the test. Please note that the costs are covered by the City if residents or Hoboken employees receive a test at Riverside Medical’s site in Northwest Hoboken, and not through another facility.
 
We are continuing to work through billing issues with Riverside which erroneously sent bills to Hoboken residents and employees who are not Riverside patients. If you received a bill or a second bill for payment, please disregard it. Our finance department is processing a payment for Riverside for the costs of test for Hoboken residents and employees and will be doing so on a regular basis.
 
Paycheck Protection Program extended
 
If you own a small businesses and want to still qualify for a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, the deadline has been extended until August 8, 2020. For more information and to apply, visit http://www.sba.gov.
 
Information on schools re-opening
 
Finally, I know that our educators in all of our schools have been assessing a number of alternatives as it relates to the re-opening of schools. Our principals, school officials, and teachers have been busy at work finding the safest possible experience for our children. Below is a section from a recent update from Dr. Christine Johnson, Superintendent of the Hoboken Public School District.
 
July 11 communication from Dr. Johnson for parents:
 
As you know, Governor Murphy made an announcement over a week ago regarding the reopening of schools and what that might look like in September. The Governor and Commissioner of Education indicated that each local school district in New Jersey would be provided with a copy of "The Road Back: Restart and Recovery Plan for Education" and from there have approximately thirty days to design their own local plans. We have received this document.
 
There are broad-based health and wellness parameters that every district needs to follow and meet. While each district's plan will look different due to a variety of variables, it is certain that all plans will need to strike a balance between onsite traditional learning and remote learning.
 
The document, "The Road Back: Restart and Recovery Plan for Education" did clarify some questions but not all. It is such a broad framework. It does not indicate which potential option for opening is most recommend or if the Governor has any intention of closing schools again in September.
 
The Hoboken Public School District will be prepared regardless. We are exploring every possible option and designing comprehensive plans for each. I want to make it very clear that we have not completed these plans as of yet and we certainly have not selected one. If we have the ability to open safely either using a full day, traditional onsite model or a 50% capacity onsite model, we will do so. And, if that is the case, we will be as flexible as possible by providing families the choice of selecting the onsite model that we implement or selecting to stay on a remote learning model. That flexibility is not being discussed in many other districts, but I do feel it is critical to provide families with an option that is most comfortable.
 
We are also redesigning our remote learning model. We are committed to capitalizing on elements that we identified as in need of improvement between March and June and maintaining the many elements that worked well.
 
All plans must be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education, 30 days prior to the first planning opening day of school. That means that all districts are knee deep in planning right now. My goal is to have another survey go out to all families between July 18th and July 27th and publish our completed plan with our options by July 28th or shortly thereafter.
 
Thank you,
 
Ravi S. Bhalla
Mayor