Alcalde de Hoboken actualiza al público sobre el aumento de los números de coronavirus en la ciudad

Impact of COVID-19 in Hoboken

The Hoboken Health Department is reporting the following, new COVID-19 cases in Hoboken:

October 27: 10
October 28: 7
October 29: 17

The 17 cases reported Thursday, an alarming increase, reflect the highest one-day total since the end of April. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 991 known, confirmed cases of COVID-19, along with 856 recoveries. Fatalities remain unchanged at 31. The Hoboken University Medical Center is reporting that there are currently 11 COVID-19 related hospitalizations, which includes two Hoboken residents.

The 17 new cases and two new hospitalizations should be a stark reminder to all of us that we are now in the midst of a second wave of the virus. We should assume that anyone we are in contact with could have COVID-19, avoid indoor gatherings beyond immediate household members, wear face masks and social distance at all practical times, and prioritize outdoor, as opposed to indoor activities as much as possible.

Contacting tracing and schools

Extensive contact tracing from our Health Department has indicated that some of the most recent cases have involved children that been exposed to COVID-19 at social gatherings and other situations, then went to school and subsequently testing positive, resulting in quarantine situations and remote learning situations.

Our Health Department has confirmed that our schools are taking every possible safety measure to keep our children safe, and that there is little evidence that the schools themselves are the reason for COVID-19 spread, as opposed to behavior outside the school. I thank our educators for going above and beyond to protect our students and providing as safe a learning environment as possible, as well as working with our health department to ensure safety protocols.

The results from contact tracing is a reminder to all parents to please take the necessary precautions to keep children safe from COVID-19 and avoiding risky situations such as social gatherings without face masks, as well as indoor gatherings.

New COVID-19 mobile application 

Recently, Governor Murphy and the State of New Jersey launched a new mobile application, COVID Alert NJ, to let users know if they’ve potentially been exposed to COVID-19. The mobile app will alert users if they’ve been within six feet for at least 10 minutes of someone using the application who has tested positive for COVID-19. The app, which works with other similar apps in Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania, is completely anonymous and doesn’t collect personal data, and does not use GPS location data, and instead uses Bluetooth low energy technology to detect when another phone with the app is within six feet.

Here’s how it works:

1. Descarga el COVID Alert NJ en la App Store o en la Google Play Store. Opt-in para recibir “Notificaciones de exposición“” No puedo .
2. A medida que usted pasa su día, la aplicación utilizará Bluetooth para detectar cualquier ““contactos cercanos”” – otros usuarios de la aplicación que están a menos de 6 pies de distancia de usted durante más de 10 minutos
3. Cuando su aplicación detecta un contacto cercano, su teléfono intercambiar un código aleatorio seguro con el teléfono del contacto cercano. Es importante tener en cuenta que su ubicación y nombre nunca son revelados
4. Si usted se pone positivo para COVID-19, un representante de salud pública le llamará y le preguntará si está dispuesto a notificar anónimamente a sus “contactos cercanos” cargando los códigos de contacto cercano de su aplicación
5. Cada día, la aplicación comparará su lista de códigos de contacto cercano con la lista de códulos asociados con usuarios de aplicaciones positivos de COVID-19. Si hay coincidencia obtendrá una alerta de exposición, junto con los próximos pasos apropiados

For more information, visit https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/app.

Protecting the public health 

As many have heard, we made the difficult decision to temporarily close bars and restaurants at midnight to help limit situations where COVID-19 is more likely to spread. This was a decision that was made in consultation with the Office of Emergency Management and Director of Health, due to a number of factors:

• Nuestro rastreo de contactos ha relacionado algunos casos de COVID-19 con bares y restaurantes locales: Durante el extenso rastreo de contacto del Departamento de Salud de Hoboken, ha habido casos de COVID-19, vinculados a residentes en varios bares y restaurante de Hoboken. El rastreo de contactos de otros departamentos de salud de Nueva Jersey ha relacionado los casos de COVID-19 de personas de otras ciudades con los bares y restaurantes que también visitaron en Hoboken.
• Comprender cuándo es más probable que se propague el COVID-19: Las horas de la noche de 12 a 2 horas en los bares son a menudo momentos en que el alcohol fluye libremente, lo que resulta en menos cumplimiento de los procedimientos de distancia social y de salud, así como de la congregación entre los grupos sociales – lo que ha sido observado durante esos tiempos por el Departamento de Policía de Hoboken y el grupo de trabajo de distanciación social COVID-19. Los mayores volúmenes de música combinados con el alcohol, hacen que sea más probable que las personas hablen más alto y liberen más gotas respiratorias, lo que hace que sea mucho más probable que se transmita si alguien tiene COVID-19.
• Limitar a los que vienen de fuera de Hoboken y de zonas de mayor riesgo: A menudo, los visitantes de nuestros establecimientos entre las 12 y las 2 de la mañana son de la edad (20 años y principios de los 30 años) más susceptibles a COVID-19, especialmente con las tasas de infección en aumento.
• Liberación de recursos del Departamento de Policía de Hoboken para combatir las fiestas en casa: El Departamento de Policías de Hoboken normalmente asigna una serie de recursos relacionados con los bares durante las tardes horas de la tarde/a primera hora de la mañana. Liberar a esos oficiales ayudará a hacer cumplir las fiestas de casa que violan las ordenanzas de la ciudad y amenazan la salud pública
• Comprometerse para limitar el impacto en las empresas: Aunque algunos me recomendaron que las 10 pm fueran el momento de cierre de los bares y restaurantes, sentí que era importante comprometerme con la hora de medianoche sin afectar a los que se sientan a cenar en interiores.

With our Health Department reporting recent COVID-19 cases linked to bars and restaurants, I felt it was in the best interest of our community’s health and safety to limit higher-risk situations when COVID-19 is more likely to be spread. At the end of the day, we are still in the midst of a deadly pandemic when our schools are closing in-person learning, seniors remain self-isolated at home, and residents remain unemployed – all while cases are currently surging in New Jersey, and other countries like France and Germany are locking down completely. Like I’ve done from the beginning, I’m going to follow the science and the best expert advice we have available to us and do so proactively – like we did in March – before an even greater surge of cases affects our City.

Why Close at Midnight?  

A number of people have mentioned that COVID-19 doesn’t just appear after midnight. This is 100% true. However, as health experts have consistently recommended, it’s about limiting higher-risk situations when COVID-19 is more likely to spread. With cases significantly rising in a second wave, we’re likely to see more transmission occurring indoors, which include bar settings. And unfortunately, as opposed to gyms or schools when face masks can be worn, face masks can’t be worn indoors when eating or drinking, making it a higher-risk environment – especially late at night with alcohol when it is only natural to let your guard down.

I know the substantial impact this will have on our businesses and business owners, and that is certainly not lost upon me. Just like we did after the initial shutdown, we will continue to do everything we can to assist our businesses during these difficult times. We will also continue to monitor our infections, contact tracing results, and social distancing practices as we consider the public health implications of this decision over the next two weeks, at which point we will evaluate this decision.

Hoboken is not alone in making this decision – Newark has taken the steps to close indoor dining at 8 pm, while Paterson yesterday made the same decision as us, with a midnight closure. Other cities are also considering similar measures.

One additional note – all current outdoor cafes, parklets and streateries are permitted to operate until midnight from Thursday through Saturday and 11 pm from Sunday through Wednesday, reflecting additional hours for outdoor dining from an ordinance we passed earlier in the fall.

Testing update with Riverside Medical Group and Prompt MD 

Riverside Medical Group: Appointments are now available for Hoboken residents for the week of November 2 at the testing site under the 14^th Street Viaduct at www.hobokennj.gov/riverside.

To cancel a scheduled COVID-19 test booked with the Riverside online system, please send an email to the Hoboken Health Department as soon as conveniently possible to LMedeiros@HobokenNJ.gov. Riverside Medical patients should not utilize the online system and should call their Riverside primary care office to book an appointment.

Prompt MD: Appointments are available on Monday, November 2 and Thursday, November 5 at 605 Jackson Street for Hoboken residents and Hoboken business employees at www.hobokennj.gov/promptmd. Given the high demand for testing, Prompt MD will likely be adding an additional day of testing at 605 Jackson Street next week as well and we will provide that information as it becomes available.

To cancel a scheduled COVID-19 test with Prompt MD, please utilize the link sent via email or text sent from the Solv system.

As a reminder, all business employees should utilize the testing options with Prompt MD at 605 Jackson Street.

New online zoning map 

With COVID-19 resulting in more visitors to our city website for information and city resources, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new interactive, online zoning map, which will be a resource to residents, business owners, property owners, and municipal staff. The map features information on zoning, redevelopment areas, historic districts, and flood zones, all at the parcel level, with links to zoning ordinances, tax maps, and redevelopment plans. The Department of Community Development will be continuously updating, improving, and adding to the map to bring greater clarity and transparency to municipal zoning regulations.

Please visit www.hobokennj.gov/zoning-map to begin exploring this new website.

Ravi S. Bhalla
Mayor