Full Notification

South Brunswick officials were notified this afternoon of another resident testing positive for COVID-19. The man in his 50’s is recovering at home and is self-quarantined. Middlesex County now has 76 cases of people testing positive for the virus. The Middlesex County Health Department is the lead in the investigation of the case and is responsible for all notifications. Officials from the New Jersey State Health Department today said they expected numbers to increase in the coming days as more testing is being done.
 
Community-Based Testing Sites
It is expected on Monday a Community-Based Testing site will be open at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. The drive-thru coronavirus testing site is for individuals who are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness.

In order to be eligible for testing, individuals must be current New Jersey residents and experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness. Priority will be given to symptomatic individuals experiencing cough, fever (99.6F or above) and shortness of breath.

Testing is free and will be covered by the federal government or personal insurance company. Please bring your insurance card if you have one.

The specimen collections will be transmitted to the contracted laboratory twice per day and results will be reported within 2-5 business days.
For more information go to - https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_community.shtml
 
South Brunswick Parks
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that large gatherings should be discouraged in public places, which includes playgrounds to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Playgrounds, tennis courts, and fields, can all be places where lots of children (and adults) congregate, making it hard to keep social distance. The parks in the Township and County are in fact open to the public for general use such as walking, biking, hiking.  However, all playgrounds or large gatherings, whether for social purposes or team style athletic activities, are strongly discouraged.  Caution tape is around certain equipment to dissuade use of that equipment.
 
South Brunswick School District Facilities
All school facilities including fields, tennis courts and playground equipment are closed while the schools remain closed.
 
New Jersey Department of Health Update
• Individuals with no symptoms are not recommended to be tested. Individuals with mild symptoms should stay home if they are sick and follow the guidance of their health care provider.
• All New Jerseyans are encouraged to practice social distancing and avoid large crowds and gatherings, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home if they are sick.
• If the public has questions, they should contact the call center: 1-800-962-1253 or 211. Call centers are open 24/7. The call center is not able to diagnose individuals, provide testing appointments or results, or give specific medical recommendations. Callers who need medical advice should contact their healthcare provider. Residents can also text NJCOVID to 898-211 to receive text information to stay informed.
 
 
False Text Messages Part of Larger COVID-19 Disinformation Campaign
Earlier this week, multiple US-based cellular customers received targeted text messages that falsely warned of an impending “mandatory quarantine,” highlighting cybersecurity concerns. We remain committed with our Federal and State partners to sharing timely and accurate information on COVID-19 and actively investigating false claims. There are groups attempting to leverage the COVID-19 pandemic in order to cause panic and scam unsuspecting residents, aging in disinformation campaigns to undermine US security.

WHAT IS CLOSED IN NEW JERSEY? (As of 3/20/20)
In an effort to promote social distancing to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the following are closed.
• K-12 public, private and parochial schools
• Universities
• Casinos
• Nightclubs
• Performing Arts Centers and other concert venues
• Racetracks
• Movie theaters
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Indoor malls
• Indoor amusement centers and amusement parks
• All non-essential retail, recreational and entertainment businesses after 8pm
• All personal-care businesses which cannot comply with social distancing guidelines, including barber shops and hair salons, spas, nail and eyelash salons, tattoo parlors, and social clubs
 
Supermarkets, pharmacies, medical supply stores, and gas stations are open.

Non-essential non-emergency travel curfew from 8pm-5am is also in effect
 
For more information on Coronavirus COVID-19:
CDC – General Information on Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
CDC: Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
 NJ Department of Health, COVID-19: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml