Full Notification

Below is an update from Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla:

As I mentioned over the weekend, I couldn’t be prouder of the way our City came together to peacefully demonstrate for racial justice and equality. Thank you to the many residents who joined on Friday, and also to Chief Kenneth Ferrante and the Hoboken Police Department for going above and beyond both before and during the demonstration to keep everyone safe.
 
Impact of COVID-19 in Hoboken
 
Since our last update on June 3, below are the new confirmed cases of COVID-19 by day in Hoboken.
 
June 4: 3 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases
June 5: 2 new cases
June 6: 4 new cases
June 7: 0 new cases
June 8: 0 new cases (with one prior case removed from the total)
 
As of today, there are now 571 known, confirmed cases in Hoboken. There was sadly one additional fatality of a woman in her early 80s that occurred one month ago that was reported on June 5, for a total of 30 COVID-19 related fatalities.
 
Thank you to Hoboken Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
 
I want to take a moment to give a special thanks to all of the volunteer members of the CERT team for staffing our phones at the City Hall COVID-19 hotline over the past three months since the beginning of the pandemic. Over 60 CERT members volunteered over 3,500 hours, fielded nearly 7,000 calls, and referred 3,300 individuals to Riverside for testing. They provided information to the public, handed out face masks, volunteered at the Food Pantry, and much more. I appreciate their hard work and incredible service to our City.
 
Hoboken Food Pantry
 
Volunteers are needed to organize, pack and deliver meals with the Hoboken Food Pantry to assist those in need. To sign up, please visit http://signup.com/go/FOuThPW
or download the Hoboken Charity Quest mobile application. Anyone above the age of 13 is welcome to volunteer. 

Please consider getting a COVID-19 test if you were at Friday’s demonstration
 
We have been advised by health care professional that residents who attended Friday’s peaceful demonstration for racial justice should consider getting a COVID-19 test, and to self-isolate whenever possible until you receive testing results. A rapid, 15-minute test can be obtained through our partnership with Riverside Medical by calling the CERT hotline at 201-420-5621, Monday through Friday from 9 am until 5 pm. Prompt MD on 1^st Street has also offered to test Hoboken residents, who can call (201) 222-8411 to schedule an appointment. I attended Friday’s demonstration and will be obtaining a COVID-19 test this week as well.
 
We also encourage all business employees to also get a COVID-19 test who can schedule one using the same number. If you don’t have insurance, the City will pay for the cost of your test.
 
Antibody testing
 
Today, Power Analytics sent out additional invitations to those who have signed up for an antibody test but have not received a scheduled time yet. If you signed up but did not receive a time for a test or have any additional scheduling questions, please email [email protected]. 
 
Racial justice and COVID-19: two public health issues
 
Many have asked about the juxtaposition of demonstrations for racial justice, including the one in Hoboken, with the national pandemic of COVID-19. The reality is that systemic racism and its impacts and combatting COVID-19 are both public health issues. People of color have been the subject of institutional racism for generations, which has resulted in the brutal murders of people like George Floyd and so many others, all too often. While it’s unprecedented, I believe it’s our duty to do our part to combat both public health issues to the best of our ability.  This is why my family and I made a personal decision to join in the demonstration on Friday, despite the public health risks associated with participating in demonstrations right now. While residents will make different decisions in this context, I think it is important to be mindful of everyone’s decision, as we are one community and differences in opinion should be respected.  I thank the many residents who also joined and wore face masks and made their best efforts to balance both health issues as best as possible.
 
Preparing for outdoor dining on June 15.
 
As we communicated last week, Governor Murphy is permitting outdoor dining to begin starting June 15. Our staff in City Hall, in addition to Lt. Kucz from the Hoboken Police Department, have been working hard to speak to business owners and assist with outdoor expansion through the parklets, streateries, open streets, and more thanks to our business recovery plan. As a reminder, if you are a business and would like to expand outdoor operations, please visit http://www.hobokennj.gov/businessrecovery for more information and to apply.
 
A quick note for businesses that do not have outdoor sidewalk cafes – we are waiving application fees for new applications and for those that already paid for one, will be credited for 2021. Those that have sidewalk cafes can expand to adjacent properties with the neighboring property owner’s consent, and six feet of sidewalk width must be maintained at all times, while tables and chairs must be six feet apart measured from backs of opposite chairs to promote social distancing.
 
Below are some requirements for businesses to incorporate who are opening for outdoor dining on June 15, as stated in Governor Murphy’s outdoor dining executive order:

• Post signage at the entrance that states that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 should enter the food or beverage establishment
• Limit seating to a maximum of eight (8) customers per table and arrange seating to achieve a minimum distance of six feet (6 ft) between parties
• Rope off or otherwise mark tables, chairs and bar stools that are not to be used
• Demarcate 6 feet of spacing in patron waiting areas
• Provide physical guides, such as tape on floors, sidewalks, and signage on walls to ensure that customers remain at least 6 ft apart in line for the restroom or waiting for seating
• Eliminate self-service food or drink options such as buffets, salad bars, and self-service drink stations
• Disinfect all tables, chairs and any other shared items (menus, condiments, pens) after each use
• Install physical barriers and partitions at cash registers, bars, host stands and other area where maintaining physical distance of 6 ft is difficult
• Ensure 6 ft of physical distancing between workers and customers, except at the moment of payment and/or when employees are servicing the table
• Require infection control practices, such as regular handwashing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal
• Require frequent sanitization of high-touch areas like credit card machines, keypads, and counters to which the public and workers have access
• Place conspicuous signage at entrance alerting staff and customers to the required 6 ft of physical distance
• Require all food or beverage establishments to have an inclement weather policy that, if triggered, would require the food or beverage establishment 2 to adhere to Executive Order No. 125 (2020) and offer takeout or delivery service only 

Additionally, according to the State, businesses should conduct daily health screenings for employees (such as temperature screenings and/or symptom checking), and provide and require employees to wear face masks. All customers must bring and wear face masks when going to a business to wear if going inside the business or using the restroom.
 
The State also recommends that businesses and customers utilize reservations as much as possible to limit overcrowding at restaurants. All businesses must have tables and chairs at outdoor cafe areas, as open outdoor bar areas without seating is prohibited.
 
In the next couple days, we will include some additional recommendations from the Economic Recovery Task Force for businesses and customers.
 
Thank you Hoboken,

Ravi S. Bhalla
Mayor