Below is an update from Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla on COVID-19:
Impact of COVID-19 in Hoboken
The Hoboken Health Department has reported the following new COVID-19 cases:
December 9: 38
December 10: 24
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,662 known, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hoboken, 1,136 full recoveries and 32 fatalities. The Hoboken University Medical Center reports 30 COVID-19 patients, which includes 10 Hoboken residents.
Governor Murphy and the State yesterday reported the following:
- 5,370 new cases
- 386,606 total cases
- 68 new confirmed deaths
- 15,740 total deaths
- 13.18% positivity from PCR tests on December 5
- 1.10 state-wide rate of transmission
- 3,545 COVID-19 hospitalizations
Please take precautions ahead of the holidays and get tested
Given the concerning surge of COVID-19 in Hoboken and New Jersey and continued trends of small gatherings contributing to additional cases, we continue to recommend that residents avoid gatherings beyond the immediate household for holiday celebrations. Staying home is the best way to stay safe this holiday season, especially for those elderly friends and family who are at higher-risk.
For anyone choosing to get together with extended friends and family, please plan ahead and take the necessary precaution to get tested, and avoid waiting until just days before Christmas. We experienced extremely high demand for testing in the few days leading up to Thanksgiving, as well as some results not processed until after the holiday given back-ups at the labs.
To keep up with the demand in anticipation of Christmas, we worked with our testing providers to almost double the amount of testing available from previous weeks. Through Christmas, we are offering nearly 7,000 testing appointments through our partners. However, please keep in mind that the last date of testing with ivee before Christmas is on December 21, and with Prompt MD on December 22.
If you’re planning on getting a test, consider planning ahead and scheduling an appointment at your earliest convenience.
Given that a negative test is not a fail-safe method, as exposures could occur in the days leading up to and after a test that would not be detected, please consider quarantining to the best of your ability prior to getting a test and in the days leading up to any holiday gathering. Please also consider insisting that any other participants in a potential gathering get a test and quarantine as well.
As before, we are opening up testing for all employees of any Hoboken business, school or establishment through our partnership with ivee. For Hoboken’s new dedicated COVID-19 testing page, which is now updated with the information below, please visit
http://www.hobokennj.gov/testing.
COVID-19 testing options, December 12 – December 21
ivee
Date: Tuesday (December 15), Wednesday (December 16), Thursday (December 17), Friday (December 18) and Monday (December 21)
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
Time: 8 am – 3:30 pm
Location: Multi-Service Center (124 Grand Street, 2nd floor gymnasium)
Type of testing: PCR
Link for appointments: http://www.hobokennj.gov/ivee
Note: When signing up for testing through ivee, you must fill out both the appointment through the initial calendar,
and the intake form that collects your contact information, or delays in receiving results could occur.
Prompt MD
Dates: Monday (December 14), Tuesday (December 15), Thursday (December 17), Friday (December 18), Monday (December 21) and Tuesday (December 22)
Who: Hoboken residents only
Time: 8 am – 3 pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Link for appointments:
http://www.hobokennj.gov/promptmd
Riverside Medical
Dates: Monday through Saturday
Who: Hoboken residents only
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Location: 351 16th Street (Bijou Properties location)
Type of testing: Rapid (Abbott ID Now), and PCR
Link for appointments:
http://www.hobokennj.gov/riverside
Note: Riverside Medical Group patients should call their Riverside primary care office to schedule a COVID-19 test and should not use the online sign-up form.
Medicine Man Pharmacy
Date: Saturday (December 12), Wednesday (December 16), Saturday (December 19) and Sunday (December 20)
Who: Hoboken residents only
Time: 8 am – 12:30 pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Link for appointments:
http://www.hobokennj.gov/medicineman
State of New Jersey Department of Health
Date: Friday (December 18)
Who: Hudson County residents
Time: 1 pm – 7 pm
Location: 221 Jackson Street (community room)
Type of testing: PCR
No appointment needed, testing provided on a first-come, first-serve basis
Star Labs
Test results through Star Labs (utilized by Prompt MD and Medicine Man Pharmacy) should be emailed to those within 72 hours of getting tested, with results also now available online through the Star Labs website (
http://www.starlabs.org). Results may also be posted online through Star Labs earlier than 72 hours. Those getting tested with ivee will have their results emailed to them within 48-72 hours.
Hoboken CERT Team
Volunteers from the
Hoboken Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) are continuing available to answer questions and provide assistance to Hoboken residents and employees of Hoboken Businesses. CERT can be reached at 201-420-5620 (General Info) and 201-420-5625 (Seniors) on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00am – Noon. Thank you again to the CERT team for continuing to help keep our community safe and working around the clock behind the scenes.
Regulations of businesses
A common question my office is receiving is regarding regulations pertaining to businesses. Since New Jersey is under a State of Emergency, the City of Hoboken does not have the ability to locally overrule the State of New Jersey’s rules and regulations, which currently permits indoor dining, the operation of gyms, retail stores, and more. If the State of New Jersey imposes restrictions pertaining to certain establishments, as Governor Cuomo announced today with indoor dining prohibited in New York City as of Monday, municipalities like Hoboken must comply with the decisions made at the State level.
Thank you Hoboken, please stay safe and remain vigilant.
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla
Mayor
