HOBOKEN, NJ — On Monday, the city of Hoboken emailed residents to ask them to participate in a survey about a proposed ordinance before the City Council on Wednesday that “includes a potential $250 fine for individuals who do not wear face masks in outdoor situations where social distancing is not possible, such as crowded locations in public places.”
The city, located across the Hudson River from Manhattan, packs 53,000 people into one-square mile. There are also 140 liquor licenses potentially in use at any one time, and dozens of restaurants providing outdoor dining.
The survey email said, “Residents and visitors would not be subject to a fine where social distancing can be maintained, such as sitting in a park with family and socially distanced at least six feet from others, participating in a socially distanced workout in a city field while maintaining six feet of distance from others, and other similar situations.”
Hoboken residents were invited to fill out a survey here: http://www.hobokennj.gov/facemasksurvey.
The proposed ordinance with a potential for a $250 fine mirrors the current regulation in place within the state of New Jersey, which currently mandates that facemasks be worn in outdoor situations when social distancing is not possible.
The ordinance will be considered on for a hearing and final vote Wednesday.
Hoboken and national coronavirus statistics and trends
As of Thursday, 165,000 Americans had died of coronavirus, and more than 5 million have tested positive.
As of Sunday, 35 states remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days. Read more: More Kids Getting Coronavirus.
Hoboken, which was one of the first towns to close facilities in March amid the pandemic, has so far lost 29 residents to the virus, with no new fatalities since May.
On Friday, the city said it was low on rapid coronavirus tests at their uptown testing site, and gave alternatives.
The city said Thursday that it now has had a total of 687 known, confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
The city also said that Wednesday and Thursday, it had reports of two and one new case respectively (included in the 687 total).
The city had gone a week in June with only one new case, then experienced an uptick in new cases in July — as did many New Jersey cities — after facilities started reopening and people traveled to states with higher numbers. The governor has also blamed large parties for high transmission rates.
In New Jersey on Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy said the number of coronavirus cases statewide has risen to 186,594, with 14,054 confirmed deaths. That included 699 new cases since the day before and eight newly confirmed deaths. But the daily death rate in New Jersey has been declining since back on April 30, when it reached a peak of 460 residents in 24 hours.
Many other states reached record daily death rates in July (see the daily totals in each state here). They have pulled back on their reopenings, including Texas, which closed bars after seeing record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.
New Jersey updated its list on Tuesday of states that residents must quarantine upon returning from. Two new states have been added. Read more: NJ Updates Coronavirus Travel Quarantine For 31 States
See below for other recent Hoboken coronavirus and reopening updates:
SCHOOLS
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The Hoboken public schools are slated to reopen Tuesday, Sept. 8.
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The district has offered a reopening plan giving parents a choice of either full-time in-person learning (until 3 p.m.) or full-time distance learning. In the buildings, there will be restrictions, such as kids wearing masks and maintaining a 6-foot distance.
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The governor’s school reopening guidance was published on June 26.
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The state has said that all districts must offer a remote learning option.
BUSINESS
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Here is the August schedule of Hoboken “summer streets” that are restricted to vehicles, to encourage walking, bicycling, and outdoor dining.
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Hoboken recently received almost $1.9 million in funding for small businesses, to be distributed in $20,000 grants. Read more here.
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Hoboken businesses received government PPP loans to help with payroll, rent, and more during the pandemic. Read the list here.
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More than 50 of the city’s restaurants opened the week of June 15 for outdoor dining. READ MORE.
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Some of those have added “streateries” for outdoor dining. READ MORE.
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Two of the city’s weekly farmers’ markets reopened in June. READ MORE.
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The city and Patch both have directories of businesses that are open and closed. Check them out and add your listing. READ MORE.
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The city will be closing off certain blocks for businesses to expand and draw foot traffic. READ MORE.
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Here’s what you need to know about applying for unemployment and other benefits during coronavirus. MORE.
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Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.
LIBRARY
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Residents can return library books and other materials by placing them in the library book/media dropbox in front of the library (500 Park Ave.) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The library has begun no-contact “curbside pickup” service. Library patrons will be able to reserve the materials online, place their orders via email to [email protected], or call (201) 4202346, ext. 5102. For additional details, visit hobokenlibrary.org.
PARKS
GYMS
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Bhalla said recently, “According to Governor Murphy, the following activities are permitted at indoor gyms starting July 2, as provided by his office: ‘individualized indoor instruction by appointment only where an instructor is offering training to an individual, and the individual’s immediate family members, household members, caretakers, or romantic partners. If a gym or fitness center is offering multiple simultaneous instructions at the same facility, these instructions must take place in separate rooms or, if they take place in the same room, must be separated by a floor-to-ceiling barrier that complies with all fire code requirements.’ “
NURSING HOMES
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New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities, and have charged that the facilities are undercounting the numbers and not adequately protecting residents and staff. The state has faced questions for weeks from the press about how they will address the problems. They announced plans last month to increase testing at some long term care facilities and to bring in the National Guard to help make changes.
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The state has begun releasing death toll statistics for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.
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You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.
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Some nursing homes reopened for limited visits, with precautions, in July.
Here are statewide coronavirus resources:
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NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
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General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
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NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222
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This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch
