Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update 10/16/2020

Reminder: Lock Your Homes and Cars at Night:

There was an incident which occurred in the early morning hours on Friday morning. The Police have a suspect in custody, they are conducting an investigation and charges are pending. As a reminder to residents, please lock your vehicles, lock your homes, set your house alarm if you have one and call the Oakland Police Department at (201) 337-6171 to report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

Halloween Guidance for Oakland in Accordance with the State of New Jersey:

Traditional Halloween celebrations often involve crowds, close contact between individuals, and activities in closed spaces. It is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives for celebrating the fall season. Outdoor activities, as opposed to indoor parties and events, are recommended. Those planning celebrations or participating in Halloween activities should keep in mind public health recommendations of social and physical distancing, wearing masks that cover the nose and mouth, and hand hygiene.  Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute for cloth or disposable masks.  Individuals should minimize interaction and contact with others who are not a part of their household.

As a reminder, no one should participate in these activities if they or a household member have a known exposure to COVID-19, are sick/symptomatic, or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has not yet met the criteria for discontinuing isolation.

This year, as New Jersey continues to respond to ongoing transmission of COVID-19 in our communities, recommendations for adapting traditional celebrations and considerations for ways to celebrate Halloween safely are listed below.  Some communities may choose to cancel Halloween activities, so check with local sources before making plans.

Outdoor Door to Door Trick or Treating:

• Those who plan to trick-or-treat should limit their groups to current household members, consider staying local, and limit the number of houses on their route. Social distancing should be practiced between all who are not in the same household.
• We ask that you please stay with your group or “pod”, and stay in your neighborhood. PLEASE NO MIGRATING TO THE COLLEGE SECTION OF OAKLAND.
  • For those putting out treats:
    • Good option: Limit interaction or contact with trick-or-treaters, wear a mask when individuals come to the door, and regularly wash hands.
    • Better option: Leave a treat bowl on a porch or table or in a place where it may be easily accessed while adhering to social distancing requirements. 
    • Best option: Arrange individually packaged candy so that trick or treaters can grab and go without accessing a shared bowl. 
  • Consider coordinating with neighbors to develop a system, such as signs or on/off porch lights, for distinguishing houses participating in trick-or-treating from those that do not wish to participate.  
  • Wear a face mask to mitigate against COVID-19 exposure.  Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute but can be supplemented with a cloth or disposable mask.  Children under two should not wear a cloth mask. e. Candy should be commercially packaged and non-perishable.  Consider individual nonfood “treats” to avoid sharing of food.
  • Practice hand hygiene (wash hands or use hand sanitizer) before leaving your home, after touching objects such as wrapped candy, and when arriving home.
• Outdoor Trunk or Treating (when children go car to car instead of house to house):
  • Limit the number of participating cars to ensure adequate space for social distancing and minimize crowds. Ensure outdoor area has sufficient space per car to avoid overcrowding and to allow adequate space for social distancing. 
  • Follow the outdoor gatherings limitations in effect at the time.
  • Design event in a long line, rather than a circle to ensure social and physical distancing to discourage crowding. 
  • Consider having assigned times or multiple shifts to minimize crowding during event.
  • Wear a face mask.  Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute but can be supplemented with a cloth or disposable mask.  Children under two should not wear a cloth mask.
  • Candy should be commercially packaged and non-perishable.
  • Practice hand hygiene before the event, after touching objects such as wrapped candy, and after the event.
• Halloween Parties:
  • Avoid large indoor or outdoor parties, which would be subject to the limitations currently in effect on indoor and outdoor gatherings. 
  • Keep up to date with the most current restrictions on outdoor and indoor gatherings. 
  • Avoid participation in activities that require close contact and/or shared items such as bobbing for apples
• Examples of socially distant Halloween activities that would require minimal or no additional health and safety protocols include:
  • Virtual activities such as online costume parties. 
  • Drive through events where individuals remain in their vehicles and drive through an area/neighborhood with Halloween displays. 
  • Carving pumpkins with family
  • Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.
  • Halloween themed movie nights with family.

Furthermore, the Borough is suggesting to turn your porch light on to notify trick or treaters that they may come to your door. If your porch light is off, maybe next year! PLEASE NO MIGRATING TO THE COLLEGE SECTION OF OAKLAND.   Click Here to View our easy to read Halloween Guidance Flier.

NJEDA Announces Phase 3 of Small Business Emergency Grant Program:

NJEDA will award a total of $70 million in federal CARES Act funding to small businesses. Any business or nonprofit located in New Jersey, including home-based businesses, with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) is eligible to receive grant funding during Phase 3. Businesses that received funding in previous phases of the program are eligible to receive Phase 3 funding.

Grant awards will be calculated based on the number of FTEs businesses employ.

• Micro-businesses with five or fewer FTEs and sole proprietorships will receive $5,000
• Businesses with six to 25 FTEs will receive $10,000
• Businesses with 26 to 50 FTEs will receive $15,000

For businesses that are classified as “Food Services and Drinking Places” (NAICS code 722) ONLY:

• Businesses in this classification with five or fewer employees will receive $10,00
• Businesses with six to 25 FTEs will receive $15,000
• Businesses with 26 to 50 FTEs will receive $20,000

Mandatory Pre-Registration and Application Periods:

Interested business owners will need to pre-register to receive an application. Pre-registration will begin on Monday, October 19th and will close on Tuesday, October 27th. The application will be available via a phased approach following the end of the pre-registration period, as detailed below. Applicants must complete the full application to be considered for grant funding.

Phase 3 of the Grant Program will likely be oversubscribed. To streamline the application process, the Authority is requiring all applicants to pre-register online. Applications will become available on a rolling basis following the pre-registration period. Pre-registered applicants will need to return to complete an application based on the following schedule:

• Restaurants – 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2020
• Micro businesses – 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 30, 2020
• All other businesses, excluding restaurants and micro businesses – 9:00 am on Monday, November 2, 2020

Applications for each category will be open for a period of one week will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

To access and application portal and for more information, click here.

Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Extending Utility Shutoff Moratorium through March 15, 2021:

Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 190, extending a moratorium preventing New Jersey residents from having their utilities disconnected through at least March 15, 2021. The moratorium applies to all residential gas, electric and water utilities, both public and private. Further, the utilities will not be charging late fees nor fees to reconnect services that have been disconnected. The Order also requires that all residential services that were disconnected after social distancing measures went into effect on March 16 be reconnected.

Coronavirus Positive Tests in Oakland:

The Borough of Oakland has been notified by the Bergen County Department of Health that there are currently 2 new positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Oakland, bringing our to-date total of 267 positive reported cases. There are 4 new positive cases in Franklin Lakes bringing their to-date total to 223 cases, and 2 new positive cases in Wyckoff bringing their to-date total to 420 cases. Bergen County reported 221 new positive cases bringing the County of Bergen total to 23,120. Today the Borough of Oakland was notified by the Bergen County Department of Health that there was 823 new positive COVID-19 cases reported today, bringing the state-wide New Jersey total to 217,804 cases. These increasing positive cases are due to spikes in Ocean and Monmouth County.

If anyone has questions about COVID-19, you can call the 24-hour New Jersey Hotline at (800) 222-1222. You can also visit the State of NJ Coronavirus Website Here.

Important Resources:

• The latest data on coronavirus infections in New Jersey are available on the New Jersey COVID-19 Dashboard. The dashboard has been updated to provide more information on scope of the virus and hospitalizations, including the number of patients hospitalized, discharged, in critical care, in intensive care, and on ventilators, along with data on statewide ventilator capacity, numbers of positive/negative tests, and more.
• New Jersey’s COVID-19 Information Hub includes valuable resources and information for families, workers, and employers who have questions or needs arising from the current crisis.
• Testing Sites: To locate a testing location, specifics on how to get a test, and the hours of operation, click here.
• Information for businesses impacted by COVID-19.