Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update 11/20/2020
Virtual Borough Council Meeting:
There will be a Virtual Borough Council Meeting on Tuesday November 24, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Click here to register for the meeting.
Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Lowering Limits on Indoor and Outdoor Gatherings:
Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 196, which lowers indoor and outdoor gathering limits. Effective Tuesday, November 17 at 6:00 a.m., the indoor gathering limit will decrease from 25 to 10 people. The outdoor gathering limit will decrease from 500 people to 150 people, effective Monday, November 23 at 6:00 a.m.
Indoor Gatherings
- The limit for weddings, funerals, memorial services and religious and political activities remain unchanged and will be limited to 25% of the capacity of the room in which the gathering takes place, up to a maximum of 150 individuals.
- Indoor sporting competitions and practices will be permitted to exceed the 10 person limit only for individuals necessary for the practice or competition, such as players, coaches, and referees, but may not exceed 150 individuals. For most indoor sports, this will mean that there can be no spectators.
- Legislative and judicial proceedings are not subject to the indoor gatherings limits.
Outdoor Gatherings
- Weddings, funerals, memorial services, and religious and political activities are not subject to the outdoor gatherings limit. All other types of gatherings, such as a high school football game or an outdoor concert, will be limited to 150 individuals. Athletes, coaches, referees and other individuals necessary for a professional or collegiate sports competition are not counted towards the 150 person limit.
- Outdoor gatherings continue to be subject to strict social distancing restrictions, including the requirement to wear masks whenever it is not possible to social distance.
For a copy of Executive Order No. 196, please click here.
With the upcoming holiday season, the New Jersey Department of Health today issued health and safety guidance for the state’s long-term care facilities, which provides measures for residents who leave the facility for a holiday gathering, including a 14-day quarantine at the conclusion of their visit.
To protect the health of this vulnerable population, the Department strongly recommends against families taking residents out of facilities for holiday celebration events or gatherings. Instead, the Department recommends visitation outdoors or possibly indoors in facilities that meet the requirements for indoor visitation. Long-term care facilities should plan to accommodate increased virtual communications for residents.
Long-term care facilities need to develop a plan for holiday visits and gatherings which estimate the number of residents who can be cohorted for a 14-day quarantine period from Nov. 25 through Dec. 31.
Long-term care facilities should create a reservation process tied to the number of individuals the facility can quarantine on their return. Residents who leave the facility for family visits must be quarantined upon return to the facility either in their own room, if they have a private room, or in an observation room.
A waiting list should be created once the reservation list is full. However, residents and families should be informed that residents who leave without a reservation or while on a waiting list may not be guaranteed readmittance to the facility at the end of their visit.
Residents and families must certify that they will follow masking, social distancing and hand hygiene practices, and that they will notify the facility if anyone who attended the holiday gathering tests positive for COVID-19 or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 within 14 days of the resident’s visit/stay outside the facility.
Coronavirus Positive Tests in Oakland:
The Borough of Oakland has been notified by the Bergen County Department of Health that there are 25 new positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Oakland, bringing our total to 333 positive reported cases. There are 21 new positive cases in Franklin Lakes bringing their to-date total to 304 cases, and 38 new positive cases in Wyckoff bringing their to-date total to 543 cases. Bergen County reported 2,014 new positive cases since Tuesday, bringing the County of Bergen total to 30,665. Today the Borough of Oakland was notified by the Bergen County Department of Health that there was 3,635 new positive COVID-19 cases reported today, bringing the state-wide New Jersey total to 297,370 cases.
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.