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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update 4/9/2020

From Mayor Linda H. Schwager
Posted on: April 9, 2020 - 4:15pm
Coronavirus Update 4/9/2020

Senior Assistance Program Volunteers Needed:

The Oakland Senior Center is looking for additional volunteers to assist with food shopping and prescription pickups for Oakland Seniors. Please reach out to Arielle at the Senior Center at (201) 405-7731 or at seniors@oakland-nj.org if you can help.

Public Events & Flood Commission Meetings Cancelled:

The Public Events and Flood Commission Meetings both scheduled for Monday April 13, 2020 have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Borough will likely begin virtual Board/Committee/Commission Meetings through ZOOM later in April. Updates will be posted to the Borough Website.

Closure of Non-Essential Construction:

Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 122, in which all non-essential construction across the state will cease, indefinitely, effective 8 p.m. Friday. Exceptions to this shut-down include: projects at our hospitals and schools, in our transportation and utility sector, the building of affordable housing, other individual housing sites that can adhere to strict limits on the number of workers on-site at any given time, emergency repairs, and work needed to safely secure a construction site, and other limited instances.

New Guidelines for Essential Retail Stores:

Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 122, in which all essential retail must indefinitely limit the number of customers in their stores to 50 percent of their approved capacity.  Those businesses must:

  • Limit occupancy to 50% of state maximum store capacity;
  • Require workers and customers to wear cloth face coverings (employers must provide to workers at their expense);
  • Establish hours of operation solely for high-risk individuals;
  • Install a physical barrier, such as a shield guard, between customers and cashiers;
  • Require employee infection control practices, such as breaks for repeated handwashing;
  • Provide sanitization materials, such as hand sanitizer or wipes to staff and customers;
  • A full list of the new requirements for essential retail businesses that remain in operation is available here.

REMINDER: Complete the U.S. Census!

            The 2020 U.S. Census is happening now. There are many ways you can respond – online, by phone, or by mail. Please note that if you are responding online, you must complete the census in one sitting, as you don't have the ability to save your progress. One person should respond for each home. That person must be at least 15 years old. They should live in the home or place of residence themselves and know general information about each person living there. As of today, Oakland has a 62.3% response rate for the Census, compared to 47.4% for the State of NJ. Let’s keep it up, Oakland!

Census

 

Primary Election Postponed:

An executive order was signed yesterday postponing New Jersey’s primary election from Tuesday, June 2nd to Tuesday, July 7th in response to the ongoing pandemic.

State Looking for COBOL Programmers:

The State is looking for skilled COBOL programmers to help maintain and update legacy computer systems that will improve the State’s response to the crisis. Sign up here.

Insurance Grace Period:

Governor Phil Murphy signed an Executive Order today that extends the grace period for residents who can't pay their health or dental insurance premiums by 60 days. Home and auto insurance, renters insurance, life insurance, insurance premium financing arrangements and others will have a 90-day grace period. 

Important Resources:

We are starting a solemn holy weekend for many residents. I wish you a safe and healthy Holiday.