Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update 5/13/2020
Coronavirus Positive Tests in Oakland:
Today the Borough of Oakland was notified by the Bergen County Health Department that there are a total of 214 individuals in Oakland who tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Bergen County has a total of 17,114 positive Coronavirus Cases, and the State of NJ has 141,560 positive 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.
Virtual Council Meeting Tonight 5/13/2020:
There will be a Virtual Borough Council Meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. on ZOOM. If you are a member of the public and wish to comment or provide public input, please email AssistAdmin@Oakland-NJ.org to receive the ZOOM meeting link, otherwise the meeting will be broadcast live on Oakland TV Channel 77 and FiOS 45, and on the Borough’s YouTube Channel.
Flood Insurance Relief Seminar:
The Borough of Oakland is hosting a Flood Insurance Relief Seminar this Friday at 12:00 p.m. on ZOOM. The presenters are Oakland Council President Lew Levy, Nicholas Agnoli from Agnoli Engineering, and Tom Little from Smart Vents. If you are interested in a FREE flood insurance evaluation of your home, please email Oakland@yourfloodrisk.com.
To register for the seminar click here.
Virtual Zumba Classes Every Thursday in May:
The Borough of Oakland is hosting free Virtual Zumba Classes every Thursday from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. on ZOOM. Click here to register to receive the ZOOM links.
- Today Governor Phil Murphy announced that he will be signing an executive order effective tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. to:
- Allow the restart of all non-essential construction; effective 6:00 a.m. on May 18, 2020.
- Allow non-essential retail stores to re-open for curbside pickup only; effective 6:00 a.m. on May 18, 2020.
- Permitting drive through and drive in events under social distancing guidelines.
Click here to view the announcement.
Governor Murphy Announces Expanded Testing Capacity and Robust Contact Tracing Plan for New Jersey:
As outlined in his vision, “The Road Back: Restoring Economic Health Through Public Health,” Governor Phil Murphy today announced a comprehensive strategy to expand testing capacity and implement a robust contact tracing program for New Jersey.
- Testing:
- A flexible testing plan that is accessible to all residents who need it is a critical piece of restarting New Jersey’s economy. New Jersey will implement the following strategies to expand capacity and access to testing:
- Capacity:
- New Jersey will double its testing capacity and increase to at least 20,000 tests per day by the end of May. This capacity will be built out moving forward with a minimum of 25,000 tests completed per day by the end of June. Currently, there are 135 public and privately-operated specimen collection sites statewide. In addition to the recently announced 11 Rite Aid locations, CVS will have swab-and-send testing capabilities at 50 of their stores across New Jersey by the end of the month.
- Priority:
- The state will prioritize access to testing for vulnerable populations, including residents in long-term care facilities and developmental centers, individuals in the corrections system, those in homeless shelters, patients in psychiatric hospitals, and seasonal farmworkers. The state testing program will also ensure ready access for frontline health care workers, first responders, and transit workers.
- Community:
- The statewide testing plan will also utilize mobile testing units to directly serve communities of color, which have been disproportionally ravaged by COVID-19. Testing sites will also open within institutions of faith including churches, synagogues, and mosques.
- Executive Directives:
- The Department of Health is issuing an Executive Directive that will require long-term care facilities to supplement or amend their current disease outbreak plan to include a COVID-19 testing plan for all staff and patients/residents.
- Contact Tracing:
- Implementing a robust contact tracing program is a key mechanism to break the chain of transmission and slow community spread for individuals who have come into contact with those infected by COVID-19. New Jersey will implement the following strategies to build a comprehensive contact tracing program:
- Partnership:
- To centralize and expand their efforts, the State of NJ will build a robust Community Contact Tracing Corps and augment the approximately 800-900 contact tracers on the ground, the state will need at least an additional 1,000 dedicated contact tracers. To jumpstart recruitment efforts, New Jersey will partner with the state’s colleges and universities to employ public health, social work, and related students as frontline workers.
- Workforce:
- In order to further grow the ranks of contact tracers and create jobs for New Jerseyans, the state will seek to partner with an organization to work as a Contact Tracing Deployment Provider to assist with hiring, on-boarding, and managing contact tracers throughout the state. Interested vendors and organizations can access more information, review the draft Request for Quotes, and submit questions and feedback at https://covid19.nj.gov/CTRFQ. Additionally, individuals interested in becoming contact tracers, may register their interest at http://covid19.nj.gov/tracers.
Census Day of Action:
This Thursday, May 14th is a statewide Census Day of Action and we are again asking everyone in Oakland to Call Those Who Count on you to see how they’re doing and to ask them to fill out their all-important Census.
We are asking as many Oakland Residents as possible to participate in the State’s Friends and Family Census Outreach call program. It’s simple to do and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Everything you need is provided right here to start making calls, including a call script in Spanish: https://nj.gov/state/census-outreach.shtml.
Here’s how the call program works – You call at least five (5) friends, neighbors or family members to check and see how they are doing. Then also ask if they’ve had a chance to fill out their Census. If they haven’t, we’ve provided info so that you can tell them why it’s so important. Then ask those who said yes to call 5 of their friends and family members - And so on, and so on.
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: There are currently 57 COVID-19 testing sites across the state, including State-sponsored and private facilities. 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.
