Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update 8/3/2020

Metal Collection:

Metal collection has been changed to the SECOND THURSDAY of the month due to COVID-19 staffing issues with the Borough’s hauler. Every business and residence in Oakland should have received a postcard in the mail with the change and future dates. We thank you for your understanding.

Update on Tropical Storm Isaias – Stay Informed, Be Prepared:

Heavy rain and gusty winds resulting from Tropical Storm Isaias are forecast for Tuesday. A Tropical Storm Warning is posted for coastal waters, Cape May, Atlantic, southeast Burlington, Ocean, Cumberland, Monmouth, Middlesex, Essex, Union, eastern Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson Counties. A Flash Flood Watch is posted statewide Tuesday. Winds may gust 39 to 70 mph or higher. Rain may total 2” to 4” with amounts over 6” possible.

Impacts to New Jersey:

Primary impacts are forecast for Tuesday. Heavy rainfall may result in localized flooding in urban areas, low-lying places, locations with poor drainage, roadways, waterways, and where rainfall is heaviest. High winds and gusts may cause power outages and tree damage. Secure items outdoors that may be susceptible to wind gusts. Monitor local weather forecasts today for updates.

Stay tuned to your local weather for updates. For those living in Central and Southern New Jersey visit US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly http://www.weather.gov/phi. For those living in Northern New Jersey and the New York Metro area visit US National Weather Service New York NY: http://www.weather.gov/okx/.

Always be prepared. Visit http://ready.nj.gov/plan-prepare/hurricanes.shtml to download our FREE NJ Hurricane Survival Guide today!

Update from Orange and Rockland Utilities:

O&R’s is preparing to make repairs and restore electric service as needed as Tropical Storm Isaias, packing high, gusty winds and heavy downpours, roars toward the region.

O&R Company and contractor overhead line crews and tree removal experts have been activated for storm duty beginning Tuesday. Damage assessment, site safety, customer service operations and the wide array of O&R teams that support those functions also are ready to respond. In addition, O&R has hired 50 additional contractor overhead line technicians to supplement its storm response, and is seeking approximately 50 more.

The following video describes the typical storm repair and power restoration process: https://youtu.be/JeGU8ID4_m0

Forecasters predict Isaias will bring heavy rain (3 to 6 inches possible) and increasing winds (15-30 mph sustained with gusts of 35-45 mph possible) to the area Tuesday. Heaviest rainfall and strongest winds will occur between noon and around midnight Tuesday as Isaias rapidly crosses the area.

For safety’s sake, don’t touch or approach any downed wire. Strong winds may knock trees and branches onto power lines, causing customers to lose service. Crews will give priority to making repairs to critical and emergency facilities (police and fire stations, and hospitals, for example) and to those locations that will provide power to the most customers quickly. Then, crews will restore smaller outages and individual customers’ outages.

As an added safety precaution, O&R personnel have been instructed to practice social distancing with each other and members of the public when responding to emergency calls in an attempt to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. O&R asks members of the public as well to maintain appropriate social distancing when they encounter O&R employees working in the field, to provide for mutual safety.

To help its customers prepare to weather a storm, O&R offers these tips:

• For safety’s sake, don’t touch or approach any downed wire. Assume it is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also want to call your local police to divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.
• Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from downed wires and anything they are in contact with including puddles of water and fences. Supervise your children so that they are not in the vicinity and keep pets on a leash or otherwise secure.
• If a fallen wire is draped over a car, do not approach the car and make rescue attempts. Remain a safe distance away and try to keep the occupant of the vehicle calm. If possible, emergency personnel should handle the situation.
• Pole-top transformers --- those small grey-colored metal drums attached to the wires at the tops of most utility poles --- also should be avoided when they have been knocked to the ground.
• Portable generators pose a serious hazard if used improperly. They should be used and installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A wrong connection could feed electricity back through the lines and endanger our repair crews. Never plug a generator into a wall unit, use it indoors or set it up outdoors near open home windows or air-handling vents.
• Have emergency equipment within reach --- portable radio, flashlights, spare batteries, first aid kit, cell phone and important medications. Keep O&R’s toll-free number 1-877-434-4100 near the phone to report power outages.
• Remember: if the base station of your cordless phone plugs into the wall, your phone will be unusable during a power outage.

Governor Murphy Announces Tightening of Indoor Gatherings:

Today Governor Murphy announced that until further notice, indoor gatherings are now limited to 25% of a room’s capacity – with a MAXIMUM of 25 persons, down from 100. This tightening caps indoor house parties at 25 people – period.

The following may continue under the current rules – limited to 25% of a room’s capacity, but with a maximum of 100 persons:

• Weddings
• Funerals
• Memorial services
• Religious and political activities protected under the First Amendment

Update on Face Coverings in Schools:

Face coverings will be required for all students at all times while inside a school building, regardless of social distancing, unless doing so would inhibit the individual’s health.

Municipal Court Changes Allow for Case Resolution Without In-Person Appearance:

The public can now ask a prosecutor to review their matters and may be able to resolve their case without having to appear in person, under a recent change to municipal court operations in New Jersey. 

The Judiciary’s Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) program, which started in mid-May in approximately 30 municipal courts, allows court users to dispute a charge and provide information or evidence to municipal prosecutors online.

The ODR program applies to 37 traffic offenses, such as speeding, failure to have an insurance card, or failure to yield, where defendants commonly provide additional documentation and seek a reduced charge before pleading guilty.         

Court users can make their requests for review to the municipal prosecutor through NJMC Direct. After reviewing the case, the prosecutor can offer a lesser charge or decline to change the charge.  

If a lesser charge is accepted, the matter will be reviewed by a judge for approval. If approved, the defendant does not need to go to court.

If the prosecutor declines to offer a lesser charge, or the judge does not approve the new charge, a hearing date is scheduled for the defendant to appear remotely.

Additional courts will offer the program over the next several weeks as the program expands statewide.

Under a second change that went into effect on April 27, 400 minor offenses were added to the Statewide Violations Bureau Schedule. The new offenses include some minor traffic and parking matters as well as state Fish and Game and Weights and Measures violations. For these, defendants can plead guilty and pay online without having to go to court.

In one of the Judiciary’s first actions to reduce municipal court appearances to reduce the spread of COVID-19, The Supreme Court on March 16 relaxed court rules that had required only those with “undue hardship” to plead guilty by mail to certain offenses in municipal court.

Plea-by-mail does not apply to serious offenses, including those resulting in the likelihood of a driver’s license suspension, jail time or community service.

Complete the U.S. Census:

The Borough of Oakland now has an 81.6% Census Response Rate! Let’s make Oakland the highest in the State of NJ! Complete the US Census at 2020census.gov.

Upcoming Board, Committee, Commission Meetings:

Meeting Links and Passwords for upcoming Board, Committee, and Commission Meetings are posted here. 

• Shade Tree Commission 8/3 at 7:30 p.m.
• Environmental Commission 8/4 at 7:30 p.m.  
• Zoning Board of Adjustment 8/11 at 8:00 p.m.

Coronavirus Positive Tests in Oakland:

Today the Borough of Oakland was notified by the Bergen County Health Department that there are a total of 246 individuals in Oakland who tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Bergen County has a total of 20,497 positive Coronavirus Cases, and the State of NJ has 182,614 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.

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.