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...READ MOREGovernor Murphy Announces Statewide Stay at Home Order, Closure of All Non-Essential Retail Businesses Order Also Prohibits All Social Gatherings, Mandates Work From Home Arrangements for Employees When Possible, and Invalidates Any Conflicting Local and County Regulations
NEWARK – To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and protect the capacity of New Jersey’s health care system for the state’s most vulnerable, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 107, directing all residents to stay at home until further notice. The order provides for certain exceptions, such as obtaining essential goods or services, seeking medical attention, visiting family or close friends, reporting to work, or engaging in outdoor activities.
“From day one, we’ve made a commitment to be guided by the facts and take any action necessary to protect the health and safety of New Jersey’s nine million residents,” said Governor Murphy. “We know the virus spreads through person-to person contact, and the best way to prevent further exposure is to limit our public interactions to only the most essential purposes. This is a time for us all to come together in one mission to ‘flatten the curve’ and slow – and eventually halt – the spread of coronavirus.”
In effort to strengthen the existing social distancing measures in place, the order also prohibits all gatherings of individuals, such as parties, celebrations, or other social events, unless otherwise authorized by the Order. When in public, individuals must practice social distancing and stay at least six feet apart whenever possible, excluding immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners.
Governor Murphy’s Executive Order further directs the closure of all non-essential retail businesses to the public, with the exceptions of:
Grocery stores, farmer’s markets and farms that sell directly to customers, and other food stores, including retailers that offer a varied assortment of foods comparable to what exists at a grocery store; Pharmacies and medical marijuana dispensaries; Medical supply stores; Gas stations; Convenience stores; Ancillary stores within healthcare facilities; Hardware and home improvement stores; Banks and other financial institutions; Laundromats and dry-cleaning services; Stores that principally sell supplies for children under five years; Pet stores; Liquor stores; Car dealerships, but only for auto maintenance and repair, and auto mechanics; Printing and office supply shops; Mail and delivery stores.
Nothing in the Order shall limit 1) the provision of health care or medical services; 2) access to essential services for low-income residents, such as food banks; 3) the operations of the media; 4) law enforcement agencies, or 5) the operations of the federal government.
Additionally, the order mandates that all businesses or non-profits, wherever practicable, must accommodate their workforce for telework or work-from-home arrangements. To the extent a business or non-profit has employees that cannot perform their functions via telework or work-from-home arrangements, the business or non-profit should make best efforts to reduce staff on site to the minimal number necessary to ensure that essential operations can continue.
Examples of employees who need to be present at their work site in order to perform their job duties include, but are not limited to, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, other first responders, cashiers or store clerks, construction workers, utility workers, repair workers, warehouse workers, lab researchers, IT maintenance workers, janitorial and custodial staff, and certain administrative staff.
The Order continues existing bans on recreational and entertainment businesses, requirements that all restaurants operate by delivery and takeout only, and the directive that all pre-K, elementary, and secondary schools close and all institutions of higher education cease in-person instruction.
Governor Murphy also signed Executive Order No. 108, which invalidates any county or municipal restriction that in any way will or might conflict with any of the provisions of Executive Order No. 107. Municipalities or counties cannot 1) make any additions to or deletions from the list of essential retail businesses; 2) impose any additional limitations on businesses beyond the Governor’s Order; 3) impose any additional density or social distancing requirements; or 4) impose any additional restrictions on freedom of movement. The only exceptions are two categories over which municipalities or counties may impose any additional restrictions: 1) online marketplaces for arranging or offering lodging and 2) municipal or county parks.
All additional county and municipality restrictions, subject to the provisions above, are not only invalidated, but, going forward, municipalities or counties may not enact or enforce any rule or ordinance which will or might conflict with any of the provisions of Executive Order No. 107.
The orders shall take effect on Saturday, March 21 at 9:00 p.m.
MAYOR JOHN E. McCORMAC MUNICIPAL REPORT – COVID-19 THURS., MARCH 19, 2020
This is Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac.
As of this afternoon, the Township has not received any additional confirmed cases of Coronavirus though we are aware of a number of residents who are being currently evaluated.
The New Jersey Department of Health has activated a special information Hotline to handle COVID-19 calls. Residents can dial 211 or text NJCOVID to 898211 to receive information and to stay informed. That’s dial 211 or text NJCOVID to 898211.
The Woodbridge Police Department, Fire Departments and First Aid Squads remain fully staffed and operational 24/7.
All Township buildings remain closed but residents can still transact business with municipal employees by phone, by mail or on-line.
All Township phone numbers and contact information can be found in your quarterly newsletter, Public Works calendars or through our Township web site. All Township employees have an email address with their first name dot last name @ twp.woodbridge.nj.us.
Any payments to the Township by check can be made in the Drop Box outside of Town Hall.
Senior transportation remains operational but only for medical appointments or food shopping and only by appointment.
Garbage and recycling collection remains on the normal schedule and our Convenience Center remains open.
Our parks and playgrounds remain open and we are sanitizing all equipment but please use any additional precautions you deem necessary when using the equipment.
Please check our web site and Facebook pages this afternoon for a comprehensive list of pharmacies and food stores that offer delivery services with contact information. We will also indicate all restaurants that remain open for take-out and delivery services.
We cannot stress enough that if you live near a homebound senior or any other resident living alone, please take the time to call them or somehow check on them to be sure they are safe. If you can print out the list of pharmacies, food stores and restaurants and bring it to them please do so.
Please continue to follow the national recommendations to wash your hands frequently, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, practice social distancing and certainly stay home if you are sick. Please follow the Governor’s recommendations about limiting unnecessary travel around town.
It is important to know that the national effort to count all residents continues despite the Coronavirus.
Information regarding Municipal Services and updates from Federal, State, County and Local officials can be found via the Township web page at: www.twp.woodbridge.nj.us or by contacting Town Hall at 732-634-4500.
Vitale Urges Governor to Close Day Care Centers to Protect Public Health
Trenton – Senator Joe Vitale, the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, issued the following statement today urging Governor Phil Murphy to close day care centers in New Jersey, extending the same public health measures that already cover public and private schools and Pre-K programs throughout the state:
“The Governor took the right action to help stem the spread of COVID-19 by closing public and private schools at virtually every level, but the failure to extend the same safety measure to day care centers leaves an open vulnerability that puts infants, their families and others at risk. This is a double standard. We should establish a more definitive policy with a consistent standard that includes the closure of day care centers.
“Our schools already provide the largest day care function in the state and they have been shut down. If our goal is to contain the spread of coronavirus by preventing the congregation of groups of children in one place, we can’t overlook day care centers. These locations can be hotbeds for infants and young children to contract viruses and become carriers who can easily infect their siblings, parents and day care workers, even if they do not display the symptoms.
“If we need a specialized service to care for the children of emergency responders during this crisis, we can easily address that need with ‘closed’ facilities in state sponsored locations with health containments.
“I have had productive consultations with the commissioners of Health and Human Services on the range of actions we can take to protect the safety of everyone and I will continue to work in a collaborative and cooperative way as we navigate what is an unprecedented health crisis.”
