Governor 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.”
March 17, 2020 Coronavirus Update video
ICYMI: NJ Labor Department Suspends In-Person Unemployment Insurance Services at One-Stop Career Centers Due to COVID-19
Customers Strongly Urged to File Online for Faster, More Efficient Service
TRENTON – As a preventative health measure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and as a way to speed service delivery, New Jersey Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo announced that in-person Unemployment Insurance services are temporarily suspended at all New Jersey One-Stop Career Center offices effective immediately. Anticipated re-opening is in two weeks, on Monday, March 30.
Customers needing to file for unemployment insurance are urged to apply online at MyUnemployment.nj.gov. We are experiencing extraordinarily high call volume and longer than usual wait times. Filing online is easy, and will ensure your claim is processed in the fastest way possible.
If you are unable to access the internet, please call:
North Jersey: 201-601-4100
Central Jersey: 732-761-2020
Southern Jersey: 856-507-2340
New Jersey Department of Health Reports Two Presumptive Positive Cases of Coronavirus in Woodbridge Township
Woodbridge – Mayor John E. McCormac announced that state health officials advised the Woodbridge Township Department of Health & Human Services that two elderly Township residents had tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). The two Township residents are identified as a husband and wife in their mid-seventies and both are currently hospitalized.
“The Township Department of Health and Human Services is in constant communication with the New Jersey Department of Health and is actively investigating any social contact regarding the elderly residents,” said Mayor McCormac.
On a related matter, Mayor McCormac reported that the Woodbridge Township School District Administration will close Township schools Mon., March 16 through Fri., March 20, 2020.
Mayor McCormac advised that Woodbridge Township residents should call the NJ Coronavirus & Poison Center Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or visit nj.gov/health for updated information.
Thoughts From The Editor – March 2020
By Debbie Meehan
After having a lovely lunch the other day with two of my favorite Veterans, WWII Veteran Jack McGreevey and John Eberhardt, I ran into a woman I hadn’t seen in quite some time while walking out of the diner. As we began to talk she mentioned to me it was her birthday. When I smiled and wished her a happy birthday she went on and on about how she hated birthdays and growing old was horrible. How her weight was creeping up on her, how her face was full of wrinkles, her body ached and she felt like her mind wasn’t as sharp anymore, she was forgetting everything and so on and so on … I think she was in her late forties. As I got into my car I said out loud what I wanted to say to her, “Thank God you’re growing old.”
It makes me crazy when people say growing old is horrible (family paper so won’t use their exact phrases) because what is the alternative? Life must go on and if you want to continue to live, basically you have to grow old.
I wish I could have taken that woman and placed her in my car and journeyed her back through the past couple of weeks and show her some of the people I saw that would love to have just one more birthday to celebrate, fighting with all the strength inside of them to live so they can grow old and those who love their golden years.
First together we would walk past a grieving mother who lost her daughter from an overdose of drugs and I would have had her compare her wrinkles to that of this young girl’s, it would be hard for her to find them though, because when you die at 22, you don’t have wrinkles yet.
Then we would visit a young mom in the hospital who is fighting with every breath she has for just one more day to be with her family, there she can compare her aches and pains with that of a woman whose aches and pains never subside. She could also reconsider that thought about the couple of extra pounds she put on when she sees her frail body that has now wasted away to skin and bones, her cancer, making it impossible to “put on an extra couple of pounds.”
After that we would stop in at the Evergreen Senior Center. The room is filled with life and everyone’s dressed in red for their Valentine’s Day party. There is singing and laughter, dancing and friendship and for some reason I don’t think today any of my senior friends are worried about a wrinkle. For today they have too much to do, too much life in them yet, and if they are worried about anything it’s about too many tables stretching onto the dance floor and they won’t have enough room to dance. Getting old is horrible…don’t tell them that because these seniors don’t know what age is and another birthday…bring it on, it will be just another reason for them to have a party.
Lastly, I would bring her back to the diner we left. I would let her join me and my two Veteran friends for lunch. Sad to think this forty something year old woman thinks her mind isn’t sharp and can’t remember things any more, (maybe to enhance ones mind you must rid it of the negativity that fills it and then you can think clearer). My friend Jack is 91 and his mind is still sharp with memories from the past. When I join these gentlemen for lunch every couple of months our conversation is that of days gone by, of people that they have met, places they have seen and things they still need to do. The stories they tell are filled with such detail it’s as if they lived them yesterday. Jack still puts on his suit every day and goes to work because there is no stopping him, there are older veterans that need help and new ones coming back from overseas that need direction, there is still so much work and living he feels he needs to do. Do not tell him he is old, for his face, lined with beautiful wrinkles that reflect the wisdom and grace he has gained through life, will certainly laugh right at you.
My point is age is a matter of mind. You can be old at forty or you can be young at ninety, the choice is yours. But keep in mind some people don’t have that choice and they would take every one of your wrinkles to grow another year older. Beauty grows from inside you and age can never reverse the beauty of ones soul with a wrinkle.
So this year when it’s time to celebrate your birthday, have a party, thank God for another year of life with your friends and family and if you need help blowing out the candles…just take your cake over to the Evergreen Senior Center for the breath of life in that group will have no trouble helping you blow those candles out. As they say life is about the breaths we take so keep breathing and keep living because life is so precious, enjoy every moment of it!
School District Calls for Referendum Special Election ~ March 10, 2020
By: Mayor John E. McCormac
New Avenel Street School #4/5
Plan calls to Strengthen School Security, Upgrade Network Technology
Every School in the District Benefits
The municipal administration takes very seriously our commitment to cooperating with the Woodbridge Township Board of Education and School District Administration to help provide the best facilities possible for our students – both in terms of our school buildings themselves as well as the outside athletic fields that are used by the students and also by the entire Woodbridge community.
We supported a $57 million referendum in 2017 that passed overwhelmingly and which provided funding for a brand new Ross Street School and complete overhauls of Woodbridge Middle School and St. Cecelia’s School, which became the home of Kennedy Park School 24 which then became the home for full day kindergarten for students whose home schools did not have enough classroom space. The 2017 Referendum will be paid for by downtown developments that will occur over the next several years and not by our taxpayers. Additionally, we passed $40 million in ordinances from 2013-2015 for turf fields (baseball, soccer and softball) in addition to tracks, tennis courts, gymnasium floors, playgrounds and much more – all of the community improvements will be paid by several warehouse projects in town and not by our general taxpayers.
Now, we are supporting a referendum for March of 2020 that will provide for a new Avenel St. School 4/5 and major additions to Schools 25 and 28. This will be paid for by a large warehouse development at the site of the former Woodbridge Developmental Center. The Township realized a profit on selling two parcels of land (one from the State of New Jersey and another from Conrail) and we will realize nearly $100 million in property tax revenue from the site and our taxpayers will likewise not have to pay for this tremendous investment.
Facts and figures get tossed around carelessly regarding the enrollment numbers for our school district and for the impact of residential development on those numbers. The capacity of our school district to accept additional children is misrepresented with frequent statements like “our schools are overcrowded” and “we cannot handle any more students.” Both of these statements (and many others) are simply not factual. On a historic basis, many years ago there were thousands more students in our schools with much less capacity than there is now. A referendum in 2003 provided significant additional classroom space and the 2017 referendum added capacity for another 222 students. It is important to note that additional space should not always mean additional students as class sizes have been admirably reduced over the years to improve the quality of education in Woodbridge. However, anyone who says that Woodbridge does not have the capacity in our schools for additional students is simply wrong.
The below chart reports that (excluding kindergarten) there are actually 88 less students in the current school year than in 2007-2006. Eliminating kindergarten from the analysis is fair because the addition of full-day kindergarten in 2019-2018 naturally increased the number of students to 278 five and six year olds. The overall enrollment increase of 248 students over 13 years was entirely due to the kindergarten increase of 278. Adding new residential development to the analysis shows that even with 58 new students from over 500 luxury apartment units there are still 30 less students (other than kindergarten) in our district than in 2007-2006. It is important to note that the capacity of our school system increased by 222 students with the 2017 referendum and it will increase by another 278 students with a successful 2020 referendum. That is over 500 additional students that can be absorbed in Woodbridge schools and it is completely impossible that the Woodbridge enrollment will increase by anywhere near that amount from the combination of all downtown developments. Simply put, the Board of Education has properly planned for growth in enrollment with investments in new schools and large additions to current schools.
COMPARISON OF ENROLLMENT NUMBERS FOR THE LAST 13 YEARS
2006-07 2019-20 Increase/Decrease
Kindergarten 766 1,044 278
All other grades 12,678 12,590 (88) (1)
Students from new projects 58
Total enrollment 13,444 13,692 248 (2)
(1) Total enrollment in all grades other than kindergarten is down 88 students from 13 years ago.
(2) An increase of 278 kindergarten students did not increase the total overall student count because of decreases in all other grade level enrollment.
No matter the issue or event, the Township Administration, the Woodbridge Township School Board and District Administration, educators, teachers, professional staff, parents, students and residents have a long tradition of standing together to promote the well-being of our students. Woodbridge Township students – at all grades and level of learning – stand tall when comparing their achievements to students throughout the state.
No district in the state can boast the number of advanced placement courses that Woodbridge offers. And, it’s a fact that many of our students are accepted to the most prestigious colleges and universities throughout the nation because of the quality of their education. In short, Woodbridge students, teachers, professional staff, and parents can be proud of their work and of their schools because the Township Administration and the School District have worked together to provide a robust education. Education is everyone’s business. We are proud to be able to work together to make our schools “the best they can be” – not only in appearance, but in the quality of education received by each and every student.
