What’s open, what’s closing, and the latest information on response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our area. Plus: our full archive of COVID-19 reporting in one spot.

By Matt Skoufalos | March 15, 2020

Coronavirus. Credit: CDC on Unsplash.

The NBA. The NHL. Broadway theater. Disney World. Live concerts. Schools and most government offices.

They’re all pressing pause in an effort to mitigate the impact of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), as the virus officially reaches global pandemic status.

As most things grind to a halt over the coming weeks, we’ll try to keep up with the changes here.

Shutdowns

Local Governments:

    • Audubon will close all borough facilities from March 16 to 29, scaling back to first responders and public works personnel only. The governing body will still hold its March 17 commissioners meeting, and offered a video link for those who wish to attend virtually. The virtual meeting will still offer an opportunity for public comment, commissioners said.
    • Cherry Hill is closing its township municipal building, public works administrative offices, and library from March 16 until March 29. Essential operations—police, fire, public works—will continue. Township government will review scheduled public meetings “to determine whether they are necessary for the continuation of governmental operations.” Already canceled are its March 16 planning board and March 19 zoning board meetings. The township has also posted links to its various departments for resident services.
    • Collingswood closed all public offices as of March 17, and discontinued community events through April 30; the local government had already closed its public library and community center a day earlier. The borough is offering free three-hour parking until further notice to reduce COVID-19 transmission via parking meters and kiosks. The Collingswood library is adding more ebooks to its collection and suspending return deadlines during the outbreak. A list of local businesses that are offering curbside service during the quarantine is available here.
    • Haddonfield declared a local state of emergency March 16. In a letter to the public, commissioners reinforced the same directives largely in force statewide, and canceled meetings through the end of April. Until April 30, parking kiosks will not be enforced and overnight parking restrictions will be relaxed as well.
    • On March 15, Haddon Township canceled all public events and government meetings through the end of the month. Its municipal building “will be open by appointment only for essential matters.”
    • Haddon Heights will close its borough offices to the public and to non-essential employees from March 16 through 22, and will review the necessity of holding regularly scheduled meetings. Essential services will continue to be provided.
    • Merchantville has switched all its meetings to telephone or video conference only until further notice with the exception of borough council, which will continue to operate normally as well as over streaming services. The borough is encouraging residents to conduct all business with local government offices over the phone, and has cancelled all public events through April 12.
    • Oaklyn borough offices, municipal court and public library will be closed from March 16 through 27. Essential services will continue to be provided.
    • Pennsauken has closed its municipal building, library, court, and country club until further notice. The public works and water commission will operate on modified schedules and are closed to the public.

 

Camden County Government. All non-essential county personnel will begin working from home March 17 through 27 and will remain on-call as needed as part of an emergency declaration. That order was extended indefinitely on March 28. Permitting for events at Camden County parks has also been discontinued.

County-operated and congregate senior centers will close at 5 p.m. March 16. All senior citizens enrolled in the Camden County Nutrition Program automatically will receive home delivery of meals beginning March 17.

The Camden County Board of Social Services will transition most of its operations to telephone interviews. New benefit applicants may apply here. Paperwork can still be dropped off at the building via its mailbox.

All state and county parks. On April 7, Governor Murphy ordered the closure of all state and county parks to limit the spread of COVID-19. Municipal parks will open or close as determined by local officials.

Gyms, Casinos, Movie Theaters, Bars, Restaurants. In a joint statement with the governors of Connecticut and New York, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that all non-essential businesses will shut down at 8 p.m. March 16. This includes gyms, casinos, racetracks, bars, and movie theaters.

Restaurants will still be allowed to provide take-out, and businesses may remain open during daytime hours starting March 17 if they limit their occupancy to no more than 50 people. The governor is also recommending a limit on non-essential travel between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Indoor Portions of Retail Shopping Malls, Amusement Parks & Bowling Alleys. New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania jointly announced the temporary closure of more gathering spaces March 18. Shopping malls, amusement parks, and bowling alleys will all close March 19 at 8 p.m. until further notice. Murphy had announced their closure in New Jersey the day before. Public open recreation areas are not covered by this order.

Convenience and grocery store self-serve food and drink. Self-serve food and drinks, “including coffee and cappuccino bars, fountain drinks and soda, roller grills, bakery cases, soup and salad bars, nacho/chili cheese machines, and condiment bars,” can only be sold in Camden County if employees dispense them along with condiments, the county government announced March 18.

Personal-care businesses and social clubs. On March 19, Governor Murphy ordered all personal care businesses “that cannot comply with social distancing,” including barber shops, hair salons, spas, nail and eyelash salons, and tattoo parlors, to close by 8 p.m. The same closures affect social clubs as well.

Non-Essential Businesses. All nonessential businesses in the county are asked “to consider voluntarily closing or modifying operations to comply with CDC social distancing recommendations,” Freeholders said in a statement March 16.

In a new order issued March 24, Murphy also added the following businesses to the list of essential service providers that are allowed to remain open:

  • Mobile phone retail and repair shops;
  • Bicycle shops, but only to provide service and repair;
  • Livestock feed stores;
  • Nurseries and garden centers;
  • Farming equipment stores.

In a new order issued April 27, Murphy added car dealerships; pet grooming, daycare, and boarding businesses; and stores that sell items for religious observation to the list of essential businesses that may operate under social distancing guidances. That order also allows personal care servicepersons to operate under extremely limited conditions for family members, romantic partners, and people for whom they provide care.

Schools. Murphy ordered all public schools, colleges, and universities in New Jersey to shut down March 18. On March 24, the governor also put the kibosh on all standardized testing for New Jersey students for the 2019-2020 school year, saying, “The number-one priority must be for our students to work on the lessons before them and to use the time as best as possible to keep up with their current studies.”

On April 16, Murphy announced schools would remain closed through May 15, saying, “If we all continue to stay the course, in four weeks, we may have a different message at that point.”

Childcare Centers. On March 25, Murphy announced that all childcare centers who cannot certify that they are only caring for “the children of essential workers” must close by Wednesday, April 1.

That list includes the children of:

  • Healthcare workers
  • law enforcement personnel
  • first responders
  • childcare center employees
  • staff who provide essential services
  • essential government employees
  • retail workers

 

Libraries. All branches of the Camden County library system will be closed until April 13, the County government announced March 16. The system will continue to offer streaming services and Facebook Live events for residents to enjoy remotely.

On March 20, Governor Murphy ordered an indefinite closure of all municipal, county, and state public libraries in addition to all libraries and computer labs at public and private colleges and universities.

Hospitals. The New Jersey Hospital Association announced a no-visitor policy until further notice. Although voluntary at this time, the guidance is being widely adopted throughout the state, with a handful of exceptions for patients in hospice or end-of-life care. It also provides for a single visitor or support person for maternity, pediatric, and same-day surgery patients, but in each case, those visitors must be screened for symptoms before being allowed to visit.

Elective surgeries and invasive procedures. In efforts to limit further spread of the virus and conserve healthcare resources, Governor Murphy announced the suspension of all elective surgeries and invasive procedures as of 5 p.m. March 27.

Municipal Courts and Jury Trials. Through March 27, anyone with a scheduled municipal court appearance should wait for a new court date, according to the state judiciary. Municipal courts will continue to handle applications for temporary restraining orders, detention hearings, and matters of public safety. Anyone scheduled to appear between March 16 and March 27 will be notified by the state. Filings and payments still will be accepted, except in municipalities where the local court has been shut down. NJMCDirect.com will still accept payments for traffic violations.

Prisons and Halfway Houses. With the exception of legal visits, the state Department of Corrections is suspending visitation to state correctional facilities and halfway houses for a period of 30 days. In exchange, access is being granted for additional, free phone calls, additional JPay kiosk usage, and free postage for people in the inmate and Residential Community Release Program.

Secure Care Facilities and Residential Community Homes. Similarly, the state Juvenile Justice Commission is enacting a 30-day ban on visits to juvenile justice facilities. To offer some relief, the body is increasing free access to phone calls and video visits.

Motor Vehicle Commission. All New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission agencies, road testing, and inspection facilities were ordered closed until March 30. On March 27, that order was extended through April 12.

County Events. In addition to all programs for seniors, who are presumed especially susceptible to COVID-19, the Camden County government has cancelled a number of concerts, sporting events, and public gatherings. See the full list here.

Adventure Aquarium. The Camden waterfront attraction was planning to reopen Saturday, March 28, but will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Refunds are being offered, and visits are being rescheduled as needed.

PATCO Hi-Speedline. On March 26, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) announced the temporary closure of its Ashland, Westmont, Camden City Hall, and 12/13th & Locust St. PATCO Speedline stations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Monday through Friday, trains at all other stations will run every hour from midnight to 4 a.m., every half-hour from 4 to 5:00 a.m., and every 20 minutes between 5 a.m. and 12 noon.

On Saturday, trains will run every hour from midnight to 5 a.m., and every half-hour from 5 a.m. to noon. On Sunday, trains will run every hour.

The DRPA is also closing cash lanes on all bridges and billing non-EZ-pass-holding customers for their tolls by mail, and with no additional fees.

Relief Efforts

In acknowledgment of the hardships presented by COVID-19, the state of New Jersey is:

 

Camden County Freeholder efforts include:

    • suspending sheriff’s sales and evictions until further notice;
    • offering meals to any senior in need in Camden County through the Division of Senior and Disabled Services: (856) 374-MEAL or (856) 858-3220;
    • waiving face-to-face requirements for all required interviews with the Board of Social Services Clients will be diverted to phone interviews;
    • waiving all work activity requirements for (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) TANF, General Assistance (GA), and SNAP benefit recipients. If sites are being closed due to coronavirus concerns, clients can reach out to their case managers to let them know;
    • extending benefits for 60 days to TANF and GA recipients who were due for recertification in March and April;
    • offering free digital access to all Camden County library resources during county and local physical library closures;
    • announcing a suspension of all rent increases in 36,000 properties backed by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Financing Authority;
    • rental assistance for tenants whose income has been adversely affected by the pandemic;
    • small business grants for commercial entities that have taken a hit during the pandemic.

 

The U.S. Small Business Administration has established a disaster relief portal for businesses that have been affected by a COVID-19-related closure. See here for details.

Comcast has opened up its Xfinity Wi-Fi hotpots for free usage to non-customers, and is offering its Internet Essentials plan to new users free for two months (applicants must sign up by June 30). It’s also pausing disconnects and uncapping data limits for current customers.

Non-Essential Travel Limit Extended Statewide

On March 15, the Centers for Disease Control advised Americans to limit gatherings to no more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, the better to limit the spread of COVID-19:

Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing.  When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.

This recommendation does not apply to the day-to-day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses.

This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus.

The agency noted that its recommendation is not intended to supersede the guidance of local officials, but Camden County officials followed suit Monday morning, asking all nonessential businesses “to consider voluntarily closing or modifying operations to comply with CDC social distancing recommendations.”

By March 15, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Ohio had shut down dine-in restaurants, allowing take-out only, USA Today reported. On March 16, the governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut did the same.

On March 21, Governor Murphy signed an executive order “directing all NJ residents to stay at home until further notice,” and shutting all non-essential businesses. The order has a specific list of exceptions, makes provisions for businesses to allow employees to work from home, and supersedes all prior county and local actions.

Coronavirus Resources

For New Jersey’s dedicated COVID-19 site, click here.

For state updates on infection counts, check the New Jersey COVID-19 dashboard here.

For an international perspective on the spread of COVID-19, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center tracks global incidences of the disease, including recovery rates.

Want to know the best ways to keep your home clean? Here’s the CDC guidelines for environmental cleaning and disinfection procedures in households suspected of coronavirus.

If your employer is not letting you work remotely, or is trying to violate terms of protective orders for workers during COVID-19, you can call 609-963-6817.

If there’s any questions that you haven’t had answered here, call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-962-1253, 1-800-222-1222, or e-mail nj.gov/health.

Know something that hasn’t been mentioned here? Send us a tip.

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Camden County

 

Related Coronavirus Coverage

 

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