Camden County Coronavirus Cases Spike As Officials Urge Caution

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — With the number of coronavirus cases continuing to climb in Camden County, officials are asking residents to closely follow the governor’s newest restrictions on indoor gatherings for Thanksgiving.

“With Thanksgiving on the horizon, it is critical that everyone understands what’s driving this surge and what we can do to stop it,” Camden County Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “The contact tracers at the Camden County Department of Health are continuing to find that small, indoor gatherings are among the primary ways this virus is spreading. Given the virus’ propensity to spread through individuals who are infected but asymptomatic, it simply is not safe right now to be gathering indoors with people who don’t live in your household. We can get this under control if everyone wears a mask and pauses their indoor activity.”

The Camden County Department of Health reported 780 new cases countywide for Nov. 14-16. As of Monday, 15,784 Camden County residents had tested positive and 588 had died since the beginning of the pandemic. Contact tracing is under way in all new cases. Number of cases broken down by town can be found on the county’s website.

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Statewide, new restrictions are being put in place to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Phil Murphy told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that New Jersey is reducing the limits on indoor gatherings from 25 to 10 people beginning Tuesday, and on outdoor gatherings from 500 to 150 people beginning Nov. 23. Read more here: Gov. Murphy: NJ To Lower Gathering Limits Amid Coronavirus Spikes

“These measures have come just in time, because while the governor did not explicitly link his executive order to the coming Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 26 could significantly inflame our current crisis if we are not careful,” Cappelli said. “This year, no one should be planning to attend or host indoor Thanksgiving celebrations with individuals who do not live in their household. If you are still planning such an event, the time has come to cancel. With cases of COVID-19 surging at levels we have not previously seen, it is imperative that we not let our guard down or fan the flames of this crisis. Even with gatherings of fewer than 10 people, if you plan to gather indoors, all guests should prepare to be tested for COVID-19 in advance of the event and to quarantine for 14 days to ensure they have not been exposed to the virus or pose a risk to others.”

The news comes a week after Murphy imposed a 10 p.m. indoor curfew at bars and restaurants and eliminating bar seating. Murphy also signed an order this past week allowing communities to establish a curfew as early as 8 p.m. Read more here: Gov. Murphy Clarifies Rules For NJ Indoor Dining, Bars, Barbers

“We know this step is necessary because this is not our first pandemic holiday,” Cappelli said. “On Easter Sunday, Camden County was averaging 99 new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 each day. One week later, the average had increased 9 percent to 108 cases per day. On July 4, we averaged just 25 cases. One week later, a 48 percent increase to 37 cases per day. On Halloween, we averaged 86. One week later, a 74 percent increase to 150.

“We have seen again and again during this pandemic, that when we try to steal a reprieve from the coronavirus by gathering with family and friends, it only tightens its grip on our community. We cannot afford a similar tightening this time, with our cases already at record levels and our hospitals working tirelessly to keep beds open and keep sick people alive.”

Cappelli emphasized the need to make sacrifice now to get closer to the end of the pandemic. He concluded with good news.

“Last week, Pfizer announced that early results on a vaccine trial showed 90 percent effectiveness, and today Moderna made even bigger news with a 95 percent effective vaccine of their own,” Cappelli said. “The coming months will not be easy, but we will get through them, and we can still dictate just how hard they will be. That effort is ongoing, but it starts in earnest next week. Every decision you make during this pandemic has the potential to slow or hasten the spread of this virus. Please, protect yourself and those around you by wearing a mask, social distancing, washing your hands, and cancelling all planned indoor gatherings.”