Hillsborough Declares State Of Emergency As Coronavirus Spreads

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township declared a state of emergency to further protect, support and offer services to the community during new coronavirus.

The emergency declaration put the following measures into effect:

• The Hillsborough Police is authorized to close any street deemed necessary to allow for public safety and access may be restricted to any Township building or the actual boundaries of the Township.
• The Municipal Building will be closed to the public and access may be restricted to essential personnel.
• Food pantry access and Senior Citizen busing for essential services will be provided for doctors’ appointments and emergency pharmacy/grocery.
• Recreation activities and programs will be suspended indefinitely until further notice.
• Only essential meetings may be held until further notice.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

These new initiatives are top of the precautions the township took on Monday include:

• Until further notice there will no longer be extended hours in the Building Department.
• The 1st Annual Hillsborough Township Litter Awareness and Clean-up Day scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled.
• Municipal Court is rescheduling court sessions scheduled from March 16 to March 27 as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Contact the court at 908-369-3532 to determine a new court date. For your safety and the safety of our staff, residents are asked to refrain from coming in to the violations bureau.
• Closures and cancellations of meetings and programs are posted on the website and can be accessed by clicking the scroll at the top of the site or by vising this link.
• Beginning March 16 through March 29, the Library System will be closed to the public. The Library System will continue to evaluate and communicate future plans as information becomes available. For more information visit the SCLSNJ website.. Until further notice, do not place books in the outside dropbox. Keep the loaned material(s) as it will be automatically renewed so you will not incur any fines.

Additionally both Hillsborough and Montgomery schools have closed for two weeks and have implemented remote learning. (See Related: Hillsborough Schools To Close For 2 Weeks, Start Alternate Plan)

Three Montgomery Township family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus. One child was also in DC Gymnastics in Hillsborough before showing symptoms, Hillsborough School Acting Superintendent Dr. Lisa Antunes said Sunday. (See Related: 3 Montgomery Family Members Test Positive For Coronavirus)

Hillsborough Health Department recommends residents continue preventative measure, such as hand washing, covering coughs, stay home when you're sick and further social distancing as explained by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered closing all indoor malls and amusement parks and centers in New Jersey as cases reached 267, that is 89 more cases than previously reported. (See Related: Gov. Murphy: NJ Malls Closing Due To Coronavirus, 89 New Cases)

There are now a total of nine positive cases in Somerset County.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.