Hoboken Declares State Of Emergency, Giving New Coronavirus Info

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced Thursday afternoon that the city had declared a State of Emergency to continue preparations for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The preparations in the mile-square city — many of whose residents work across the river in Manhattan — will include setting up a medical tent outside of Hoboken University Medical Center "to help manage the anticipated surge of patients given COVID-19," Bhalla said.

(UPDATE: The city announced later that Hoboken schools will close on Monday for two weeks. Read the link for more.)

On Thursday state officials announced that there have been a total of 29 documented cases of the virus in New Jersey, and one person has died.

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Bhalla said there were no confirmed cases so far in Hoboken, but "this [declaration] will allow OEM and the city to take proactive action in the days and weeks ahead to protect the health and safety of our residents."

Bhalla said all non-essential city-run events and meetings have been canceled until further notice. This includes:

• All city-run recreation activities and sports for children and adults, and closure of all city recreation fields and facilities
• The Planning Board, Zoning Board, and all municipal volunteer board meetings
• Public meetings including the Neumann Leathers and NJ Transit Records Buildings meetings scheduled for next week.
• "In consultation with the City Council president, we are exploring alternative options to host the City Council meeting scheduled for next week."

He also wrote, in an alert:

<blockquote>

As recommended by the Hoboken Health Department, if you are a resident of Hoboken and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, you should contact your healthcare provider first instead of going to the emergency room. Carepoint is urging all residents to observe this protocol to keep the emergency room available for those needing critical emergency care.

I am strongly discouraging any larger discretionary gatherings within the city of Hoboken. If you are planning on holding an event, please consider rescheduling it to a later date, to help protect the safety of our residents.

If you are planning on coming to Hoboken City Hall for any service, please be sure to call ahead to book an appointment, and speak to city staff over the phone instead if possible. Many municipal functions, especially in our Hoboken Parking Utility, can be completed online at http://www.hobokennj.gov as opposed to in person.

If you are having a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1. You may also contact the Hoboken Health Department at 201-420-2000 ext. 5211 if you believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19.

It is critically important for residents to stay home if you are sick and remain home for at least 24 hours until symptoms resolve. It is essential to continue washing and sanitizing your hands frequently. Please work from home if you can for the near future.</blockquote>

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

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