Hoboken Loses Two More Community Members To Coronavirus

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced the sad news on Friday night that the city had suffered the loss of two more community members due to coronavirus in the last few days.

Before that, the last report of local lives lost to the illness was on April 30.

"Yesterday, the Hoboken Health Department reported another six cases of COVID-19 in Hoboken, for a total of 531 known, confirmed cases," Bhalla wrote in his nightly update. "We sadly had two additional fatalities, as a male in his mid 50s and another male in his mid 70s, both valued members of our community. I extend my deepest sympathies on behalf of our city to their friends, family, and loved ones."

Twenty-five Hoboken residents have now passed away due to the virus.

Gov. Phil Murphy in his daily press conference on Thursday that the state's death toll from the virus had climbed to 8,801. A week ago Thursday, 460 New Jerseyans had been lost to the virus in 24 hours, an all-time high rate, or one person every three minutes. By Tuesday afternoon, the governor said there had been 334 deaths since the previous day, and the number has slowly been declining again.

Rapid testing and antibody tests

Bhalla said that people interested in getting a rapid test for the virus should call the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hotline at City Hall at 201-420-5621 Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., as opposed to calling Riverside Medical Group directly. "This is a common mistake that is causing some confusion," he wrote.

Residents with and without symptoms can get the test at Riverside’s testing site and receive a result in 15 minutes, he said.

The city will soon release information about antibody testing for the public, Bhalla said. On Friday, the city tested approximately 260 first responders and frontline workers. Twenty-five, or slightly fewer than 10 percent, tested positive for IgG, which means that the individuals had coronavirus at some previous point.

"To answer a few questions which we’ve received, Boditech’s AFIAS Rapid COVID-19 Antibody Test, which we are using, also detects IgM, the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure," he said.

Experts have not determined whether having had the virus means people are immune, but it sometimes means they can donate plasma to help patients.

Street sweeping resumes

Street sweeping will resume on Monday, May 18, Bhalla said, which means residents will again start having to move their cars.

Bhalla said, "We are also seeing more personal protective equipment (PPE) on streets, which is all the more reason that our Department of Environmental Services believes street sweeping should resume. I recognize that this is an inconvenience, but keeping our streets clean is an important factor in keeping our residents safe during COVID-19."

Fundraisers

Bhalla noted several fundraisers coming up, including one on Saturday, May 16 involving Hoboken artists and Buddy Valastro, TV's "Cake Boss."

"I’m proud to share that Hoboken has launched a relief fund to help benefit our small businesses and individuals who have been impacted by COVID-19," Bhalla said. "The first fundraising event will feature a number of Hoboken artists and will be co-hosted by Hoboken’s own, Buddy Valastro from the Cake Boss. To donate for this cause, please visit www.HobokenReliefFund.com."

More information is coming soon.

To read about other fundraisers and the rest of Bhalla's nightly update, click here.

Other local and state updates

NURSING HOMES

• The state has been criticized for being slow to reveal numbers of deaths and coronavirus cases at nursing homes. They presented an updated list on Wednesday. See the list by clicking here.
• You can report urgent problems with such facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, report it here.

SCHOOLS

• Early this week, Gov. Phil Murphy said New Jersey schools will be closed for the rest of the year. He said he was not sure yet about day camps and day cares.
• After discussing with the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governor said that spring sports will not resume for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

PARKS

• Most Hoboken parks reopened on Friday. READ MORE.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

• The city and Patch both have directories of businesses that are open and closed. Check it out or add your business easily. READ MORE.
• The city will be closing off certain blocks for businesses to expand and draw foot traffic. READ MORE.
• Here's what you need to know about applying for unemployment and other benefits during coronavirus. MORE.
• Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.

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