Indoor Mask Mandate Issued For Another NJ Community, With Exceptions

HOBOKEN, NJ — The city of Hoboken announced Monday night that, following in the footsteps of several other New Jersey towns, the mile-square city will re-institute a mask mandate for any business or public building starting Wednesday, "except when actively eating or drinking." The mandate applies to everyone over age 2.

There are other exceptions, such as for those who can distance from everyone for at least six feet for an extended period of time (see below).

With cases on the rise amid the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the virus, several locations around Hoboken have posted signs asking customers to mask up.

One resident who tested positive recently was Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who said he tested positive on Christmas Day and is now isolating. He said he had only "mild" symptoms and credited the vaccine and booster. READ MORE: Hoboken Mayor Says He Tested Positive For COVID On Christmas

Medical professionals say that breakthrough COVID-19 cases caused by the new omicron variant — infections among the vaccinated — are less common among those who have received their third vaccination shot, and that for those who are vaccinated and test positive, symptoms are less severe. But public health officials are concerned that hospitalizations are increasing nationwide, and cases could overwhelm health care workers.

In fact, in New Jersey, eight hospital emergency rooms are on "divert" status, due to patient increase or being short staffed.

Confirmed cases are also increasing locally in Hoboken (with 611 positive tests in the past week), although some of the numbers may be attributed to more people getting tested in advance of seeing family or the holidays. And in the largely vaccinated town, the local hospitalization rate has not risen:

Hospitalization Rate Unchanged From Last Week

Currently, the city said Monday, there are eight people hospitalized with COVID-19 at Hoboken University Medical Center. Seven are unvaccinated, including four Hoboken residents. These numbers are the same as a week ago — but well below a year ago, in December 2020, when 30 people were fighting the virus in Hoboken's hospital.

Since the pandemic's onset, the city of Hoboken has had 7,322 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 56 fatalities.

"Today, my office and the Hoboken Office of Emergency Management instituted an Executive Order establishing a face mask requirement at all indoor facilities of public accommodation, due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the city of Hoboken and New Jersey," Bhalla said Monday.

Exceptions

The city's message said, "The executive order applies to all areas of indoor public accommodation including, but not limited to restaurants, bars, gymnasiums, dance studios, recreation facilities, retail stores, cafes, supermarkets, places of worship, commercial establishments, salons, barbershops, banks, healthcare facilities, and hotels.

"Residents, visitors, and patrons of the above public facilities must wear a face mask at all times except when actively eating or drinking, or when socially distanced at least six feet apart from all others for an extended period of time (such as when seated at a desk in an office setting)."

The order goes into effect on Wednesday, Dec. 29, and will be enforced by the Office of Emergency Management.

The order will be lifted when the positivity rate for the state reaches 5 percent for a one-week average or when daily positive cases in Hoboken fall below the weekly average as compared to the first week of November 2021, prior the surge of the omicron variant, whichever is first.

Restaurant Owner Responds

“Given the recent surge in omicron, we're taking additional effective measures in preventing the spread of COVID and having our staff mask up for the safety of all,” said Anthony Pino, owner of Bin 14 and Anthony David's, in a press release issued by the city. “We're hopeful the severity of omicron will be short lived and our community can resume to some normalcy. ”

During the recent surge, various Hoboken restaurants, bars, and other establishments have been closed by business owners due to outbreaks among staff, the city said Monday.

Vaccination Rates Of Hoboken Residents

The majority of Hoboken residents over 18 are vaccinated, and almost all residents over 30 have now started the process, according to numbers below — but the city often has an influx of visitors to its bars and restaurants for holidays, including New Year's Eve.

Below is the vaccination rate for Hoboken:

• All ages: 80% (first dose)
• 12 and over: 93% (first dose)
• 18 and over: 89% (first dose)
• 30 and over: 99% (first dose)
• 65 and over: nearly 100% (first dose)
• All ages: 70% (second dose)
• 12 and over: 81% (second dose)
• 18 and over: 78% (second dose)
• 30 and over: 87% (second dose)

• 65 and over: 99% (second dose)

A study done of COVID deaths in Texas hospitals this past fall determined that unvaccinated people were 20 times more likely to die of COVID than vaccinated people.

As of mid-November in New Jersey, 2 out of every 10,000 vaccinated residents required hospitalization for COVID, according to Hackensack Meridian Health.

A Week Ago

In Hoboken a week ago Saturday, the mayor announced that eight people were battling COVID in the local hospital, seven of them unvaccinated. READ MORE: Eight People Hospitalized With COVID In Hoboken, 7 Unvaccinated

Hoboken vaccination rates a week ago were:

All ages: 70 percent (both shots)
12 and over: 80 percent (both shots)
18 and over: 77 percent (both shots)
30 and over: 87 percent (both shots)
65 and over: 99 percent (b0th shots)

Hoboken testing and vaccination clinics are listed here.

In America, more than, 816,000 people have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. The daily death rate is highest right now in these states: Alaska, Michigan, New Jersey, Arizona, and Maine.

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