Indoor Mask Mandate To Be Repealed In Hoboken Later This Week, With Exceptions

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken officials announced late on Monday that the city's Executive Order requiring masks in indoor locations will be repealed as of this Wednesday. However, visitors to municipal facilities still will be required to wear face masks, regardless of vaccination status, for the time being, the city said.

"Hudson County’s positivity rate fell below 5 percent as of Monday, Feb. 7, which provided the basis for the order’s repeal," said Mayor Ravi Bhalla on Monday.

The city's order was passed in December amid a local increase in COVID cases, and then a spike in hospitalizations.

• SEE COUNTY NUMBERS: COVID Trends And Statistics In Hudson County This Week
• SEE NEW HOBOKEN NUMBERS: Hoboken COVID Hospitalizations Released

Businesses may individually continue a mask mandate for employees and/or clients.

"Some may understandably continue to do so,” said Bhalla. “I ask residents to respect those businesses, who may choose to take an extra layer of precaution to protect their staff and customers.”

Bhalla said, "Since the very first decision to shut down at the beginning of the pandemic, Hoboken has used science and data to guide decisions on keeping the public safe. In recent days, the numbers make it clear that cases are significantly falling in the region, which is welcome news."

He added, "This data point, combined with Hoboken’s high vaccination rate, robust testing options, and low hospitalizations, make it possible for us to lift our indoor mask requirement."

He said, "I thank the many residents and businesses who adhered to this safety precaution as we navigated through the omicron phase of the pandemic.”

Case And Vaccination Trends In Hoboken

Confirmed cases of the virus have dropped drastically since after the holidays, when more than 600 people were confirmed testing positive in one week. Last week, the number was 135. Hospitalizations are also down.

However, there were two confirmed COVID deaths among residents reported last week. The city did not respond to a question about whether they were vaccinated. READ MORE: 2 More COVID Deaths In Hoboken

What About Schools?

Any mask requirements for schools in Hoboken will continue to be subject to the authority of each individual school or district, Bhalla said.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that schools will have the option to choose what's best for their district as of next month. A school mask requirement remains in effect in February.

Mayor Bhalla encouraged all residents to get vaccinated and boosted.

“Although our mask requirement for indoor locations is currently coming to an end, it is still important to utilize the tools we have at our disposal to stay safe from COVID-19,” said Bhalla. “COVID-19 remains a significant health risk for those who are unvaccinated, and I ask anyone who has not yet done so, to get vaccinated or boosted, and get tested if you believe you’ve been exposed.”

Vaccination Rates In Hoboken, And Where To Get A Test

As of Monday, 99 percent of Hoboken residents 30 and over, and 97 percent of residents 12 and over, had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.

For a COVID test or vaccine, go to www.hobokennj.gov/vaccine or www.hobokennj.gov/testing.

The city said: "As an update, those who get tested through Riverside at 605 Jackson St. may be subject to a co-pay payment due to recent changes in the insurance market. If you are getting tested with Riverside and have questions about a potential co-pay, please contact your insurance
company, and if you are uninsured, please contact Riverside."

State Levels

New Jersey's COVID hospitalization numbers continue to decline since the holidays, but are still higher than this past fall.

In New Jersey as of Friday, Feb. 4, the state's 71 hospitals said they were treating 2,409 patients who tested positive for COVID. Of those patients, 294 were on ventilators.

Those numbers are nearly half of what was reported two weeks ago. On Friday, Jan. 21, the state's 71 hospitals reported that they were treating 4,826 COVID positive patients. At the time, 511 patients were getting breathing help from a ventilator.

Back in September, 124 people were on ventilators in New Jersey hospitals.

In America, more than, 900,000 people have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. The daily death rate is highest right now in these states.

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