No More State Of Emergency: Hoboken Says COVID Declining (UPDATE)

HOBOKEN, NJ — Next week will mark two years since Hoboken schools, playgrounds, and other facilities closed to stop the spread of COVID-19, and some people have barely had a chance to reflect on the biggest losses and changes from the pandemic. But now that most of Hoboken's adults are fully vaccinated and case transmission has waned, the city is marking the end of an era.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced Monday the end of the city of Hoboken’s COVID-19 State of Emergency, following the decline of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in the city and region.

Hoboken was among the first cities in the country to start shutting facilities as COVID reached the United States in March 2020. Several times, the state of New Jersey announced similar precautionary measures to Hoboken's a few days after Hoboken announced theirs.

Hoboken’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) had first declared a State of Emergency on March 12, 2020. OEM signed an Executive Order rescinding the State of Emergency on March 7, 2022.

Among other changes, Mayor Ravi Bhalla's spokesperson said Monday that City Council meetings will go back to being in person starting in April.

“After two long, hard years, we are finally at a time where it is no longer necessary to remain under a State of Emergency,” Bhalla said in a release on Monday. “This is a credit to everyone who has chosen to get vaccinated and boosted, which has helped get us through the hard times of the past year. We will continue to be guided by science as the pandemic becomes an endemic, utilizing the tools we know will protect our residents.”

The city said last month that 98 percent of residents 12 and over, and 99 percent of residents 30 and over, had gotten a shot of the COVID vaccine. READ MORE: City Updates Vaccination Status

Lockdown And Losses: March 2020 And After

Hoboken first became aware of a resident testing positive for the virus on March 13, 2020, and Hoboken parks and day cares were closed on March 16, 2020.

The mile-square city, directly across the river from midtown Manhattan, lost 31 residents to COVID through May 2020, then didn't lose another resident until that December.

The city rescinded an indoor mask mandate last month, and the Hoboken public schools — which stayed open nearly every day through the current and past school year — went mask-optional as of Monday.

Patch asked the city if any other policy changes were coming this week because of the lifting of the state of emergency.

"As has been the case throughout the past year, City Hall continues to remain open to all members of the public with appointments preferred," city spokesperson Marilyn Baer said Monday. "The city has made a substantial investment to our website to make city services more accessible online. City Hall also no longer requires visitors to have their temperatures checked or sign-in and face coverings are now optional."

She noted, "Per City Council leadership, council meetings are scheduled to be held in person starting in April." (The fact that council meetings are still virtual has sparked controversy.)

The mayor planned to deliver a virtual State of the City Address Monday night (use the links here).

Below is the order rescinding the State of Emergency:

WHEREAS, the City of Hoboken declared a State of Emergency on March 12, 2020, before the very first case of COVID-19 was reported in Hoboken; and
WHEREAS, the City of Hoboken took proactive measures to help curb the spread of COVID-19 during the early stages of the virus; and
WHEREAS, rates of COVID-19 have substantially decreased across New Jersey and Hudson County, with a .95 infection rate and a positive test rate of 1.3% as of March 7, 2022; and
WHEREAS, Hoboken has a high level of vaccination rates, with 85% of the entire population having received at least one vaccine dose, and nearly 100% of residents ages 65 and over having received both doses; and
WHEREAS, Face masks are no longer required in in schools and child care centers in New Jersey, given low positivity rates and a substantial decrease in positive COVID-19 cases; and
WHEREAS, The State of New Jersey has lifted the COVID-19 public health emergency as of March 7, 2022;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sgt. William Montanez, Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Hoboken, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the statutes of the State of New Jersey and the laws of the City of Hoboken, do hereby lift the State of Emergency declared for the City of Hoboken related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: Hoboken Closes Playgrounds, Day Cares (March 2020)

Hoboken has lost 63 residents to COVID. In America, more than 951,000 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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