COVID Lockdowns Began In Jersey City 3 Years Ago This Week

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Sometimes, the further you get from a historical event, the more details become lost. But with more than 1.1 million lives lost to COVID in the United States since early 2020, some can't forget.

There years ago this week, residents of Jersey City and the Tri-State area were told to stay inside due to a coming virus that doctors didn't yet know how to treat.

Residents were first told to stay indoors for two weeks, but it actually took six weeks for deaths of those already infected to plateau in New Jersey. After that time, with people staying inside, the death rate started declining.

Doctors lacked a full understanding of how to treat the coming coronavirus — initially referred to as the "novel coronavirus" — and there was a shortage of N95 protective equipment, surgical masks, and ventilators. READ MORE: Hudson County's First Coronavirus Case Is Announced

One local hospital pleaded for 13 ventilators in late March 2020. And many first responders and medical workers couldn't stay inside, and became sick.

New Jersey's worst day was April 30, when 460 people were reported to have died of the virus in one day, or an average of one person every three minutes.

Hospitals were so crowded that residents were often told to stay away unless there having serious trouble breathing. READ MORE: Local Mom/Reality Star Tells Of Scary Coronavirus Fight At Home

After six weeks of hospitals filling up, the death rate started to come down, but the crisis was far from over.

Jersey City Schools Shut For Months

In Jersey City, schools were shut in mid-March and shifted to remote learning. READ MORE: Jersey City Preps Lessons In Case Of Coronavirus Closures

To date, 320 Jersey City residents have died of the virus, or 120.5 people for every 100,000 residents. This is similar to the overall rate of Hudson County.

The death rate is often influenced by the age of the population, density of the area, and other factors.

Others in the area have suffered from long covid, including a mom in Hudson County who talked about it, and hospitals have opened specialty facilities to study and treat it. READ MORE: Hudson County Mom Urges: Please Listen To Long-Haulers

The city and Hudson County continue to run testing and vaccination centers. Find out more here and here.