When Will Morristown Return To In-Person Meetings? That's Undetermined

MORRISTOWN, NJ — First, Morristown planned to return to in-person government meetings Sept. 1. Then they pushed it to Oct. 1. Now, it's not quite clear when Morristown may return to meetings at Town Hall.

As of Wednesday morning, the town website's homepage says that all meetings will go in-person starting Friday — the beginning of October. But officials said at Tuesday's Town Council meeting that the answer is a bit more complicated.

A resident asked when Town Council will return to in-person meetings. Council President Stefan Armington said the town administration is looking into certain coronavirus data.

"I have advised the administration to research whether or not we can put in place going back to regular session once the (transmission) rate is below one for a period of two weeks or so," Armington said.

Town Administrator Jillian Barrick is investigating whether they can get county-level transmission data, as opposed to the state figure.

The state transmission rate stands at 0.99 as of Wednesday morning, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. A transmission rate above one indicates that each new coronavirus case is likely to lead to another developing, signifying future increases in the number of new cases.

The town has recently held public events that get crowded, such as the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival, which attracts thousands throughout the day to the Green. But Armington said officials have greater concern over returns to in-person meetings because they're indoors.

However, once Morristown returns to in-person meetings, the public may still have the capabilities to view and participate from home. The administration is looking into a technical solution that would allow for hybrid meetings, Barrick said.

Morristown has seen 29 new COVID-19 cases since Sept. 17, according to Morris County data. The new infections bring Morristown's total cases up 1.24 percent, marking 2,368 cases since the pandemic began.

Sixty-seven percent of all ages and 77 percent of adults in Morristown are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

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