Hope Replaces Fear: South Brunswick Reflects On 1 Year Of COVID

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The township of South Brunswick on Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of when the first possible COVID-19 case was reported.

The Office of Emergency Management Director and South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka and township manager Bernard P. Hvozdovic Jr. sent a message to the community, recognizing the effort of everyone in battling the pandemic over the past year.

South Brunswick officials said that their “initial planning and coordination led to quick isolation of community and school cases.”

“We have a long way to go, but we see progress. The fear that consumed so much of last March has been replaced by the hope of today,” Chief Raymond Hayducka said in a statement.

Hayducka thanked the Mayor and Council for their support “throughout this unprecedented year” by providing them with the resources and assistance that were needed.

“I am proud of the men and women of the South Brunswick Police Department and all those who have pulled together. We will continue to work to address the many issues before us as a result of the pandemic," he said.

"We have seen time and time again from Hurricane Sandy to the pandemic, it is our neighbors and community that we can count on. We will get through this together.”

Township Manager Bernard P. Hvozdovic Jr., asked residents to remain cautious against the virus.

“We have come too far to let our guard down. We will continue to work with county and State health officials to increase access to vaccines to all our residents.”

Here is the full message sent to the community:

Office of Emergency Management Director and South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka and Township Manager Bernard P. Hvozdovic Jr. want to recognize all the effort and work by so many in battling this pandemic over the past year. Tonight, March 10th marks the one-year anniversary when the first possible Covid case was reported in South Brunswick. The first notification didn’t come from a doctor, hospital, or public health official, but from our partnership with our schools. Our school district became one of the first in central New Jersey to go completely virtual. Our initial planning and coordination led to quick isolation of community and school cases. In the following days, the entire State would be shut down and life would change.

Our community responded to the crisis as they always have by rising to meet the challenges. Each time we reached out and asked for assistance, you responded. Our business community rallied to supply needed gloves, masks, and sanitizing equipment to EMS, police, and fire. Our social services food pantry received hundreds of food items donated and thousands of dollars in contributions. Local groups gathered donations to help with all our efforts. Countless residents and families donated or dropped off meals for officers at headquarters. Officers conducted numerous graduation and birthday celebration drive-bys to help lift spirits.

Throughout the pandemic, it is our emergency services of police, fire, and EMS that have been at the forefront. We declared a State of Emergency at the start of the pandemic and it is the longest declaration in Township history. There were over 4,000 EMS calls, over 600 fire calls, and 74,000 police calls since the start of the pandemic. While we continue to push through as a collective community, the pandemic has taken a heavy toll. In the past 12 months, we have lost 60 community members and 2,160 residents have fallen ill to the virus. The members we lost were from all aspects of our community, and their loss will forever be felt.

Chief Raymond Hayducka said, “We have a long way to go, but we see progress. The fear that consumed so much of last March has been replaced by the hope of today. I want to thank the Mayor and Council for their support throughout this unprecedented year. It is the resources and assistance they provided that has enabled us to get through these difficult days.” He added, “I am proud of the men and women of the South Brunswick Police Department and all those who have pulled together. We will continue to work to address the many issues before us as a result of the pandemic. We have seen time and time again from Hurricane Sandy to the pandemic, it is our neighbors and community that we can count on. We will get through this together.”

We remind everyone while progress is being made it is important to take the necessary precautions of face coverings and social distancing. Township Manager Bernard P. Hvozdovic Jr. said, “We have come too far to let our guard down. We will continue to work with county and state health officials to increase access to vaccines to all our residents.”

South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management will continue to provide weekly updates on the latest information on the pandemic throughout the months ahead.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news