Indoor Mask Mandate In South Brunswick, Schools Go Virtual

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — As COVID-19 cases in the Township spike, South Brunswick has issued an indoor mask mandate effective Friday, Dec. 31, the Township announced Friday evening. The South Brunswick school district will be operating remotely for the next two weeks, beginning Jan. 3 to Jan. 14.

Over the past 24 hours, health officials have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases across the Township. From Dec. 20 to Dec. 30 saw a dramatic increase in cases, by nearly 400 percent, health officials said. The mandate will be in effect until January 31st at 11:59 p.m.

Mayor Charlie Carley has signed the executive order requiring masks to be worn indoors to mitigate and combat the spread of COVID-19, effective New Year’s Eve.

Masks will be required in all areas of South Brunswick public indoor accommodations including, not limited to:

• Government Facilities
• Restaurants
• Bars
• Gymnasiums
• Dance Studios
• Recreation Facilities
• Retail Stores
• Cafes
• Supermarkets
• Places of Worship
• Commercial Establishments
• Salons
• Barbershops
• Banks
• Health Care Facilities
• Hotels

Residents, visitors, and patrons of the above public facilities must wear a face mask at all times except:

• When actively eating or drinking
• When socially distanced at least 6 feet apart from all others for an extended period of time, such as in an office setting when seated at desks, when performing for an audience or when conducting worship services.

Children under the age of three are exempt from the above requirements.
We believe there is already wide compliance with this safety guideline throughout the Township.

Schools Go Remote:

On the evening of Friday, Dec. 31, school Superintendent Scott Feder told parents and guardians that the district was going remote for two weeks, "due to an exponential growth in community spread of COVID-19 along with an anticipated staff shortage due to COVID exclusions."

Feder said the decision was made after consulting the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and local and district physicians.

"A decision of this magnitude did not come easily and has been a collaboration between the
district, the Health Department, County Executive Office, the DOE and local health officials," Feder said.
"Community spread has increased by 400% in the last 10-days and our staffing challenges
continue to grow as more and more people are quarantined for exposure or positive tests. In no
way, was this what we wanted to see happen, but as we have maintained since March 11, 2020,
safety of our students, staff and community will always be the priority."

During the week of Jan. 10, Feder said he would reach out the community to confirm schedules.

Many school districts across the state have gone virtual as COVID-19 cases spike.

New Jersey reported another record-breaking day on Thursday, Dec. 30 with 27,975 positive cases and 34 deaths in a single day.

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