Health & Fitness
COVID Surges In Wayne: 3 Ways It's Impacted Town
Recent local COVID impacts include more testing, requests for virtual schooling and some facilities going appointment-only.
WAYNE, NJ — It might not be the same as March 2020. But the recent surge in coronavirus cases has impacted certain things around Wayne.
Passaic County has seen 361.2 infections per day in the past week, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. At this time a month ago, the county averaged 78 new cases per day.
Here are three ways the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases has impacted Wayne:
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1. Some parents want children to go remote
There are certainly many families around Wayne and New Jersey that want to keep school in-person. But Wayne teachers and administrators have received situations where parents shared that their children are "going virtual" because of COVID concerns, Superintendent Dr. Mark Toback shared Tuesday.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Toback reiterated that the district allows limited remote instruction in cases of quarantine, but the ability to opt for virtual education at any time no longer exists.
Meanwhile, several New Jersey school districts have announced plans to temporarily switch to virtual learning. That includes Paterson Public Schools, which will go virtual after winter break until Jan. 18.
2. Wayne Animal Shelter goes 'appointment-only'
The Wayne Animal Shelter returned to appointment-only adoptions due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases.
"It upsets us having to do this, because it was amazing seeing all of you in person again!" the shelter said on its Facebook page. "Please remember we make these decisions so that we can keep our staff and all of our potential adopters safe."
3. More testing options are available
Demands for tests have risen throughout the state. But the Passaic County Board of Commissioners opened up more testing options locally.
Tests will take place at the Passaic County Community College's Wanaque Campus (500 Union Ave., Wanaque) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and Dec. 29 and 30.
See more info below:
See more recent COVID-19 coverage around Wayne:
- COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them Around Wayne
- 80K In Passaic Co. Have COVID Booster: 3 Takeaways From The Data
- Wayne Township Makes Push To Get More Boosted Against COVID
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