Westfield Issues Guidance For Halloween Amid Coronavirus

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle gave preliminary guidance on Tuesday night regarding celebrating Halloween in town on Oct. 31.

"In response to the many inquiries about Halloween, barring any substantial change in the local COVID trends, we plan to follow the guidance issued yesterday by the New Jersey Department of Health," she wrote in a coronavirus update Tuesday, "which calls for a common sense approach to limiting the size of trick-or-treating groups, safe distribution of treats, maintaining proper distance, and wearing face coverings."

She added, "I know we are all looking forward to reclaiming Halloween normalcy for the kids in town, and I will be conferring with Regional Health Director Megan Avallone and Chief Battiloro in the near future to determine if additional guidance is needed from a public health and safety perspective."

There is, of course, much to do this month in Westfield related to the holiday:

• To read about pumpkin patches around Westfield, click here.
• To see the upcoming Addamsfest activities in Westfield, click here.
• To read about local Halloween contests, click here and here.

Brindle clarified the state guidelines: "The New Jersey Department of Health has issued guidelines for Halloween festivities, with an emphasis on wearing a face mask (costume masks don’t count), limiting trick-or-treat groups, arranging treats in a safe way, avoiding large parties, and practicing hand hygiene. The full guidelines, which address public health precautions in more detail, can be found here."

She also said that as of Tuesday, the health department had reported three new cases of Westfield residents with coronavirus since the last update on Friday (one on Saturday, and two on Monday), bringing the total to 397 since March.

Get news alerts with breaking stories in Westfield when they happen: sign up for free Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.

Brindle had said in her previous update on Friday night that the town had confirmed three new coronavirus cases since the previous update on Tuesday, bringing the total among residents to 394 since the beginning of the pandemic.

The total fatalities in town remain at 43 since the most recent death was announced on June 3.

Here are some other recent Westfield coronavirus and reopening updates:

SCHOOLS

• A school staff member tested positive, the superintendent announced Tuesday. Read more here.
• Westfield High School closed its on-site education for two weeks in September after a number of students were reported to have the virus. Some parents complained that school sports were canceled as well.

HOW TO GET TESTED

• Union County has added mobile walk up test sites in addition to the testing site located at Kean University. Testing is free for Union County residents and is by appointment only with no car required; participants must wear masks and observe social distance. Any Union County resident can make an appointment for a test, whether they have symptoms. To pick a location, date and time, and to make an appointment online, visit ucnj.org/coronavirus-update/walk-up.
• Union County residents who need to make an appointment by phone can call 908-518-4307 for assistance. Non-profit organizations and other community groups can call the Union County Office of Emergency Management at 908-654-9881 to request a visit from the Mobile Test Unit.

• To find out more, you can also contact your doctor, visit covid19.nj.gov/testing, or call 211.

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT/DINING

• See past Westfield Patch stories about Halloween and Addamsfest events.
• Tickets for the Westfield 300 Summer Movie Series are free but require advance registration here.
• Read about updated Quimby Street events, rules, and street closings here.
• Indoor dining is allowed at 25 percent capacity. For a list of rules, click here.
• To read about outdoor dining in Westfield, click here.
• Gov. Murphy recently signed an executive order allowing gyms, health clubs, and indoor amusement facilities to reopen at 25 percent capacity effective Sept. 1. Equipment must be adjusted to allow a minimum of six feet of distance, and must be sanitized between uses. Everyone must wear masks. More details can be found here.

NATIONAL TRENDS

• More than 210,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus, and more than 7 million have tested positive.
• More than 900 health care workers have died of the virus nationally. Others are simultaneously fighting misinformation and hoaxes as they try to fight the virus.

HOW TO GET HELP WITH HEAT, RENT, AND MORE

• During the State of Emergency in New Jersey, no tenant is permitted to be evicted from their home or apartment for the inability to pay rent. Talk to your local mayor's office if you are experiencing difficulties.
• The CARES act has made money available to help with rent in each city. More information is here.
• New Jersey residents can get help with heating and energy bills. Information is here.
• Various other avenues of relief and benefits have also been made available, including family leave for 12 weeks if you can't work due to your child's school or camp being closed, and changes to unemployment rules to help those who were at a job for a short time, or freelancing.

LONG-TERM CARE

• Recently, there were 159 long term care facilities with active outbreaks, the state Department of Health said last month. The state also announced that deaths at the facilities had more than doubled since May 1. The state was criticized because it stopped updating the numbers at facilities without current outbreaks.
• New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities.
• The state released death toll statistics for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.
• You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.
• Some New Jersey long-term care facilities reopened for limited visits, with precautions, in July.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To be the first to get news alerts with breaking stories in Westfield, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.