Westfield Mayor Disappointed In School Parade Amid Coronavirus

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle said Tuesday night that while she appreciated the intention behind an elementary school parade held Monday, she would have discouraged it, had she known.

She also announced the death of a third Westfield resident from the virus, a 62-year-old man. She did not offer further details.

The Washington School parade was held with cars only, and residents waved from porches, but the mayor said that such events are risky.

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She said in a nightly email briefing on Tuesday, "While many good hearted neighbors are organizing birthday/celebratory drive bys for their now-distant friends, these events may still attract bystanders in close proximity on foot or on bikes, which is in violation of Governor Murphy’s stay at home order. I recognize the importance of these gestures to raise spirits and stay connected; however, all participants should stay in their cars, or on their own property with family members only!"

She added, "Such was the case with the Washington School parade yesterday, about which I received several comments from residents who were concerned about the lack of social distance compliance, in spite of best efforts by most families to maintain appropriate distancing. While I can appreciate the good intentions of the organizers to bring a smile to the faces of these now remote students, I certainly would have discouraged the parade if asked, so as not to encourage families to congregate along the route."

The elementary school's principal had told TAPinto on Monday, "We’re calling it the ‘We miss you and everything is going to be OK parade.' We wanted to do something different, fun and happy and be able to say 'hello' to the kids and have the kids be able to see us.”

Several residents said in Westfield Facebook groups that they appreciated the gesture, and that the parade was mostly teachers waving from their cars as families stood on porches. But others complained that they saw people too close together.

In the same email, Brindle said that every day, she's "inundated" with photos of people not respecting social distancing. "Many of these emails are from doctors or their spouses who are trying to reconcile their traumatic COVID hospital experiences with what they are witnessing in their neighborhoods," she said.

She said that as a result, starting Friday at 5 p.m., she will close basketball courts, parking lots at parks, school parking lots, and the tennis courts at Memorial Park, Tamaques Park, and Elm Street fields.

She said she is worried that teens will congregate there over Spring Break.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday there were 69 more deaths in the Garden State from coronavirus from the previous day, bringing the total deaths from the disease to 267, including eight in a Wanaque nursing home.

More than 18,000 are confirmed to have it, and more are waiting for test results, which often take several days.

Experts say that the novel coronavirus, because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Residents who have questions about coronavirus can call 211 or contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222.

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