Westfield Is Ready For Limited Indoor Dining: Mayor

WESTFIELD, NJ — In an update to the town on Friday, Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle said she was hopeful that indoor dining would soon be allowed in New Jersey on a limited basis.

In fact, Gov. Phil Murphy announced early Monday morning that it would be allowed in the Garden State starting this coming Friday, in time for Labor Day.

Brindle wrote last Friday, "With the state’s and Westfield’s encouraging covid trends, I think we can safely expand our dining capacity to ensure the sustainability of our restaurants in advance of colder weather."

Murphy said Monday that indoor dining would be allowed Friday with 25 percent occupancy. Here are more of the rules:

• Parties must capped at eight people, and tables must be 6 feet apart.
• Staff must wear masks all times.
• Diners must wear masks when not in their seats.
• Food and beverages can only be consumed while seated.

For a complete list of rules, click here.

And to read about outdoor dining in Westfield, click here.

Two weeks with two new cases

Meanwhile, Brindle, who recently announced that Westfield had gone a week without a new covid case, said on Friday that Westfield reported one new case since Tuesday, bringing the total to 362 since the start of the pandemic.

On Friday, Aug. 14, which was two weeks ago, Brindle had reported that the total was 360.

The total fatalities remain at 43 since the most recent death on June 3.

You can see the mayor's breakdown of coronavirus cases from the entire month of July by clicking here.

In lighter news, Brindle said the rain date for Raiders of The Lost Ark being will be Thursday. There were still tickets available on the website.

Here are some other recent Westfield coronavirus and reopening updates:

SCHOOLS

• Westfield schools reopen on Sept. 8.
• The superintendent sent an updated letter on Friday, linking to a new Q&A about the upcoming "Unusual school year."

HOW TO GET TESTED

Those who want to get tested can choose among these steps:

• If you're a Union City resident, you can make an appointment at the county testing site by calling 908-214-7107.
• To find out more about getting tested in Union County, contact your doctor, visit covid19.nj.gov/testing, or call 211.
• The schedule for the Union County drive-through testing center has changed several times since the pandemic began, so call the number for the most up-to-date information.

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS

• Tickets for the Westfield 300 Summer Movie Series are free but require advance registration here. The rain date for Raiders of The Lost Ark being will be Thursday.
• Read about updated Quimby Street events, rules, and street closings 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.

STATE AND NATIONAL TRENDS

• On Saturday, New Jersey's total death toll climbed to 14,153 after four confirmed deaths were announced since the day before. The state also announced 388 new confirmed positive cases, bringing the total cases since the beginning of the pandemic to 191,611.
• However, this daily death rate has declined since back on April 30, when it reached a peak of 460 residents in 24 hours, or one person every three minutes.
• Many other states' death rates reached records in July (see the daily totals in each state here), and had to pull back on some of their reopenings. New Jersey has asked people to quarantine if returning from 31 states.
• More than 176,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus, and more than 5.6 million have tested positive.
• More than 900 health care workers have died of the virus nationally. Others are simultaneously fighting misinformation 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

• 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 announced plans in May to increase testing at some long term care facilities and to bring in the National Guard to help make changes.
• 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.
• Other states have been dealing with nursing home deaths more recently, including a recent outbreak in a Texas nursing home.

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

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