Indoor COVID Mask Mandate Returns In West Orange Town Buildings

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange is bringing back its indoor mask mandate in township-owned buildings as cases of the coronavirus rise throughout Essex County, officials announced Monday evening.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently put Essex County back in “high” status on its COVID-19 Community Level dashboard (see local data below).

Essex County was previously in “medium” status, which doesn’t come with a masking recommendation. The CDC moved it to “high” on July 14 as part of its weekly update.

According to the CDC, its COVID-19 Community Levels are determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days. Learn more here.

Here’s what the CDC recommends when a county is in “high” status:

• Wear a mask indoors in public
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness

The CDC’s new rating has trickled down to West Orange, where officials are taking “precautionary” measures, a township spokesperson said.

As of Monday, July 19, here’s what West Orange residents need to know:

“West Orange township officials are acting proactively based on CDC recommendations and requiring the public and township employees to mask indoors upon entering municipal-owned buildings. There are no exceptions, and the public will be politely advised they cannot be serviced unless they remained masked. Properly worn masks must be used by all visitors and employees conducting business inside West Orange township buildings, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be provided at all building entrances if needed. Senior bus and commuter jitney drivers/passengers will also be required to wear a mask while aboard buses.”

Members of the public at high risk should consider wearing a mask or respirator that provides greater protection such as a N95 or KN95 for added protection, officials said.

A return to indoor masking isn’t the only step that West Orange will be taking at its township buildings. Other temporary measures include:

• The public will also be required to momentarily stand for a non-contact self-temperature check upon entering buildings.
• The West Orange Department of Public Works will also resume daily disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces in the common areas of township buildings.
• The public is encouraged to limit visits to municipal buildings and conduct as much town-related business online as possible. Placing phone calls to specific departments beforehand is recommended to help limit unnecessary trips. Call (973) 325-4100 to be transferred to any department for questions.

“Township officials are once again grateful for the public’s patience and anticipated cooperation during the elevated risk status and are hopeful for a speedy return to a masking optional policy,” a municipal spokesperson said, adding that West Orange “has always been consistent in not deviating from CDC recommendations and remains committed to best safe practices as a priority for both employees and the public.”

LOCAL STATS: ESSEX COUNTY, WEST ORANGE

According to the CDC, here are the metrics – updated Thursday – which led to the “high” status in Essex County:

• Case Rate per 100,000 population - 318.16
• New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population - 10.1
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 - 4.2%

The latest CDC statistics show that about 91.5 percent of the total population of Essex County have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. About 73.8 percent of the county is “fully vaccinated.”

Essex County has been releasing daily COVID-19 case and death counts for each township since the spring of 2020, including West Orange. County officials have noted that their numbers may not match municipal or state totals, and that cases are sometimes reassigned to a different location after an investigation. Essex County officials have also noted that ongoing data cleaning has taken place in their reporting system to "remove duplicate cases or errors," which may lower case/death totals.

There are 48,843 people living in West Orange, the latest U.S. Census shows.

Here are the county’s latest cumulative totals for West Orange, which date back to April 2020, and do not differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated people:

• July 18 – 14,633 cases, 265 deaths
• July 11 – 14,497 cases, 265 deaths
• July 4 – 14,342 cases, 264 deaths
• June 27 – 14,223 cases, 264 deaths
• June 20 – 14,105 cases, 264 deaths
• June 13 – 14,003 cases, 264 deaths
• June 6 – 13,879 cases, 265 deaths
• May 30 – 13,729 cases, 265 deaths
• May 23 – 13,491 cases, 263 deaths
• May 16 – 13,277 cases, 263 deaths
• May 9 – 13,087 cases, 263 deaths
• May 2 – 12,917 cases, 263 deaths

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