Westfield Mayor Issues Breakdown of New Coronavirus Cases

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle gave a breakdown of some of the town's new coronavirus cases on Friday, the last day in July, after Westfield had made the news on July 10 for an increase in coronavirus cases among adults aged 18-25 — some linked to local parties.

Brindle said Friday that Westfield had been able to trace several of its recent cases, and that in a "worrisome trend," 27 of the cases were linked to social gatherings, even outdoors.

"Contact tracing efforts by the Board of Health have documented 27 of Westfield's 65 new cases in July were related to social gatherings, both indoors and outdoors, mostly in the young adult population," Brindle wrote. "This is a worrisome trend, and I’d be remiss not to remind everyone that even outdoor events are risky if precautions like face coverings and proper distance are not put in place."

On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy also cited an increase in transmission in the state, particularly linked to recent indoor parties. He then announced a new limit on house parties to 25 people or 25 percent room capacity, whichever is smaller.

He said the transmission rate of 1.48 was now close to the rate seen in early April, a time when the death rate was high.

Brindle said on Friday that seven new cases had been confirmed in Westfield since Tuesday, including six of the seven on that Friday, bringing the total among residents since the start of the pandemic to 347.

The death toll in Westfield stands at 43. Brindle had reported at the July 14 council meeting: "I am saddened to report an additional fatality, an 82 year-old male associated with a long term care facility. This death occurred back in May, but was only now reported to us due to an error in the lab’s system." Before that, the last reported death, which had brought the toll to 42, was six weeks earlier on June 3.

In July, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Perischilli said that the state was becoming more concerned about young people getting coronavirus and spreading it to others, and cited Westfield. "I want to especially emphasize to our young people that they are not invincible or immune to COVID-19," Perischilli said.

As of Monday, the number of cases in New Jersey climbed to 13,971, with 10 new deaths announced since the previous briefing. Gov. Murphy Warns That NJ's Coronavirus Cases Are Rising Again

But the death rate has declined since the peak of the virus in New Jersey, on April 30, when 460 people were recorded as passing away in 24 hours, or one person every three minutes. Average deaths reported each day have declined since then, generally hovering between 25 and 45 in July.

On the other hand, coronavirus deaths were hitting records in July in many states that reopened earlier than New Jersey (see the daily increases in each state here). States around the country have had to pull back on their reopenings, including Texas, which closed bars and which recently saw daily record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

Earlier this month, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered residents to wear masks. He also has asked for residents to quarantine after coming from 34 states that are seeing spikes.

Here are some Westfield coronavirus updates related to various topics:

SCHOOLS

• On Monday, Westfield's superintendent released the fall school reopening plan, a hybrid plan in which students attend two to three days a week, supplementing with remote learning. Read more here. As in all New Jersey districts, students can also attend remotely full-time.
• The Westfield schools are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
• Gov. Phil Murphy's administration released its broad school reopening guidelines to the districts late last month.
• While most children in the United States have avoided severe symptoms from the virus, they can transmit it to teachers, parents, and others. A large-scale study in South Korea, quoted widely in American media outlets from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal, suggested that teens spread the virus at the same rate as adults, and more easily than younger children. The CDC also confirmed a large outbreak at a camp in Georgia in a press conference Friday.
• Some local teachers' unions, including in Millburn and the state teachers' union, have said they believe learning should stay remote for now. But working parents, parents of special needs children, and others have argued that they need aspects of on-site learning.
• One New Jersey district, Old Bridge, offered in-person learning only four hours per week and the rest remote, or all remote. Other districts, like Hoboken, have offered a choice of either full-day instruction in person or full-day remote. Nearby, in the currently proposed plan in Cranford, elementary students will go to school every weekday, with single-session days and no lunch. Middle school students will attend every other day, and high school students will go two to three days per week, alternating. Remote learning sessions will fill in the gaps.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Read about updated Quimby Street events, rules, and street closings here.
• Read about outdoor dining in Westfield here. Outdoor dining was allowed statewide starting June 15, with precautions.
• Read about Westfield's weekly outdoor movies here.

TESTING

• If you're a Union City resident, you can make an appointment at the testing site by calling 908-214-7107.
• To find out 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.

LOCAL BUSINESS/JOBS

• Outdoor dining reopened across the state on June 15, with precautions. Read about Westfield outdoor dining here.
• Hair salons and other personal care businesses were able to reopen June 22. State rules can be found here.
• Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.
• Turtleback Zoo has job opportunities in guest relations, paddle boats, Treetop Adventure, parking and maintenance, must be 18 years of age. Please visit the link for a list of available jobs and how to apply: https://buff.ly/2QWodaV

HOSPITALS/NURSING HOMES

• New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities.
• There is now a state website with numbers for people at individual nursing homes.
• You can report immediate issues with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct that should be reported to the Attorney General, here.
• Some long-term care facilities have begun allowing socially distanced visits.
• Local hospitals updated their visitor guidelines recently. Read more here.

GIVING AND GETTING HELP

• To find out about help for the needy and seniors, or get food or food bank information, visit your town's website.
• To read about Feed the Front Lines, click here.

Here are additional 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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