Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis has declared a citywide state of emergency shortly after the superintendent of schools announced the district will close tomorrow “with an anticipated return date of Monday, March 30” due to coronavirus precautions.
By Corey McDonald/Hudson County View
The city “is taking this action to ensure that we are prepared,” Davis said in a statement, also reiterating that no residents have been identified with the COVID-19 virus to date.
“We are entering a period, hopefully a short period, where all of our daily lives will be changing. The coronavirus is now a pandemic and as a result we must be vigilant,” adding that there is “certainly no need for panic and no need for extreme action.”
Superintendent of Schools John Neisz, meanwhile, said in a letter to parents today that the school district will close until Monday, March 30 – effective tomorrow. All after school activities have been cancelled as well.
“We are taking all precautions necessary,” he wrote. “We think this is the right thing to do — being proactive is the way to go.”
Bayonne’s school district is the first in Hudson County to close indefinitely.
While there have been 29 presumptive cases and one fatality in the state, there has only be one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Hudson County.
The patient, a 32-year-old from West New York, is making a speedy recovery.
Follow Corey McDonald on Twitter @cwmcdonald_
