Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is calling on everyone who participated in the city’s massive George Floyd protest on Friday to get tested for COVID-19.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Friday’s demonstration was a powerful statement in the struggle for racial equality,†Mayor Ravi Bhalla began in a statement.
“At the same time, to keep our community safe, I ask any resident who attended the event to please schedule a COVID-19 test given the practical difficulties of social distancing at the demonstration.â€
On the advice of health experts, the city recommends residents who attended the demonstration to self-isolate whenever possible and avoid any contact with vulnerable populations, including the elderly, until receiving the results of a COVID-19 test.
Friday’s rally, hosted by the group Allies 4 Justice, was generally viewed as a success, with some estimating as many as 10,000 demonstrators present and only one arrest being reported – where one protester punched another in the face.
On Tuesday, Bhalla promoted participation in a virtual prayer vigil over the in-person protest, though he ended up taking part in both events.
Residents can schedule a test with their primary care physician or utilize Riverside Medical’s testing facility which is open to all residents by appointment.
To make an appointment for a COVID-19 test through the city’s partnership with Riverside Medical Group, which is open to all residents, please call the Community Emergency Response Team hotline at 201-420-5621 Monday through Friday, from 9 am until 5 pm.
Asymptomatic residents are still eligible to receive a test.
If a resident does not have health insurance, the City will pay for the cost of a test with Riverside Medical. Riverside and the City have also made testing available to any employee of any Hoboken business in advance of a gradual re-opening.
The results of a COVID-19 test at the Riverside site are provided on the spot within 15 minutes.
Now he tells them. Why didn’t Ravi Bhalla tell people they were at risk due to the pandemic BEFORE he welcomed a protest into Hoboken? Time to quarantine all the Hoboken protestors for 14 days pending testing. Will the Hoboken & State Health Department be taking names?
Enforcement is mandatory.
good work, grandpa! blowing your dog whistle so hard to let your team of nurses know you’re ok. you’ll get an extra helping of strained peas after your nap!
Always the nagging hag.
Ok, Karen
Will Ravi quarantine himself also? He was there at the event.
Maybe he will move to Minneapolis where he just tweeted he stands with them AGAINST the police. Ravi wants to ruin Hoboken just to get a National headline
I guess the taxpayers will be paying for many of these tests.
good news, grandpa! old man rallies starting soon. it will be after bed check but you can watch in the mornings on the old man news channel. these will be nice safe rallies, not like the way non-white people do it, right grandpa? ok, bedtime. you had a very exciting day. blow your dog whistle as soon as you wake up so your nurse knows you’re ok.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/08/872588125/trump-to-restart-political-rallies-this-month-despite-coronavirus-pandemic
In another outrageous but not surprising move Ravi the Media Whore has tweeted out to the nation that he supports Minneapolis’s vote to disband their police dept. Hoboken didn’t have a single broken window last week or act of violence from police against citizens in a decade, yet he supports Minneapolis ” bold step” in “reimagining” policing. I wish Ravi would reimagine his spending and find a way to cut his 17 million dollar budget increase/ gap. This personal vendetta he and the last Mayor have against the HPD really needs to stop. Hoboken was safe before they came and will be safer once they all leave. If Ravi gets his way Hoboken will be a inner city blight zone. He should use his midnight flyer co-tweeter Cory Booker’s example and learn that he will need an exit strategy if youspend less time as Mayor than you do on National politics. Too bad for Ravi, he doesn’t have the charisma, saavy, intellect or hollywood friends that Cory Booker has to help him become a Senator. Oprah is not Ravi’s friend. Heck, who is?
hooray, grandpa! you blew your dog whistle so hard. your nurse says you were so excited you got your applesauce all over your pajamas. she’ll bring fresh ones for your time outside.
Ravi wants out so bad he’s now tweeting support of Minneapolis disbanding their police dept.
We know how much Ravi and his sidekicks hate laws so it’s not a surprise. Ravi, you’re no Cory Booker.
good work, grandpa. you wrote all of this on old man square view too! that means you pass the skills test for being able to remember what you said and repeat it. don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense. that’s not part of the test. the nurse will pick you up at noon for outside time. make sure you are dressed.