The Hoboken Office of Emergency Management has declared a state of emergency as the city ramps up their coronavirus precautions.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
All non-essential city-run events and meetings have been canceled until further notice, effective March 13, 2020, Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
This includes all the closure of all recreation fields and facilities, the cancellation of all volunteer board meetings – such as zoning and planning – as well public meetings set for next week to discuss the future of the the Neumann Leathers and NJ Transit Records buildings.
In consultation with the City Council President Jen Giattino, we are exploring alternative options to host the City Council meeting scheduled for next week.
The Jersey City Council still met last night, hours before Mayor Steven Fulop issued a curfew on venues with liquor licenses.
The Office of Emergency Management has authorized the construction of a medical tent on 4th Street outside of the Hoboken University Medical Center to help manage the anticipated surge of patients given COVID-19.
As recommended by the Hoboken Health Department, if you are a resident of Hoboken and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, you should contact your healthcare provider first instead of going to the emergency room.
To that end, CarePoint Health is urging all residents to observe this protocol to keep the emergency room available for those needing critical emergency care.
“I am strongly discouraging any larger discretionary gatherings within the City of Hoboken. If you are planning on holding an event, please consider rescheduling it to a later date, to help protect the safety of our residents,” Bhalla added.
If you are planning on coming to Hoboken City Hall for any service, please be sure to call ahead to book an appointment, and speak to City staff over the phone instead if possible.
Many municipal functions, especially in our Hoboken Parking Utility, can be completed online at http://www.hobokennj.gov, as opposed to requiring an in person visit.
If you are having a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1. You may also contact the Hoboken Health Department at 201-420-2000 ext. 5211 if you believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Additionally, at 5:24 p.m., Hoboken OEM announced that both the public schools and charter schools (Elysian, HoLa, and Hoboken Charter) will close for two weeks beginning on Monday, March 16th.
Free and reduced lunch will still be provided for students from any district who qualify for it by the public schools.
Meal service will be available for pick up from 8:30-10:30am and can be picked up from the 9th Street side door (between Clinton and Grand Streets) of the Hoboken High School cafeteria.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information about school closures.
