Belleville Sees First Coronavirus Death, 16 Other Confirmed Cases

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville has seen its first death related to the new coronavirus, authorities reported Monday night.

Belleville township officials expressed sympathy and offered condolences to the person’s family. The person’s identity isn’t being released, authorities said.

There are 16 confirmed cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in Belleville, with test results pending for four other residents, officials said.

As of Monday, New Jersey had a total of 2,844 cases and 27 deaths from COVID-19. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said that officials are “sharing all we are allowed to share.” He offered a video statement about the fatality on Monday. (Watch it here)

Melham urged all residents to shelter in place, avoid social gatherings, and “go beyond” Gov. Phil Murphy’s recent executive order to stay at home and help slow the spread of the virus.

“The faster we all shelter in place, the faster all of this will be over,” Melham said. “If you are ‘out and about,’ you are not only putting yourself and your family at risk, but our highly valued first responders.”

• See related article: Cops Aren't Immune From Coronavirus, Fairfield Police Chief Says

For all confirmed cases, the Belleville Health Department performs “Contact Tracing Interviews,” and is in contact with anyone who may have interacted with an individual testing positive for coronavirus. All participating in these interviews are asked to be self-quarantined, officials said.

A local state of emergency was declared in the township last week.

• See related article: Belleville Declares State Of Emergency (Coronavirus Update)

There have been other recent deaths linked to COVID-19 in Essex County.

On Monday, cable industry magazine Cablefax said that a Comcast employee in Fairfield has passed away after being diagnosed with coronavirus last week.

• See related article: Comcast Employee In Essex County Dies Of Coronavirus

Earlier this month, two people in Montclair died from the illness: a township resident and a resident of a long-term care facility. Both were inpatients at Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside hospital and had multiple chronic conditions, authorities said.

• See related article: 2 In Montclair Die Because Of Coronavirus

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