Rise In COVID-19 At Belleville High School; Town Meeting Canceled

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A rise in coronavirus cases at Belleville High School has forced a cancellation of the next town council meeting, officials reported Monday.

According to a news release from Belleville Township, the high school has seen a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. It has been closed and will reopen Monday, Nov. 16.

School No. 7 has also been closed, town officials said.

Tuesday’s meeting of the Belleville Municipal Council was slated to take place at the high school at 6 p.m., but has since been canceled.

Town officials stated:

“The closing of the school does not leave the township with enough time to properly publish a change in venue notice in accordance with the Open Public Meeting Act or to move it to a virtual meeting. There is also not enough time to legally notice a rescheduled notice before the next regularly scheduled meeting.”

The next regular meeting of the Municipal Council has been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m.

Belleville officials added:

“Due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, as well Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced enhanced restrictions, Belleville Health Officer Vincent Defilippo is recommending that all meetings going forward should be held via virtual technology for the health and safety of all residents and meeting participants.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.