Vaccination Appointments Rescheduled, Camden County Offices Close

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — All appointments that were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday and Camden County’s COVID-19 vaccination center have been postponed due to inclement weather, county officials announced. They were rescheduled for Wednesday.

Patients will not have to reschedule their appointments manually, according to officials. All appointments scheduled for Monday and Tuesday will show as “cancelled” in the patient’s MyChart account, and a new appointment during the same time slot will appear for Wednesday, officials said.

Anyone who is unable to go to the site on Wednesday should contact the vaccination center to reschedule their appointment.

“The Camden County Department of Health, Jefferson Health New Jersey, and Cooper University Health Care, are prepared to accommodate any increase in patients later in the week without adjusting additional appointments,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said.

Anyone whose appointments may be impacted by the rescheduling can call the county’s hotline at 856-549-0530 for more information.

The vaccination center is among a number of county functions that were impacted by the storm. The Camden County Technical Schools, Camden County College, the Camden County Library System, and additional county agencies were also closed.

“This winter storm is forecasted to continuing delivering snow to our region throughout Monday,” Cappelli said. “In the interest of public safety and the safety of county personnel, the listed agencies and offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 1.”

Online resources will remain available throughout the day on Monday. For more information regarding closures, storm preparations, and county services, visit camdencounty.com.

More than 100 pieces of equipment and 100 employees have been deployed from the Public Works complex in Lindenwold to Camden County’s 12 winter maintenance districts, according to officials. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

In response to the storm, the Camden County Office of Emergency Management has opened the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Lindenwold. Throughout the duration of the storm, staff will monitor its developments, and they and standing by to help residents.

“Any significant snow event brings with it the risk of downed trees, branches, and power lines. Please report any outages you experience to your utility company,” Commissioner Jonathan Young, liaison to the Camden County Office of Emergency Management, said. “We strongly recommend that everyone to stay off of the roads as county personnel work to keep them clear.”

A Code Blue is in effect through 10 a.m. Thursday. When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.

The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans. Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather.

Anyone seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality or call the new after-hours Code Blue Emergency Hotline phone number: 2-1-1.

Any storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines, so residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:

1. PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
2. PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
3. Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476
4. Atlantic City Electric website: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
5. South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
6. South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

As always, residents should use 911 for emergencies only. Anyone who sees a problem on a county road should call the county's 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to DPW.

“Besides snow removal the team at DPW is also prepared to clear any trees that may fall during this winter weather event,” Dyer said. “All chainsaws and chippers have been prepared for use and stand at the ready to ensure county roads stay clear.”

Gov. Phil Murphy called for people to get off the roads because it's "dangerous," and he said roads should be clear, so crews can make sure essential vehicles get through.That would include the vehicles transporting the coronavirus vaccine.

"This is a big one," Murphy said during his Monday news conference. "If you don't need to be out, don't go out."

Murphy said the early afternoon will be the "teeth" of the storm and the state Department of Transportation has 3,900 pieces of equipment deployed to deal with the storm. Murphy also said the storm will likely last until Tuesday night.

See related: Winter Storm Causing Traffic Issues In South Jersey Monday

A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through 10 a.m. Tuesday, as an additional 3 to 7 inches of snow and ice accumulation are expected over that time. Read more here: Here's How Much Snow Camden County Saw On Sunday

The following is the forecast for the next several days, according to the National Weather Service:

Monday

Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 33. Breezy, with a north wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Monday night

Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 30. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Tuesday

Snow likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 35. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tuesday night

A chance of snow showers before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 27. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 23.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 39.

Thursday night

A chance of snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday

A chance of snow showers before 8am, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 8am and 9am, then a chance of rain showers after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30.