Somerset County’s Weekly COVID Cases Up 4 Percent: Town Updates

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — The coronavirus continues to take a grim toll on Somerset County, impacting local businesses and schools in the region, according to updated state data (see town-by-town totals below).

Somerset County reported 17,416 cases on Saturday, an increase of 617 and 4 percent over the previous week.

The rise is reflected in the state Department of Health's most recent "COVID-19 Activity Level Report," which is issued weekly. The most recent report, released Thursday, says Somerset County is now in the "orange zone" for coronavirus cases, dropping from the "red" zone from the previous week.

The "red zone" means the daily new COVID-19 virus case rate, per 100,000 people, is "very high" currently in 14 counties. That means they exceed 25 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day average. The "orange" zone means they have a rate of 10 to 25 cases per 100,000 people.

The latest reports say the overall coronavirus activity level is either "moderate," or "yellow," or "high," or "orange," in all New Jersey counties.

If the overall activity is at a "high" level, state officials said, school districts in those counties may have to take more serious steps — such as quarantining or even shutting down schools — if a child shows the symptoms of COVID-19.

"When it is high risk, there are some recommendations that we make together with local school boards," said Edward Lifshitz, medical director for the state Department of Health.

Indeed, a number of school districts have shifted to remote instruction as the numbers have risen.

The overall coronavirus risk rose to "high" in each of the counties because:

• The new daily case rate in each of the counties rose to 10 or more per 100,000 people.
• The percent of COVID-19-like illnesses rose above 5.52 in each of the counties.
• The percent of positive cases rose above 10.01.

Somerset County officials provided the following breakdown of cases by town:

Bedminster Township

• Cases Reported: 289
• Fatalities Reported: 5

Bernards Township

• Cases Reported: 1,080
• Fatalities Reported: 46

Bernardsville Borough

• Cases Reported: 410
• Fatalities Reported: 3

Bound Brook Borough

• Cases Reported: 928
• Fatalities Reported: 20

Branchburg Township

• Cases Reported: 581
• Fatalities Reported: 8

Bridgewater Township

• Cases Reported: 1,901
• Fatalities Reported: 99

Far Hills Borough

• Cases Reported: 25
• Fatalities Reported: 1

Franklin Township

• Cases Reported: 4,294
• Fatalities Reported: 199

Green Brook Township

• Cases Reported: 372
• Fatalities Reported: 35

Hillsborough Twp & Millstone Boro

• Cases Reported: 1,648
• Fatalities Reported: 88

Manville Borough

• Cases Reported: 696
• Fatalities Reported: 18

Montgomery Township

• Cases Reported: 692
• Fatalities Reported: 19

North Plainfield Borough

• Cases Reported: 1,345
• Fatalities Reported: 49

Peapack-Gladstone Borough

• Cases Reported: 166
• Fatalities Reported: 4

Raritan Borough

• Cases Reported: 456
• Fatalities Reported: 22

Rocky Hill Borough

• Cases Reported: 20
• Fatalities Reported: 1

Somerville Borough

• Cases Reported: 727
• Fatalities Reported: 13

South Bound Brook Borough

• Cases Reported: 321
• Fatalities Reported: 4

Warren Township

• Cases Reported: 655
• Fatalities Reported: 19

Watchung Borough

• Cases Reported: 293
• Fatalities Reported: 15

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