Hoboken Mayor: Stop Leaving NJ For Florida, 'High-Risk' Places

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla on Thursday urged Hoboken residents to avoid nonessential travel outside of New Jersey to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

A release from the city on Thursday said recent contact tracing from the Hoboken Health Department "indicates that recent travel to certain high-risk regions, both in the United States and to other countries, is contributing to COVID-19 infections in Hoboken." The message cited Florida, Mexico, out-of-state ski resorts, and other spots with high case numbers.

Bhalla asked residents to consider postponing out-of-state vacations, including potential Spring Break trips, and plan for safer alternatives that do not include long-distance travel.

Spring Break in the Hoboken public schools runs the Friday before Easter (which falls on April 4) through the week after.

“While I know a long-distance vacation during spring break can be tempting due to the stresses of the pandemic, unfortunately it is not the time for nonessential trips outside of New Jersey,” said Bhalla, “I encourage residents and families to plan for safer alternatives that take into account the CDC’s advisories and recommendations, to avoid out-of-state travel in the months ahead."

The CDC recommends avoiding all travel to over 160 countries and regions carrying a “very high risk” due to high COVID-19 rates, the city said. The state of New Jersey strongly discourages all nonessential interstate travel.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "You and your travel companions (including children) may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to family, friends, and community during and after travel.”

Here is a link to the CDC map of states with the highest death tolls in the last seven days (click on the states for numbers).

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When to get tested

The Hoboken Health Department recommends that any resident who chooses to travel outside of New Jersey to get tested prior to travel. According to the CDC, residents should quarantine for at least one week upon arrival in Hoboken and get tested for COVID-19 at least three to five days after returning. Those with symptoms should get tested as soon as possible. Residents who received a vaccination should also follow normal quarantine procedures, as recommended by the state of New Jersey.

In addition to out-of-state travel, indoor gatherings and social get-togethers remain the primary source of recent infections in Hoboken, Bhalla said. He and the Hoboken Health Department continue to urge residents to avoid indoor settings, both large and small, beyond household members.

Meanwhile, it was reported this week that an outbreak at a men's low-income housing facility in Hoboken has led to at least 20 confirmed cases and one death. Read more here.

Here is a list of city testing sites. See updates on Nixle.

2,070 hospitalized with virus in NJ

In Hoboken, a city of 53,000, the death toll from the virus is currently 41. See recent statistics here.

While the death toll in New Jersey is declining again, deaths and hospitalizations have not decreased to the level of Sept. 7, when there were two deaths reported statewide in 24 hours.

In fact, on Wednesday, the state reported 57 new confirmed deaths from the virus in 24 hours, and 2,070 people battling the virus in hospitals.

New Jersey has confirmed 55 cases in New Jersey of the U.K. variant of the virus.

In Florida, 3,957 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Thursday, according to that state.

Vaccine information

Presently, the state's sites are vaccinating people in the 1a and 1b groups, including certain essential workers, people over 65, and those age 16-65 with chronic medical conditions. Find out if you qualify by clicking this link.

People can register for an appointment on the state's hub for any of the state's six megasites, besides checking the other websites listed below.

Here is a link to Hudson County sites. The city of Hoboken also has some locations, linked in the beginning of this story.

Some in New Jersey have been helped by social media groups, like New Jersey Covid Vaccine Info on Facebook, which has 67,000 members.

Two vaccines are presently offered, and more are on the way:

• Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, including the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, are a new type of vaccine that doesn't include the weakened virus, but teaches human cells to make a protein that triggers the immune response (read more about that here).
• The FDA may announce by Friday whether it will recommend a new one-shot vaccine developed Johnson & Johnson, which could be available in late March and uses more traditional technology. Read more about how it compares to the other vaccines by clicking here and here. Having the majority of the public vaccinated, no matter which vaccine, will also lessen the spread.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: dial 211
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: 800-222-1222

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