Community Corner
Maplewood Township: Mayor McGehee Weekend Update
I want to thank our community for their continued efforts to fight against COVID-19.
Posted on: March 26, 2021
Good Afternoon Maplewood
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I want to thank our community for their continued efforts to fight against COVID-19. We're getting close to the other side of this pandemic but we all must continue to do our part and be vigilant, to get vaccinated as appointments become available and get tested often. Yesterday we reached our 1,300th confirmed case.
The next couple of weeks will be critical to the health of our community as this afternoon starts our school district’s scheduled spring break which means many people will be going away and returning to our community from all over our country and the world. While away please do everything in your power to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands frequently.
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
To assist with your return to the community, we will commence testing opportunities the week of April 5th. See below.
COVID-19 update
Confirmed Cases Update
Maplewood cumulative numbers through 3/25:
Total Cases: 1,300
Total Deaths: 33
March new cases: 196 (ages: 10 months-75 with 39% of new cases being minors.)
Avg Daily Total: 7.8
Total recovered cases: 532
State aggregate data and resources:
Total Cases: 777,521
Total Deaths: 21,795
If you receive a positive test result and have not heard from the Maplewood Public Health Division, please contact us at (973) 762-8120 so that we can advise you on isolation, quarantine and contact tracing.
Resources
Updated COVID Communication Document: https://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif3396/f/uploads/covid...
COVID-19 Coronavirus Resource Portal: https://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/covid19.
New Jersey COVID-19 Statistics: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml
Click “daily case summary updates” under Epi Data Summaries in the lower right corner.
Quarantine Timeframes guidance: https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/topics/covid2019_professionals.shtml
Keep getting Tested!
This morning I read in the New York Times that COVID-19 testing is on the decline. Unless you’ve been fully vaccinated please continue to get tested on a frequent basis. We encourage residents to get tested with or without symptoms every 15 days.
Below are a handful of opportunities to get tested. In addition, businesses like CVS are also conducting testing as well.
Essex County testing - Up to 800 Tests will be administered
Tuesday, March 30th, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Essex County Hall of Records Complex, Employee Parking Deck, 50 West Market Street, Newark
Saturday, April 3rd , 8 a.m. to 12 noon, Essex County Department of Public Works, 99 West Bradford Avenue, Cedar Grove
Residents age 8 and older are welcome
Free of charge to Essex County residents / No insurance is required.
Maplewood testing
Starting April 5 until April 30, we will be offering Covid and Antibody Testing at Yale Corner on Springfield Ave. from 9AM to 4PM, Monday - Friday.
PCR (both Nasal and Saliva) as well as ANTIBODY testing will be offered
Please register at NJCOVIDTEAM.COM and be sure to bring ID, Insurance card or Social Security Card if Uninsured.
Please continue to wear your mask
Wearing a mask is not only courteous to your fellow neighbors and citizens, but can be life saving, as it protects them from whatever you may have been exposed to even if you are asymptomatic.
Vaccination opportunities
As of March 20, 171,540 shots have been offered by the county and 62,221 people are now fully vaccinated. Vaccine opportunities are currently available at multiple locations. Please find below a list of sites:
https://stopandshop.com/covid-vaccine
Sign up today!
Stop Anti-Asian Hate
Tonight please join us at the Memorial Park duck pond at 6:30 PM as leaders and residents from our community of Maplewood and South Orange gather for a candlelight vigil to remember the lives that were tragically lost last week in Atlanta and two start our narrative to stop anti Asian hate.
Schools
President Sheena Collum of South orange and I continue to work with SOMEA leadership as well as our South Orange-Maplewood School District on our common goal to return our children and teachers safely to the classroom. In the last two weeks we have secured vaccination opportunities for our teachers (2,225 slots last week and another 1,600 appointments for next week). We have secured testing opportunities for our teachers and we are working closely with both parties to address issues related to our facilities. I am happy to report that progress has been made as 6th and 9th graders as well as K through 2 have returned to the classroom. We continue to work closely with both sides with the shared vision to meet the phased reopening plan. I want to recognize Rocio Lopez for her efforts to work with us to ensure that this gets done. I also want to recognize the principals at MMS, SOMS, Seth Boyden and Columbia High School as well as Dr. Taylor for allowing Sheena and myself to play an active role in resolving this situation for the well being of our students.
Women's History Month
Over 45 virtual concerts, performances, fireside chats, author events, exhibits, classes, fundraisers, drives, and projects focused on empowerment, support, and education of women’s issues have been underway all month. Elected officials from both Maplewood and South Orange as well as organizations and local businesses have collaborated with the effort. To kick off the month of events I stated “.... Women’s History Month has taken on new meaning in 2021. With 55 percent of U.S. jobs lost in 2020 accounted for by women, COVID-19 has not only further exposed the pre-existing gender inequities that continue to exist in our society, the pandemic has deepened them. …...We need women and girls to continue to lead and to thrive at all levels of our society and in our local community so that we do not run the risk of unwinding decades of hard-fought progress for generations to come.” With one week left please check out http://somawomen.org/
Recycle
Please note that all plastics can not be recycled. Please look for either a #1 or #2 on your plastic bottles & containers before placing them in your recycling bin. Other items that CAN be included are paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, catalogs & phone books, aluminum and steel (tin) cans/lids, glass bottles/jars, cardboard, cereal, clean pizza boxes & food cartons. https://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/home/bulletins/maplewood-recycling-guide...
Mayor Frank
This press release was produced by the Maplewood Township. The views expressed are the author's own.