Secaucus Shuts Down Schools For One Week; Rec Programs Canceled

SECAUCUS, NJ — Secaucus public schools will be closed for one week, starting Monday, March 16 and lasting through Friday, March 20.

The news was announced Friday afternoon by Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli. And that's not all: All recreation sports and rec programs in town are canceled for the next week, as well.

The town gym will be closed, effective Friday. The Teen Center and the Tot Center are closed also, said Gonnelli. The tot and teen centers closed effective Friday.

The town library will, however, remain open. Private businesses in Secaucus will remain open.

The decision to close schools and town programs was made by Secaucus Superintendent Jennifer Montesano and Gonnelli, who met Friday morning with officials from Hudson County and decided on the shutdown.

"The schools will be closed for one week. On Thursday of next week, we will meet again and decide if we need to close for a second week," said Gonnelli.

The number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey has now nearly doubled, from 29 to 50 by Friday afternoon. As health experts have predicted, coronavirus is spreading quickly: Those 50 are confirmed, but an additional 80 cases are under investigation, said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli Friday afternoon. The volume of activity is "so high," she said, so she didn't provide more specific information.

Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday that a statewide school shutdown is "inevitable," but nothing official is in place. There has been one coronavirus death so far, a Little Ferry man in his late 60s. He died while under care at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack on Tuesday of this week. There are confirmed cases in towns surrounding Secaucus: Clifton, West New York, Hoboken and Jersey City.

Patch asked both Gonnelli and the state Dept. of Health: There are no confirmed cases in Secaucus as of Friday afternoon, said Gonnelli and officials from the New Jersey Dept. of Health.

Secaucus public school students are prepared to do online learning. All Secaucus students in third through twelfth grade have been provided with small computer-like devices that enables them to see and interact with their teacher, said Gonnelli.

"They will have class like normal from 9-2 every day," he said. "If we stop one case, we did well."