Westfield Looks To Reopen Tennis Courts, Parking Lots

WESTFIELD, NJ — A month ago, Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle apologized to residents for being the "Unfun Captain" when she closed local parks and tennis courts to slow the spread of coronavirus. But Tuesday night, she had some good news for those who want more venues for exercise.

During her opening remarks at Tuesday's Town Council meeting, Brindle said that the township will soon move to phase two of reopening parks. While the state continues to see new coronavirus cases and deaths, the governor has advised that parks can open with social distancing guidelines in place.

"As our data continues to drive our decisions, we are looking at the next phase of our parks being opened, which will entail opening the tennis courts for limited play in accordance with current USTA guidelines," Brindle said Tuesday. "We are aiming to have protocols finalized for the full council to review by tomorrow [Wednesday], in anticipation of opening by this weekend along with the parks' parking lots."

She added, "We are striving to ensure safety and adherence to social distancing, with details coming later in the week."

Brindle had closed local parks in early April, around the time Gov. Phil Murphy closed state parks.

Most Westfield parks reopened a month later, on the weekend of May 2, but some facilities remained closed, including certain parking lots and athletic fields.

The reopening of the tennis courts will likely allow Brindle to go easier on herself, as in an April 1 nightly update, Brindle noted, "I’m so sorry to be the unfun captain. I realize that many of these decisions are unpopular and believe me, it really stinks. As an avid tennis player, I’m still mad about my decision to close the courts."

At the time, she said, "but our small sacrifices are nothing compared to the daily stories I hear from the many doctors and nurses that live in our community who are putting their own health at risk. We can do this."

New Jersey continues to see high rates of coronavirus cases and deaths. On Tuesday, Murphy said the state had confirmed 898 new cases of the virus, and 198 more people had died since the day before. The state death toll is now 9,508.

Still, the rate is lower than Thursday, April 30, when the state reached an all-time high death rate. That day, Murphy had said that 460 New Jerseyans had been lost to the virus in 24 hours, or one person every three minutes. The daily fatality rate has slowly come down since then.

Officials are reopening facilities in the state cautiously so as not to cause another spike in cases.

The governor said Tuesday that in order to start reopening, the state is planning to trace people who've had contact with patients, and institute other measures. READ MORE.

On Tuesday, Mayor Brindle said that there have been 253 positive cases of the virus in town, 15 percent of which are associated with long-term care facilities. Thirty-five Westfield residents have passed away due to the virus.

Brindle said that at Overlook Hospital in Summit, doctors are currently treating 77 patients for the virus, down from a peak of 311 just over a month ago on April 10.

Gov. Phil Murphy decided to reopen state and county parks during the last week in April, with social distancing measures in place.

Some other local coronavirus updates:

TESTING

• The Union County Covid-19 Drive Thru test center has new hours. The center is available to Union County residents who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. First responders and front-line health workers who are experiencing symptoms can also contact the center, regardless of their place of residence. Testing is free.
• To find out more about testing in Union County, click here.

SCHOOLS

• Over the weekend, Murphy clamped down on in-public graduation ceremonies, saying they need to be held virtually. On Monday, he clarified and said that "wave parades" and other graduation and birthday celebrations are OK if they respect social distancing.
• Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy said New Jersey schools will be closed for the rest of the year. After discussing with the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governor said that spring sports will not resume for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
• However, you can view a tribute to Westfield spring athletes here.

NURSING HOMES

• The state has begun releasing death toll statistics for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.
• Read more about Westfield and nursing home statistics here.
• New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities, and have charged that the facilities are undercounting the numbers and not adequately protecting residents and staff. The state has faced questions for weeks from the press about how they will address the problems. They announced plans last week to increase testing at some long term care facilities and to bring in the National Guard to help make changes.
• You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

• Ice cream trucks in Westfield can run, with social distancing measures in place.
• Here's what you need to know about applying for unemployment and other benefits during coronavirus. MORE.
• Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

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