From Mayor Frank McGehee, July 27:
Dear Community,
Please find below an update on a few key items.
COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATE
The Maplewood Public Health Division cumulative and new numbers for Thursday 7/16 through Sunday 7/25 are as follows:
Total Cases: 331 (+8 new cases, age range 17-92)
Total Deaths: 26
Total recovered cases: 269 (+2)
NJ Statewide confirmed cases: 179,363
NJ Statewide confirmed deaths: 13,867
Essex County confirmed cases: 19,310 (3 highest county in NJ)
Essex County confirmed deaths: 1,856 (highest county in NJ)
State aggregate data resources:
https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml. click under “daily case summary updates.”
https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_dashboard.shtml Click the Demographics tab.
For COVID-19 questions, please call 2-1-1 or our Public Health Division at (973) 762-8120
We are healthier together by staying apart.
Social Distancing Ambassador program
The Maplewood social distancing ambassador program launched this weekend. You will see our ambassadors, teenagers and adults, in our parks, business districts, and throughout the community in key outdoor areas. They will carry supplies, educational materials, and assist everyone with understanding the importance of social distancing and wearing facial coverings. Please give them an “air high 5” and a thank you when you see them!
Facial Coverings
A few have raised the concern about some township employees and facial coverings. The township has enhanced its efforts across all departments to align with the directive from the governor.
The township recognizes that we are all in this together – employees, residents, and visitors alike. Not having a facial covering on your possession at all times and wearing it when proper social distancing is not possible prevents us from returning to normal.
County Covid-19 Report
The Essex county Health division released a report regarding COVID-19 with data through July 22nd. Here is the summary and key takeaways:
As of 7/22, 19,231 residents have confirmed COVID-19 by laboratory test. One-third of the cases remain among those aged 30 to 49 (33.6%) and individuals 18 to 29 comprise 11.3% of cases up from 10.8% in the last statistical summary. Children under 18 comprise 2.1% of cases (n=395). 52% of confirmed cases are female.
A total of 1,831 deaths have been reported among individuals that tested positive for COVID-19. The majority of deaths continue to be among individuals 65 or over (71.5%) and 55% of decedents were male. The number of deaths per day has declined steadily since the peak in mid-April. The average number of cases per day has declined dramatically from over 400/day for the month of April to less than 40/day in July to date.
Testing
Essex County Testing continues at Weequahic Park for all Essex county residents. Residents must arrive by car. You can register at www.essexcovid.org
Mayor Frank
