Below is an update from Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla for Hoboken residents:

Thanks to FLAG (Front Line Appreciation Group) of Hoboken and Jersey City, thousands of meals have been provided by local restaurants to our frontline workers, medical personnel, and first responders. I am grateful to both the organizers of FLAG as well as the donors who have come together to provide over 6,300 meals and more than 1,200 snacks from 63 local businesses in just three weeks. This initiative is a meaningful cause and I know just a small token of Hoboken’s appreciation for all those who are keeping our residents safe.

Rapid, 15-minute tests at Riverside

Riverside’s rapid 15-minute tests have been successfully administered at the public testing facility, with 44 residents tested on Friday and Saturday, with 39 negative results and five positive cases. Since the beginning of the public testing, Riverside has tested 270 residents with 154 negative results, 70 positive, 44 pending, with two re-tests on Friday.

Impact of COVID-19 in Hoboken

On Saturday, there were another 9 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 14 on Sunday, with no fatalities, according to the Hoboken Health Department. An overall total of 395 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in Hoboken, with 19 fatalities.

Hoboken needs federal aid

As mentioned last week, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on Hoboken’s finances, like municipalities and States across the country. Fortunately, Senator Menendez yesterday introduced a bi-partisan bill with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to provide $500 billion for States and municipalities hardest hit by COVID-19. If passed, the bill would allocate certain funding for States and municipalities to help make up for lost revenue due to the economic shutdown. States like New Jersey and New York, which have had higher infection rates than other regions in the United States, would be prioritized.

In typical emergencies or natural disasters, the federal government through FEMA could reimburse cities and states for expenditures due to the specific emergency but does not usually reimburse for losses in revenue. That is why it’s so important for any federal bill and stimulus package to address this specific issue, as municipalities like Hoboken have few tenable options to make up for tens of millions of dollars of revenue lost because of COVID-19 and the prolonged timetable of its impact.

Please fill out your census at http://my2020census.gov

Senator Menendez’s bill underscores why the 2020 Census is so important and consequential to Hoboken’s future. As of Saturday, only 53.4% of Hoboken filled out the Census questionnaire. His federal bill provides COVID-19 federal relief specifically to municipalities over 50,000 residents in population. After the 2010 Census, Hoboken had 50,005 in its Census count.

If you haven’t filled out your census, please do so as soon as possible. It could literally mean the difference between qualifying for millions of dollars of federal aid or missing out because not enough residents responded to the Census questionnaire to get us to a 50,000-population benchmark. To fill out your Census questionnaire, please visit http://my2020census.gov. If you have a family member or neighbor who is a senior, please encourage him or her to fill out the questionnaire online or over the phone by calling 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish).

The 5 minutes it takes to fill it out has never been more important.

Please protect your neighbors and first responders and wear a mask at all times outdoors

I know how difficult it has been to stay indoors as the weather gets nicer. My two children are itching to go to the park, run around outdoors, and take a bike ride on the waterfront. But far too many people are spending time outside during our peak period between 12 pm and 7 pm. I can’t stress how important it is to stay indoors and exercise in your home during these next few weeks where New Jersey is close to or at its apex. On behalf of our first responders and medical professionals, please stay home as much as possible – it’s the best way to keep them safe.

If you’re going out for a short walk or need to be outdoors for any reason, I strongly urge you to do so away from the waterfront and early in the morning, or later at night to avoid large groups of people. And if you’re outside for any reason, you should be wearing a mask at all times. To not wear one is putting yourself and your neighbors at risk. You may not think you have the virus because you had no symptoms, but you very well could. And breathing on a railing, accidentally bumping into someone else, and more could have a ripple effect. Even if you’re just taking a leisurely stroll, please have some consideration for others, especially as many are wearing face covers to protect you, and rightfully expect you would do the same for them.

Where do the new positive confirmed cases come from?

One common question I receive is whether we know where the new COVID-19 cases are coming from, since Hoboken is under self-isolation orders and has been for several weeks. The answer is that in many cases, it’s very difficult to tell where the exposure occurred. Some have gotten infected even though they are staying at home for everything except essential services. Recent statistics have shown that even with stay-at-home orders, those infected still infect approximately one other person, as cited by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last week.

This underscores how important it is to stay home whenever possible, even though you may be doing everything right in terms of social distancing, wearing a face cover, and more. Please operate under the assumption that every surface and person could have the virus and take precautions like wiping down all your groceries at home, washing your hands or using hand sanitizer after touching any surface like a door handle, and more. The bottom line is reducing your trips outside the home reduces your chance of exposure, even if you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself.

Online registration for Hoboken public preschool registration

Registration for Hoboken public preschool registration begins today, to replace the originally scheduled in-person registration. Pre-K 3 registration, open to Hoboken residents, will now be conducted online due to COVID-19, and will remain live until Friday, April 24 at 3:00 pm.

For details and more information, please visit http://www.hobokenschools.org/schools/early_childhood/registration

Thank you, and please stay safe.

Sincerely,

Ravi S. Bhalla

Mayor