At the center of New Jersey’s COVID-19 disaster, Teaneck suffers the slow response time by government to respond with critical masks and gowns for besieged front line healthcare workers, according to Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin.

“It needs to move faster,” said Hameeduddin, who on MSNBC yesterday likened COVID-19 to simultaenously getting hit by three Pearl Harbors.

“When are the masks coming to Teaneck?”asked the mayor of the town hit with 145 presumptive positive COVID-19 cases. “The first thing we need to do is stabilize the hospital [Holy Name], and every day we’re doing it, but we are two weeks from closing that gap. This stimulus package has taken too long. Why are they holding hospitals hostage?”

The system has a command decision lapse, the mayor said.

“They don’t have a way to move this very quickly, and the consequence is we are waiting and waiting like the Alamo,” said Hameeduddin.

The town is pulling together. The town has pulled together.

Volunteers have stepped up.

Everybody is fighting.

But they lack protective measures to combat this deadly virus.

They lack protectivemasks, and they lack protective gowns.

“The masks are good for an hour,” said the mayor.

“They [doctors and nurses and medical techs] can’t fight this with both hands tied behind their backs,” said the mayor of Teaneck.

He’s not worried about January now and about what government could have done better.

“I’m worried about how to get to April and May,” said Hameeduddin, “about getting ahead of this and fighting it.

“We need nurses and doctors protecting themselves if we are to have any chance to fight this,” the mayor added.