As Newark heads toward more restrictions in the immediate aftermath of two COVID-19 deaths this week, Mayor Ras Baraka implored his fellow Newarkers to stay in place.

“We have the same immune system as everyone in the country,” Baraka said in an advisroy to his Essex County city. “If you’re walking around saying you’re healthy, there are other people you can affect.”

He referred to the elderly.

People with lupus.

People with a compromised immune system.

“We have to stop thinking about ourselves and think about our community,” said the mayor, who said City Hall is mapping out where and how the virus is hitting Newark.

He promised stronger stricters to keep people in place.

This is not a flexing of government power for its own sake.

“We’re doing it because it is imperative that we do so,” Baraka said.