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Aug. 17-23:
COVID-19 Remains the Story
New Jersey’s virus numbers continue to moderate. The rate of transmission, a key state health metric, inched back over the benchmark 1.0 level, but positive test rates are low and hospitalizations briefly fell below 400 for the first time since the pandemic began.
The virus is still with us, but case count growth is not translating into individuals requiring hospital care. One probable reason is that the case growth is in a younger demographic, one less likely to develop serious complications from the virus. The jury is still out on the potential long-term implications of a COVID-19 infection, even for the young.
The development of cases in a younger population group has, so far, not ignited serious outbreaks in older New Jerseyans, who might be more compromised by an infection.
In Cape May County this week, the rate of growth in new cases exceeded the week prior. The county reported 61 new cases, or 8.7 per day on average. Of those, the majority were community residents (37), with the remainder non-residents (19) and a few long-term care residents (5). The number of active cases in the county rose from 93, when the week began, to 126 at its end.
An astonishing 85% of all cases since the first reported case, in March, were removed from quarantine without incident. What makes that astonishing is that the virus causes serious complications when it infects those 65 years old and above, and Cape May County has the oldest mean age of residents in the state.
The virus continues to wreak havoc on the economy.
This week, movie theater owners had their case dismissed, as they sought the right to open theaters with capacity limits and appropriate health protocols in place.
Hurricane season added a new complication, leading the CDC to issue guidance on preparing for evacuation in the age of COVID-19. This comes as forecasters continue to predict more and stronger storms. For the first time since 1933, there are predicted to be two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously.
In an effort to curtail the large gatherings that officials blame for a rising case count among young people, Airbnb announced a ban on “party rentals,” placing a cap of 16 occupants on its rental properties.
A party, in Sea Isle City, Aug. 13 left several high school students from Gloucester County testing positive for the virus.
Enforcement crackdowns increased on local businesses that violate executive order prohibitions.
Meanwhile, the state negotiated with utility companies governed by the Board of Public Utilities, effectively extending the moratorium, preventing shutoff of service to residential and commercial customers until at least Oct. 15.
School Openings Loom
The first day of school is only two weeks away, and the state landscape changes daily. Over 130 of the state’s school districts opted to reopen with 100% remote instruction.
The news from reopened schools in other parts of the nation is not encouraging. Many have seen spikes in cases and have partially or totally closed again.
What was good news about the susceptibility of children to the virus, along with earlier thinking on their limited ability to spread it, was challenged by recent studies.
Experts at the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research predict that the reopening of schools will lead to higher rates of transmission. How much, they say, is “unclear.”
In the county, most districts will open with hybrid plans that mix in-person instruction with remote learning. The state option, allowing parents and students to elect all-remote education, led 12% of the student body at Middle Township schools to forego in-person instruction.
Some parents expressed concerns that the hybrid models may lead to children falling behind academically. Some also worry that a hybrid model does not offer sufficient child care coverage to allow a return to full-time work.
Atlantic Cape Community College will share in the $15 million CARES Act funding for higher education. The college expects to receive about $850,000.
Budgets to Get State Info Soon
Gov. Phil Murphy was scheduled to give a state budget address Aug. 25, which may offer insight into the amount of state aid school districts, counties, and municipalities can expect for 2021.
In the mix is a $9.9 billion bond capability signed into law earlier in the month. It was immediately challenged by the state Republican Committee. The state Supreme Court expedited a hearing, finding that the COVID-19 Bond Act was constitutional, as long as the state borrowed the funds only for the purposes laid out in the act.
Murphy announced funding of $37 million for 12 counties. Cape May County expects to receive $2.7 million. The funds are intended to aid the counties that were not eligible for certain federal funding allocations under the CARES Act.
County officials initiated a 10% cut in spending for the remainder of the 2020 year, as they wait to see what will happen with state and federal aid.
Sen. Michael Testa (R-1st) is a co-sponsor of legislation that would open all information on preparedness and decisions related to the pandemic to public access.
Municipal Actions Highlighted
The county’s municipalities continue to move ahead with local initiatives.
Wildwood is, once again, looking to use property that was once a city landfill for development. The hope is to put a development project out to bid by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, neighboring Wildwood Crest is considering development plans for its New Jersey Avenue business district. Those plans could include a single plenary consumption liquor license, which some would like to see as an anchor business for development in the area. Mayor Don Cabrera said the only way such a decision would be made is through a citizen-initialed referendum.
Wildwood Crest also put the brakes on a plan for a beachfront bike path in favor of street end “bump-outs.”
Stone Harbor is considering consolidating its municipal court with neighboring Avalon. The move, according to the borough’s business administrator, would save $95,000 annually. The borough also initiated a new water conservation effort after July water usage came close to exceeding the town’s state water allocation ceiling.
Middle Township passed a resolution giving life to its new Community Engagement Committee, a group designed to increase citizen involvement in municipal policing.
The municipality also moved on several traffic issues, including a reduction in the speed limit on Bayberry Road, a call for a speed study for a portion of Route 9, and a request for the county to consider a new stop sign at Boyd Street and Hand Avenue.
Ocean City approved design projects as the next step in ongoing flood mitigation efforts.
And…
The governor signed legislation that ended the use of the term “freeholder” for county officials throughout the state.
This week, the U.S. Postal Service launched a new election mail website to educate voters and respond to concerns that the Postal Service would be unable to handle mail-in ballots.
Cape May set the stage for dueling referendums, in November, when a second citizen-initiated bond ordinance concerning a new firehouse was sent to the county clerk for inclusion on the November ballot. The city will have two referendums on the ballot that present different approaches to the problem of supplying city police and firefighters with badly needed new space. It is still unclear what happens if both referendums pass. The issue also set off a debate on rules for public comment at council meetings.
The father of a young woman who was killed after mistaking a car for her Uber ride used a North Wildwood Council meeting to explain the merits of the #whatsmyname Foundation, established to counter the potential dangers of ridesharing services.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
