‘The Wrap’ is a feature from the Herald editorial team that offers our take on the news of the week. Get ‘The Wrap’ in your inbox every Monday by signing up at https://bit.ly/HeraldWrap. Learn more about J. Byrne Insurance.
Jan. 11-17
Cases Climb as Vaccinations Proceed
The past week saw 400 newly reported resident cases of Covid. Even the ability of health officials to move 387 individuals off quarantine could not lower the active case numbers, which consistently hovered just over 600 for the last 10 days.
Predictions that the January surge might be greater than that of November 2020 and December 2020 are being realized, as January, so far, had over 950 newly reported cases in the county.
The week also brought four additional fatalities, three of which were community-based, and one was a resident of a long-term care facility. Since Jan. 1, there have been 14 reported county Covid deaths, contributing to 152 fatalities since the pandemic began over 10 months ago.
New Jersey Dec. 15 publicly inoculated its first frontline health care worker. Since then, the state administered 348,414 doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. In Cape May County, New Jersey’s vaccination dashboard reported 5,107 doses administered.
This week, state officials moved larger numbers of New Jerseyans into the eligible category on news that the federal government was releasing added doses held in reserve for the second of the two inoculations required by the vaccines in use.
Days later, news arrived that the reserve was non-existent, and plans for additional vaccinations would have to be, once again, recalibrated.
The vaccination program continues to move ahead with the available doses. Previous priority groups of frontline health care workers, residents, and staff of long-term care facilities and first responders are being joined by older residents who are being notified to make appointments based on their records in the Covid online registration system.
One woman, over 75 years old, who did not fit any of the early priority categories, reported getting her invitation to make an appointment, along with a link to an online scheduling system. She has a day, a time and a location reserved for her first shot.
The registration system appears to be working, with the remaining problem being the availability of doses in the right amounts and in the right locations to facilitate the expanding pool of eligible individuals.
Municipal Happenings
This week, the county unveiled its draft updates to its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), which includes a more detailed treatment of potential health emergencies.
Avalon’s Planning and Zoning Board witnessed unprecedented public interest in an application for a boardwalk restaurant/wedding venue. A six-hour meeting resulted in a vote denying the requested variances after hundreds of members of the public flooded and overwhelmed the teleconferencing technology used to provide public access.
In Upper Township, governing body members were quizzed by the public on their reactions to the riot at the Capitol, in Washington. The municipality’s annual reorganization meeting took place Jan. 8. The municipality announced an upcoming series of budget workshops, as the 2021 budget takes shape.
County officials authorized a grant application, seeking an additional $3 million in federal funds for the continued development of a technology center at the Cape May County Airport.
Sea Isle City acted on a watershed ordinance that should increase the town’s points in the Community Rating System (CRS). For some Sea Isle City residents, the more important news may be that new pickleball courts are planned for an area near the marina building.
Rio Grande will be the location for the county’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill, with an anticipated opening in this year’s second quarter.
Because of the virus’s increased community spread, a Cape May County grand jury continues to meet remotely, handing up 30 indictments this past week.
Upper Township Committee introduced an ordinance that would designate the B.L. England generating station as an area in need of redevelopment.
Ocean City is anticipating a February return to full, in-person instruction for kindergarten through fifth-grade students.
As schools wrestle with the pandemic’s restrictions, they must also deal with free-speech issues with respect to their students. County schools are taking note of an upcoming Supreme Court case on the matter.
A sexual assault allegation, dating to 1974, was the basis of a suit filed in Superior Court against the Marianist Family Retreat Center, in Cape May Point.
Negotiations continue to resolve the notices of violation issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection to North Wildwood, in June.
And…
Gov. Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 214, in which he altered policies for the academic school year. Included in the order is a waiver of the graduation assessment test for students who otherwise meet certain criteria.
The Herald Spout Off of the week designation went to a West Cape May resident, who said:
“I know everyone is charged up nationally over politics. Let’s all try and focus a little more of this passion on the kids in our community. We have some children in some really poor situations throughout our towns. We have kids under nourished and definitely under educated at the moment. Remote learning is really tough on kids with no parenting at home. Stay tuned nationally but also see what you can do locally to help these kids.”
