Coronavirus Update: Residents of Teaneck, New Jersey asked to self-quarantine
TEANECK, New Jersey -- Officials in Teaneck have declared an emergency declaration as cases continue to rise.
Officials said there are 18 cases of coronavirus -- the most of any municipality in the state.
Mohammed Hameeduddin, the mayor of Teaneck, told ABC News that he is requesting all residents to self-quarantine and only to leave their homes for food and medicine.
Hameeduddin said that his town is "ground zero" for the infections in the state. At the moment, Teaneck as 18 cases of COVID-19 but he believes people have been walking around with the virus for the past 4 weeks.
In coordination with the county emergency management and executive, the decision was made to close all schools, municipal buildings, parks and other places people can congregate.
Teaneck Township Manager Dean Kazinc read both an emergency declaration and executive order:
* Immediate ban on all township related business travel to any states that have reported covid-19 cases
* Similar travel restrictions is are strongly recommended for all local travel as well.
* Encourage seniors, especially those with underlying health conditions, to avoid large gatherings and crowds.
*All bars, taverns, clubs or other locations with plenary retail consumption licenses , all gymnasiums and health clubs, all day care centers, all barbershops, hair salons and nail salons, private recreational sports programs that involves close physical contact including but limited to boxing, karate, taekwondo, basketball, soccer and football, all places of public gathering shall otherwise limit attendance at any event or gathering in order to comply with the CDC guidelines related to social distancing and the directive issued by NJ governor related to the gathering of people over 250
*All restaurants are permitted to serve take out or delivery orders only
*All parks, playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts and recreational fields are closed to the public
*Limiting food chains to permit one member of an individual family and limiting the number of patrons on the premises at one time:
- Shop and Shop: limit of 50 patrons at a time
- Glad Express: 25
- Cedar Market: 25
*All houses of worship are strongly encouraged to temporarily suspend services or other communal activities
*Encourages all workplaces to follow CDC guidelines related to social distancing and working from home.
The mayor said that the town's 41,000+ residents should stay home, avoid interaction and assume that if they were to leave that they would be infected. Hameeduddin was also vocal that there are not enough testing kits.
He says that the town is in "unprecedented territory legally." The mayor says that he has not asked for National Guard support and that he is so far comfortable with the resources the town has.
Governor Murphy reports that 18 our of 25 COVID-19 cases in Bergen County were confirmed in Teaneck.
Kazinci said the order for Teaneck residents to self-quarantine is not mandatory, but is recommended as the virus continues to spread.
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