Coronavirus News: 4 New Jersey cities go on lockdown for 7 days

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

4 NJ cities join forces to lock down, stop spread of COVID-19

Toni Yates with the story of four city mayors teaming up to save their citizens.

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Four New Jersey mayors have joined forces to announce a series of new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.

East Orange Mayor Ted Green, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced the plan, which is divided into four "operations" to organize the approach.

Operation Lockdown:

The four municipalities are jointly enforcing a complete lockdowns on their communities for seven days.

The cities will re-evaluate the situation on April 7, but until then, non-essential and non-emergency travel is barred on the streets of these communities.

Joint police units will patrol borders and other points, and violators will face summonses and other legal action.

OperationClean Business:

Essential businesses that are allowed to remain open must clean their premises, and to do so, they must frequently wipe down high touch points including doors and counters.

Employees and customers must practice social distancing, and at the close of the business day, owners are encouraged to sanitize their businesses.

Health inspectors will see that this is carried out.

OperationWipedown:

Owners of senior citizen centers and complexes must sanitize public areas, including high touch points such as mailboxes,elevators, doorknobs, and countertops three times a day with disinfectant.

Owners must sign compliance statements saying that they have adhered to the order, and inspectors will ensure thatowners adhere to these policies by collecting compliance statements.

OperationMobile Wellness Checks:

Police departments will conduct mobile patrols, making sure that people are practicing social distancing and enforcing Governor Phil Murphy's Executive Order.

Violators will be ticketed and face legal action.

"We've come together today because COVID-19 is continuing to devastate our communities collectively," Mayor Baraka said."We can only beat this if we do it as a collective. God speed. Stay safe. Stay well."