May 18, 2020 MESSAGE FROM MAYOR & COUNCIL - CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
5/18/2020 - May 18, 2020 MESSAGE FROM MAYOR & COUNCIL - CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
Good afternoon everyone, it is May 18th, 2020. I am mayor Paul Medany on behalf of Deptford Township Council we’re back with information and updates on COVID-19.
Current cases in Deptford are at 453, but 331 are from our long term care facilities. Gloucester County is at 1,905, New Jersey has 148,039 cases. Regretfully and sadly, 10,435 New Jersey residents have passed from complications of COVID-19 as of today.
So, communication is all important in emergencies and crisis situations. You need up to date factual information to assist you and your family. You also need to know what government is doing to get through the crisis.
Go to our website www.Deptford-nj.org for information on government services, service requests and other info related to this pandemic.
There is a help line number 211 that provides help and info on a wide variety of issues, we encourage you to call into that if you need help with anything.
We can always use inspiration and motivation, especially during a crisis.
We have said this numerous times, your mental health is as important as your physical health. It’s easy to say stay positive but in reality, it can be challenging in times of stress. Sometimes you need to step back, take a deep breath and collect your thoughts. 211 has information if you feel the need to speak to someone.
Now let’s get to what is happening on several different fronts.
The majority opinion is we have to get back to opening up, get people back to work, get businesses open and start the road to normalcy.
The reason for closures and the course of action we are following is the medical system could not handle an influx of COVID-19 patients but also because this disease has so many unknowns. It is new barely four months since being discovered and scientists are just beginning to understand its effects.
Let’s talk about some things we know.
We know there is no vaccine for this. We know it attacks the respiratory system in patients, we know it can attack anyone young and older but especially people with underlying issues. We know it is not going away, but we know other diseases have not been eradicated also.
People are going to get sick from this, some seriously, most not, but people have died from complications and it can threaten your life, so be smart.
We know that we have to recondition ourselves to live with it and deal with it.
We know right now there are strategies we must follow to get this virus under somewhat control and to protect ourselves but also to protect others.
We need to constantly remind and educate on the tactics to keep this thing under control and get us moving again.
Here they are again:
Do not shake hands, think of a new greeting and do that, stop feeling awkward and do not hug as a greeting, and again, don’t shake hands.
Do not close talk, in other words keep away at least 3 to 6 feet away, especially if you don’t have a mask on.
Wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, cough in your sleeve, try not to grab things like door knobs and then touch your face, wear a mask and clean it or dispose of it after use.
Use and commit to physical distance rules. Do it, be aware of it, the new normal is here, and this is a part of all the new normal.
Go on the CDC and WHO websites for protective information.
The virus is a living thing that needs your body to live in, don’t let it get in there!
Now in Deptford we want to commend our administration and all of our employees. Like I keep saying in all our videos, there’s folks here shooting this video, you can’t see them because we’re physical distancing. They have hardly skipped a beat providing government services. This is so important because first of all we need trash picked up, yard debris picked up, grass cut, parks maintained, police patrols, permits processed and so much more that the local government provides you.
We have said it before we need to get back open and we need you to help do this by reminding everyone to follow the preventative tactics.
We’re also working with our School District on graduation celebrations by following the guidelines that are being put out.
Please shop local, even if you shop online, use local based businesses. Order takeout’s to keep local shops open. Most shops are open now, especially with the new guideline over the weekend for curbside pickup.
Playgrounds are not open yet, they are not safe, they have caution tape on them please do not use the playgrounds. But, we encourage you to go visit the parks, go to Fasola Park, take walks and get outside.
Please keep your pets on a leash. We are still getting calls from people walking neighborhoods, which you’ll notice a lot more folks out there with their families and we’re getting calls about loose pets/dogs. This is not permitted, you need to keep your pet on a leash please.
The dog park is open right now.
So finally, this weekend is Memorial Day, we’ll do another video before Memorial Day. Since most of the memorials are canceled because we can’t have gatherings of more than 10 people, we encourage you to fly the flag and we will be posting Memorial Day ideas that you can participate in on Facebook and our website to commemorate our heroes who gave their lives for our country.
So as always, stay smart, stay safe, stay apart but stick together, and we’ll see you soon.
Stay informed:
Visit the Center for Disease Control website at https://www.cdc.gov
Visit the State Department of Health website at https://www.nj.gov/health/
Contact the NJ Coronavirus Center hotline at 800-222-1222
Sincerely,
Mayor Paul Medany & Township Council