15 May
2020
15 May
'20
8:43 p.m.
Tomorrow will be eight weeks since Governor Murphy signed the Stay-at-Home order. These
measures, though necessary, are taking a toll on all of us. Despite the challenges that we
are facing - as individuals, as families, and as a town - our community has made
considerable strides in flattening the curve. I am proud to announce that today was the
7th day in a row that we did not have any new COVID-19 positive cases in Mendham Township.
This is a testament to how seriously our community has taken the social distancing
guidelines and how much we care about the health of our neighbors.
Over the last couple of weeks, the daily positive test rate across the state of New Jersey
has continued to flow downward and the virus spread has slowed, considerably.
Additionally, new overall hospitalizations are down by roughly half since our state’s
peak, and more than one-third over the past couple of weeks. Also, the numbers of patients
in intensive care and on ventilators have both dropped significantly over the last few
weeks. This is incredibly encouraging news - news that has caused Governor Murphy to start
lessening restrictions across the state.
On April 29th, Governor Murphy signed an order to reopen county and state parks. This past
Wednesday, the Governor announced that starting at 6:00am on Monday, May 18th,
non-essential retail stores will be allowed to reopen for curbside pickup service and
non-essential construction will be able to resume. Yesterday, the Governor announced that
beaches, boardwalks, and lakes throughout New Jersey will be opened in time for Memorial
Day and restroom facilities at the state parks will be allowed to reopen. Today, the
Governor signed an Executive Order allowing for elective surgical and other invasive
procedures to resume on Tuesday, May 26th.
These actions are major milestones. As the state continues to receive encouraging health
data that is helping to determine dates of reopening and the lessening of restrictions, I
want to remind folks to keep up with social distancing and limit your community movement.
Spending time outdoors can help you stay healthy but please recreate responsibly.
Have a great weekend!
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township