Borough of Bergenfield Declares State of Emergency in Response to Coronavirus
BERGENFIELD, NJ -- The Borough of Bergenfield’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), upon the recommendation of Mayor Arvin Amatorio and the Council, has officially declared a State of Emergency in order to ensure that the borough has the necessary policies in place to respond to the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. The declaration will allow borough government to bypass purchasing regulations if necessary, and will also direct all borough departments to create infectious disease control plans, as well as implementing several new policies listed below.
“While our community has thus far seen fewer positive test results than some of our neighboring towns, we are taking this proactive step to ensure that we are ready to respond to an increase in cases among our residents,” said Mayor Amatorio. “Declaring a State of Emergency will remove regulatory barriers, and I am hopeful that this decisive action will send a signal to all residents to take this crisis seriously and practice social distancing in order to slow the spread of the virus.”
The State of Emergency declaration mandates the following policy changes:
- Borough of Bergenfield and Borough offices will be closed to the public (with staff working) effective beginning Monday, March 16, 2020 until further notice, other than by appointment. All citizens are encouraged to contact Borough offices by e-mail or telephone if they have any questions.
- All public and Board of Education recreational fields, all school grounds, basketball courts, and playgrounds within the Borough of Bergenfield are closed, as well as nursery schools and day care centers, and all organized sports activities within all municipal and Board of Education parks/fields, and recreational activities run by the Borough of Bergenfield or Board of Education are hereby postponed until further notice.
- All public meetings of non-essential municipal boards and committees are suspended. The Borough Mayor and Council will continue to meet but will discourage in-person attendance by members of the public, while making available means of remote, telephone and computer access by the public for public comment.
- All places of gathering shall limit attendance at any event or gathering to 100 or fewer persons, in order to comply with CDC guidelines for "social distancing.”
- All residents are encouraged to stay within their own properties, avoid large groups and maintain "social distancing" in accordance with CDC guidance.
- All workplaces within the Borough are strongly encouraged to implement and observe CDC workplace social distancing measures, such as replacing in-person meetings with teleworking, modifying, postponing or canceling mass gatherings.
- All places of gathering hosting 25 or more persons are strongly urged to use their best efforts to record the name, address, phone or other appropriate contact information of all employees, patrons, visitors, vendors or any other persons within their facilities in order to aid health officials in the event contact tracing activities should become necessary in connection with their operations.
- All restaurants and bars are urged to encourage take-out and curbside delivery in lieu of in-restaurant dining, and to reduce seating capacity to increase space between groups of patrons to assist in "social distancing" in accordance with CDC guidelines, by maintaining a distance of 6 feet between groups of diners and patrons.