A letter from County Executive Brian M. Hughes
Dear Mercer County Community,
The coronavirus has been part of our lives for more than six weeks, and the Governor’s stay-at-home order has been in place for a month. And now we know that public schools will remain closed until at least the middle of May.
Everyone is feeling the effects of having their lives disrupted so severely, none more so than the loved ones of the 101 Mercer County residents who have passed away due to COVID-19. To all of them, I offer my heartfelt condolences, and to those fighting the disease, I wish you a fast and full recovery.
The grind that this public health crisis has become makes it difficult to be as disciplined as we need to be: to stay home, to practice social distancing when we must go out, to wash our hands and cover our coughs and not touch our faces. Although we all have real concerns about the pandemic’s economic toll, health experts agree that the way to flatten the curve of the virus is to stay the course until restrictions can safely be eased. Our community has shown the resolve to get this far, and I know we have the resolve to keep going.
|
And just as we must take everyday preventive measures to protect our physical health, the same degree of attention must be paid to mental health. For anyone feeling stressed or anxious about COVID-19, please know that you are not alone, and that assistance is available, including counseling by phone. Among the many resources are the New Jersey MentalHealthCares Helpline (1-866-202-4357) and the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990). Jewish Family & Children Service of Greater Mercer County offers counseling by phone and support groups via Zoom, and Millhill Child & Family Development in Trenton announced it now is offering telecounseling services. If you need a hand, or know someone who does, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Finally, wearing a cloth face covering is now recommended, and in many cases required, in public settings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may be infected and do not know it from transmitting the virus to others. Surgical masks and N95 respirators should be reserved for first responders and health care professionals, but cloth face coverings made at home from common materials can be used effectively and, I can assure you, more comfortably. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a short video on how to make a simple cloth face covering.
Please join me in saluting our heroic first responders and health care professionals for their continued perseverance, as well as others on the front lines who are keeping our community functioning day in and day out. And to everyone, thank you for making the sacrifices necessary to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the pressure on our health care system. If we continue to work together, we WILL get through this crisis.
Brian M. Hughes
Mercer County Executive
Mercer County testing sites -- Quaker Bridge Mall and Trenton
Mercer County, in collaboration with health care and municipal partners, is operating an appointment-only, drive-up testing site for COVID-19 at Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence, and appointment-only pop-up testing sites in Trenton for individuals who lack transportation to the mall location. The Trenton sites are now open in each city ward one day a week.
Testing will be provided for symptomatic Mercer County residents age 18 or older who have an appointment. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
If you are symptomatic for COVID-19 and want to be tested, contact your primary health care practitioner. If a test is needed, your doctor will fax a prescription to the Mercer County health call center at 609-630-4031, and the center will contact you to schedule an appointment. If you voice an inability to get to Quaker Bridge Mall, you will be offered an appointment at a Trenton pop-up site along with instructions on when and where to go. If you do not have a doctor, call an urgent care facility or call the Henry J. Austin Health Center in Trenton (609-278-5900) to arrange for screening.
For the health, safety and security of staff at the Quaker Bridge Mall testing site, patients will not be permitted to leave their vehicles. Walk-ups are not permitted at that testing location.
You must have an appointment to be tested. Those who show up at a testing site without an appointment will not be able to be tested.
If you have questions about the testing process, call 609-337-4081 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The testing sites are collaborative efforts between the County of Mercer, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Capital Health System, St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, the Trenton Health Team, Henry J. Austin Health Center, the City of Trenton, Lawrence Township and Quaker Bridge Mall management.
If you believe you may have symptoms of COVID-19, the State of New Jersey’s COVID-19 Information Hub provides a self-assessment tool that will help you determine whether you should be tested. Visit self.covid19.nj.gov.
|
WASH YOUR HANDS. STAY AT HOME.
To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and protect the capacity of New Jersey's health care system for the state's most vulnerable, all residents are under a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Phil Murphy. Executive Order No. 107 provides for certain exceptions, such as obtaining essential goods or services, seeking medical attention, visiting family or close friends, reporting to work, or engaging in outdoor activities. It also directs the closure of all non-essential retail businesses to the public. Find more information at COVID19.nj.gov.
|
HAVE GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID-19?
The NJ Poison Control Center and 211 have partnered with the State to provide information to the public on COVID-19:
Call: 2-1-1
Call (24/7): 1-800-962-1253
Text: NJCOVID to 898-211
Visit covid19.nj.gov or nj.gov/health for additional information
CENSUS 2020
You haven’t missed your chance to participate in the 2020 Census! If your home hasn’t responded, a paper form is on the way. Check your mailbox this week for your opportunity to bring education, health care, housing, and political power to your community.
If a paper form doesn’t work for you, you can respond online or by phone. There are so many ways to count yourself in the 2020 Census -- don’t wait!
People across America are keeping their families and communities safe and healthy by staying home, or serving the public by providing essential services. Responding to the Census yourself — is another way to do your part and help keep your community strong.
To respond online, visit https://my2020census.gov/login; to respond by phone, call 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish).
|
JOBS AND HIRING
Did you lose your job or have your hours reduced as a result of COVID-19? Businesses across New Jersey need thousands of workers for immediate hire. Learn more about who is hiring in your community at jobs.covid19.nj.gov. The New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development has prepared a frequently asked questions document for workers affected by the coronavirus emergency.
BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
For information on COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus and its impact on businesses – including resources, assistance and regulations -- visit the State of New Jersey business portal and the Mercer County Office of Economic Development.
CONSUMER COMPLAINTS
If you receive a call from a scammer or suspect price gouging, please report it to the Division of Consumer Affairs at (973) 504-6240 or https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/.
CURRENT STATUS
The New Jersey Department of Health on April 17 announced 3,250 new positive cases, bringing the total of positive cases in the state to 78,467 with 3,840 deaths. The most positive cases are in Bergen County, which has 11,863; Mercer County has 2,123, with 101 deaths. To view Mercer County data by municipality, please visit the Mercer County COVID-19 Dashboard at https://arcg.is/1y1eHO. Please note that municipal data lags behind the state data and will update as information becomes available. Visit the New Jersey Department of Health's COVID-19 Dashboard for more statewide information.
The CDC on April 17 announced a total of 661,712 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and a total of 33,049 deaths, with 55 locations (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, North Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands) reporting cases. This includes both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported to CDC or tested at CDC since Jan. 21, 2020. State and local public health departments are now testing and publicly reporting their cases.
This is a rapidly evolving situation. For more information about COVID-19 visit covid19.nj.gov or cdc.gov.
|
|
