Public meetings at borough hall will go remote again, and visitors and employees will be required to wear masks. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank issued a declaration Friday evening “strongly urging” mask-wearing in stores and restaurants to minimize transmission of the resurgent COVID-19 virus.
Mask-wearing in publicly owned buildings will be mandated.
Mayor Pasquale Menna, right, and Congressman Frank Pallone were masked-up at the Red Bank reorganization January 1. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna is expected to issue an executive order mandating indoor mask-wearing to slow the spread of the resurgent COVID-19 virus.
The order, which could come as soon as Thursday, was motivated by “the pain that is being felt in our community,” Menna said at the monthly council workshop Wednesday night.
The Wharf Avenue entrance to Marine Park in Red Bank, which remains closed along with all borough parks. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Governor Phil Murphy reported “undeniable” progress in New Jersey’s battle to quell the spread of COVID-19 Saturday.
He also blasted an Atlantic County official as “irresponsible” for calling for a reopening of the state’s economy “without restrictions.”
A common sight in the pandemic: sparsely stocked paper products at the Red Bank SuperFoodtown earlier this week. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
[See UPDATE below]
By JOHN T. WARD
The COVID-19 strain on hospitals showed signs of easing even as the death toll surpassed five times the number of New Jerseyans killed in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Governor Phil Murphy said Friday.
At the same time, data suggests that while the peak of the crisis has now occurred in the northern end of the state, it’s still “coming” to the central and southern regions, said state health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
The parking lot at the Red Bank train station was nearly empty Tuesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
COVID-19 continued to claim New Jersey lives by the hundreds even as other crisis metrics signaled improvement, data released by Governor Phil Murphy’s administration Thursday showed.
With 362 fatalities added at Murphy’s latest daily briefing on the crisis, more than 1,200 have been reported since Sunday, and the number of residents testing positive for the coronavirus is still on the rise, though at a slowing rate.
A temporary sign on River Road in Fair Haven as seen Tuesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
New Jersey’s loss of life from the COVID-19 soared past the 3,000 mark in recent days as another 351 residents were added to the ledger, Governor Phil Murphy reported Wednesday.
The fatalities, including more than 700 in recent days, was accompanied by evidence that “people are getting better and they are overcoming this illness,” said state health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
Observing social-distancing recommendations, well-spaced customers wait their turns to be admitted to the Bank of America branch on Broad Street in Red Bank Tuesday morning. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Three-hundred-sixty-five more New Jerseyans have died as a result of COVID-19, the largest increase reported in the month-old crisis, Governor Phil Murphy reported Tuesday.
The spike was reported as administration officials unveiled a dramatically improved worst-case scenario in coming weeks, based on data projections.
Governor Phil Murphy speaks at his Monday briefing, with a sign language interpreter seen in inset at left. (YouTube screengrab. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
More positive signs emerged in the COVID-19 crisis Monday even as New Jersey’s government braced for critically ill patients to soon swamp the state’s hospitals, officials said Monday.
The preparation included issuing triage guidance to hospitals for use in “last resort” scenarios, they said.
Firefighters, first aiders and police from 10 towns converged on Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank to cheer frontline healthcare workers Friday night. Check out the photo gallery here. (Video by Allan Bass. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Both Monmouth County and New Jersey saw further softening in new COVID-19 positive cases and other encouraging signs in the pandemic, government agencies reported Sunday.
At the same time, another 167 New Jersey residents died from the illness, including 8 in Monmouth County, according to the state health department’s COVID-19 web page.
A Hackensack Meridian Health ambulance in Red Bank earlier this month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Monmouth County officials reported the smallest daily increase in COVID-19 positive cases in almost two weeks Saturday.
At the same time, another 251 New Jersey residents died from the illness, including 8 in Monmouth County, and nearly 3,600 more tested positive, Governor Phil Murphy said at his daily briefing.
Normally busy, Broad Street in Red Bank was almost people-free Wednesday evening. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
[See UPDATE below]
By JOHN T. WARD
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy cited “glimmers of hope” in his daily update on the COVID-19 crisis Friday. More →
A masked woman leaving Surf Taco on Broad Street in Red Bank with a takeout order Wednesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
[See CORRECTION and UPDATE below]
By JOHN T. WARD
The grim roster of COVID-19 deaths continued to grow as the Murphy Administration braced for a possible “surge” of hospitalizations, officials said Thursday.
More than 14,400 new patients could hit the healthcare system “over the next two to three days,” double the number currently hospitalized, said state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, citing a continually-updated projection.
A woman with her face covered by a scarf speaks with a motorist on Elm Place in Red Bank Tuesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
[See UPDATE below]
By JOHN T. WARD
An awful “paradox” was evident as deaths from COVID-19 soared and the number of new cases continued to ease in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy said Wednesday.
Governor Phil Murphy removes a protective mask at the start of his daily crisis briefing Tuesday. (YouTube screengrab. Click to enlarge.)
[See UPDATE below]
By JOHN T. WARD
After a two-day lull, the deaths of another 232 New Jersey residents have been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Phil Murphy said Tuesday.
At the same time, recent data suggest a possible “flattening” of new coronavirus cases, he said.
Monmouth County’s COVID-19 death toll nearly tripled last week, but has slowed in recent days. (Graph by Voro.com. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
New Jersey’s losses in the COVID-19 pandemic rose again Sunday, when the monthlong death toll surpassed 1,000, Governor Phil Murphy reported Monday.
He and a top law enforcement official also blasted attendees of a Rumson lawn concert held Saturday for alleged “vile” comments directed at police.
Mask-wearing workers installed a sign for a law office in in Fair Haven Friday. “It’s not as annoying as I thought it would be,” one said of the mask.
That day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people wear cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in settings where social distancing is difficult.
The suggestion was quickly taken up, as seen in the photos above and below taken on the Greater Red Bank Green Friday and Saturday. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Governor Phil Murphy’s administration reported 71 new deaths of New Jersey residents in the COVID-19 pandemic Sunday, a sharp drop from the 200 reported a day earlier.
The death toll also continued to ease in Monmouth County, the state reported.
Mask-wearers lined up for free meals at Lunch Break in Red Bank Friday. Murphy singled out Lunch Break for praise in the crisis. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Governor Phil Murphy paused for a moment of silence Saturday after announcing another 200 New Jersey deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Surgical masks and improvised face coverings were a common sight Friday, as here on Prospect Avenue in Little Silver. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
[See UPDATE below]
By JOHN T. WARD
Flags across New Jersey were ordered lowered “immediately and indefinitely” as the carnage of COVID-19 claimed another 113 state residents, Governor Phil Murphy said Friday.
The symbolic gesture will serve as a “constant memorial” during “one of the greatest tragedies” in the state’s history, Murphy said at his daily briefing on the crisis.