Effective immediately, and consistent with the directives contained in Camden County, Proclamation of Local Emergency and guidance from both the CDC and State of N.I officials, all Borough of Merchantville playgrounds, public bathrooms and water fountains located within any and all parks in the Borough arc hereby closed to the public. Park locations will remain open as outdoor only facilities during regular operating hours. Additionally. the Borough is instituting the following additional measures to continue to provide as much service in a safe manner and relief to the residents, businesses and visitors alike:

• Extending a grace period of ninety (90) days to the Sewer Utility bills that are currently due on April 1. 2020. No interest or penalties will be placed on those bills if paid on or before June 30. 2020.

• For all Certificate of Occupancy inspections occurring while the State of Emergency exists. the Borough Code department will offer the opportunity to perform the inspection via Facetime or other video-conforming tool. This will allow us to respect social distancing while still performing the service to allow for business to continue.

• All construction code and sub-code inspections will continue to occur in a regularly scheduled manner. For inspections in occupied homes the inspection will occur. but residents can expect such inspections to take longer than normal due to certain procedures/precautions that our staff must take. We understand the importance of these inspections and will continue to perform them as quickly as we can in a safe manner.

• The Borough has secured a Zoom account through which it will be able to conduct all public business. Meeting invites will be made public through official social media accounts and this tool will allow the public to participate via video conference or telephone as the Borough Council meetings will otherwise be closed to public participation during this State of Emergency. We encourage interested public to go to https://www.zoom.us and download the app to your computer or mobile device.

• To avoid inefficiency in Borough response to the needs of residents. businesses and visitors, we ask that should you be unsure of the department you need to mach, please call extension 303 and leave a message and we will be certain to route the call accordingly. 

COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. Most cases of COVID-19 are mild to moderate, like the common cold. But it can be more severe in older adults and people with chronic health conditions.The virus is most likely to be spread from person to person by droplets when coughing and from contact with surfaces where those droplets have landed. Since this virus is new, health authorities continue to carefully watch how this virus spreads. COVID-19 Cases by County are updated daily on this dashboard. Data is provisional and subsequent to revision. Information for: Communities and the General Public  |  Schools and Businesses  |  Healthcare and Public Health Professionals

A company that uses internet-connected thermometers to predict the spread of the flu is tracking the coronavirus in real time — something that had been impossible, given the lack of testing for the disease. Kinsa Health has sold or given away more than a million smart thermometers to households in which two million people reside, and can record fevers almost as soon as consumers experience them. For the last few years, Kinsa’s interactive maps have accurately predicted the spread of flu around the US about two weeks before the CDC's own surveillance tool, the weekly FluView tracker. The most common symptoms of infection with the coronavirus is a fever and just last Saturday, Kinsa’s data indicated an unusual rise in fevers in South Florida, even though it was not known to be a Covid-19 epicenter. Within days, testing showed that South Florida had indeed become an epicenter. 

Cabin fever is driving out the masses. Yes, it's still perfectly safe to step outside and get moving in most places, provided that you're healthy and aren't part of a high-risk population. But remember, going outside isn't a free-for-all. The CDC warns that you should maintain at least six feet of distance between you and others, so if you go outside, keeping your distance is a great first line of defense. Skip the mask - healthy exercise requires plenty of access to oxygen, and wearing a surgical mask or N95 respirator makes it much harder to breathe. Use best disease prevention practices - the best way to prevent coronavirus after venturing outside is still to obey tried-and-true public health measures including: washing your hands, avoiding touching your face and frequently disinfecting used items and surfaces. Go get some fresh air and exercise!

The Camden County Department of Health is announcing additional 4 positive cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) identified in Camden County between their 40's and 60's - 3 in Cherry Hill and 1 in Pine Hill. “As testing volume increases, we are going to see the number of cases in our community continue to increase,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. “It is critical at this moment that everyone takes this threat extremely seriously. Social distancing, staying home as much as possible and avoiding contact with others, is the only way we will be able to slow the spread of this disease and reduce the toll this pandemic has on our community. As we have with our first three cases, we are continuing to work with the New Jersey Department of Health to identify individuals who may have been in contact with anyone confirmed of having contracted the illness.” On Monday, March 16, the Freeholder Board declared a state of emergency in Camden County. Continue to follow updates here.

Effective immediately, all Borough of Merchantville government facilities are closed to the public. Specifically, both Merchantville Borough Hall and the Merchantville Community Center are closed to all members of the public until further notice. These measures are necessary to do our part in the Borough to reduce the spread and transmission of Covid-19, the novel coronavirus, which has reached pandemic level.should you need to conduct business with the Borough for any reason, go to our website, call (856-662-2474) or e-mail the Borough department you need and they will work with you and if appropriate, will schedule a meeting or call.