Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 104, implementing aggressive social distancing measures to mitigate further spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey. Among the directives, Governor Murphy’s Executive Order indefinitely closes all public and private preschool, elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education, as well as closes all casinos, racetracks, gyms, movie theaters, and performing arts centers. The order also mandates that all non-essential retail, recreational, and entertainment businesses must cease daily operations from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. All restaurant establishments, with or without a liquor license, are limited to offering only delivery and/or take out-services only, both during daytime hours and after 8 p.m. In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, Governor Murphy’s executive order directs the following.

These guidelines from the CDC are focused on household settings and are meant for the general public. Cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting refers to using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection. For disinfection, diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.

The pandemic of coronavirus is causing disruption to the lives of people throughout the world and Merchantville is no different. I want to assure the residents of Merchantville that throughout this pandemic, the Borough is committed to and has put into place certain contingencies to ensure the continued provision of essential services to the community including police, fire and other first responders, along with public works and other essential services. We are working with our partners at the County, State and Federal levels on contingency planning to obtain resources and to implement effective planning. Full text of Mayor Brennan's message to residents.

March 13, 2020 - The pandemic of coronavirus is causing disruption to the lives of people throughout the world and Merchantville is no different. I want to assure the residents of Merchantville that throughout this pandemic, the Borough is committed to and has put into place certain contingencies to ensure the continued provision of essential services to the community including police, fire and other first responders, along with public works and other essential services. We are working with our partners at the County, State and Federal levels on contingency planning to obtain resources and to implement effective planning. Residents should rest assured that those services will continue, and residents can expect the same exceptional service and response from those essential services during this unprecedented time. Residents are also reminded that our community is built upon our relationships and now is a time to show courage and calm, avoid panic and care for ourselves and our neighbors by taking measured actions such as social distancing.

In the interest of public safety and to do our part to assist in the control of this dangerous virus, both in and outside our community, effective immediately the Borough is enacting the following measures:

• All Borough Commissions, Committees, Agencies and clubs will hold public meetings via telephone and video conference only until further notice. Interested members of the public will be provided opportunity to participate via telephone or video conference and will have the same access currently afforded by the respective commissions, committees and agencies. This restriction does not apply to Borough Council which will continue to operate through its normal process until further notice is provided but will offer streaming of all Borough Council meetings.

• The Borough is encouraging all residents, businesses and visitors to conduct business with the Borough digitally through our website (www.merchantvillenj.gov), e-mail or through the telephone. Borough employees will have access to e-mail and Borough servers throughout this period of disruption regardless of where they are sitting. Further, the Borough will be focusing efforts to enhance the available information on the Borough website to make the Borough more accessible in a digital manner.

• All Borough public events scheduled through April 12, 2020 are cancelled including the annual Easter Egg Hunt – April 5th • Merchantville Borough Municipal Court is cancelling previously scheduled court sessions for March 25, 2020 and April 1, 2020. Individuals who were scheduled for those dates will be provided new court dates through the regular process.

• Businesses, residents and other applicants to our Boards, Construction Offices, Code Enforcement and Zoning Offices will receive a 14-day extension on any and all deadlines, expiration dates and abatement periods that fall between March 13th and April 3rd 2020. Trash along with brush and debris pickup will remain as scheduled. Borough communication will continue to occur through official social media channels, the Borough website and through our emergency Reverse 911 system when necessary.

COVID-2019 is a respiratory infection caused by a novel (new) virus that arose from the area of Wuhan, China in December, 2019. Most of the early cases of this illness were linked to a large seafood and animal market suggesting possible animal-to-person spread of the virus. NJ Department of Health is providing information on this page COVID-19: Information for Communities and the General Public and has a FREE 24 Hour Hotline 1-800-222-1222 manned by trained healthcare professionals to answer questions about coronavirus. They also have information for Schools and Businesses and Healthcare/Public Health Professionals. The CDC updates known cases of coronavirus in the Unites States daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 noon. The NYTimes has an interactive tracking map that is updated 24-7 for the public as reports com in from state and local government.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. On this website you can find information and guidance from WHO (World Health Organization) regarding the current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that was first reported from Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019.