Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Tag: covid

Outdoor Dining Restaurants

Linden restaurants open for outdoor dining:

  • III Amici Ristorante – 1700 West Elizabeth Avenue
  • Abigail’s Café – 804 West Elizabeth Avenue
  • Amsterdam Alley – 9-11 West Price Street
  • Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar – 671 West Edgar Rd (Rts 1&9)
  • Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar – 1701 W. Edgar Rd. (Rts 1&9)
  • Chevy’s Fresh Mex – Aviation Plaza 1150 S. Stiles Street
  • Dragonfly Sushi – Aviation Plaza 660 West Edgar Road (Rts 1&9)
  • Nuno’s Pavilion – 300-318 Roselle Street
  • Parkview Tavern & Restaurant – 2048 E. St. Georges Avenue
  • Taboo Men’s Club – 2005 -2015 E. Linden Avenue

Please check with the establishment regarding hours of operation.

Governor Murphy and Superintendent Callahan Announce that Indoor Portions of Retail Shopping Malls May Reopen on June 29

Malls are reopening, and here’s some of the fine print.

Retail businesses located in the interior of shopping malls are permitted to reopen to the public, as long as they comply with the requirements contained in Executive Order No. 122. Restaurants within the interior of a retail shopping mall are restricted to offering takeout and delivery services, except that they may also provide in-person service at outdoor areas outside the shopping mall pursuant to Executive Order No. 150. 

Retail kiosks located within malls may operate subject to the applicable requirements contained in Executive Order No. 122, and must ensure that customers remain six feet apart at all times.All areas with communal seating shall be removed or cordoned off. Isolated seats or benches available for individual use may be accessible, in order to provide customers with a place to rest. Stroller rentals, vending machines, communal play areas and valet parking must remain closed.

Indoor shopping mall operators should evaluate floor plans and establish policies to minimize congestion points and maintain social distancing, such as a customer flow plan with floor markings or separate entrance and exit points.

With respect to the mall’s own employees, mall operators must require infection control practices, provide employees break time for handwashing, and provide sanitization materials, among other requirements. The order also states that employees and customers must wear face coverings while on the premises, except where doing so would inhibit that individual’s health or where the individual is under two years of age. If a customer refuses to wear a cloth face covering for non-medical reasons and if such covering cannot be provided to the individual by the mall at the point of entry, then the mall must decline entry to the individual.

Click here for the full press release.

Returning to the Office

There have been various interpretations of the state’s rules regarding when offices can reopen and at what capacity. Although indoor gatherings are now limited to 25% of a building’s capacity or up to 50 people, whichever is less, Gov. Murphy maintains that those who can work from home should continue to work from home.

2020 Summer Day Camp/Playground Program Cancelled – Virtual Summer Program Details Forthcoming

To the Linden Community:

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that at last night’s City Council Meeting, it was announced that the 2020 Summer Day Camp/Playground Program will be cancelled. We had every intent to open this summer. We waited to receive the Governor’s Office Youth Summer Camp Standards. Upon review of the standards, which were released last week, we determined that it would have been extremely difficult to comply and provide a safe environment for our youth, families, staff, and community at-large.

Knowing that our youth have not attended school since mid-March, we were aware of the importance of the program in addressing their social and emotional needs. We were also aware that this program was vital to provide childcare for working families. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused any families that relied on us for childcare and for our youth that were highly anticipating another summer with their favorite counselors. With this being said, we are planning a virtual summer program. Details will be forthcoming.

For those families that registered for the Summer Day Camp Program, an email will be sent from the Department of Parks and Recreation with instructions for receiving a full refund. Again, we are sorry that an in-person program will not occur for Summer 2020, and we will do everything that we can to come back stronger than ever for Summer 2021. As always, we thank you for trusting us with your children.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
Ralph Dunhamn
Director of Parks and Recreation

Click here to view and/or download the original letter with this content.

Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Allowing Personal Care Service Facilities to Open Effective June 22

Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 154, allowing personal care service facilities to reopen to the public on Monday, June 22 at 6:00 a.m., provided the facilities comply with standards issued by the Division of Consumer Affairs and Department of Health.  

“We’re able to confidently announce this important step in our restart and recovery because the health metrics tell us we can,” said Governor Murphy. “With the proper health and safety protocols in place, personal care business owners who are anxious get back to serving their customers and communities will have the opportunity to do so.” 

  1. Under the Governor’s Executive Order, personal care service facilities include:  
  2. Cosmetology shops;
  3. Barber shops;
  4. Beauty salons;
  5. Hair braiding shops;
  6. Nail salons;
  7. Electrology facilities;
  8. Spas, including day spas and medical spas, at which solely elective and cosmetic medical procedures are performed;
  9. Massage parlors;
  10. Tanning salons; and
  11. Tattoo parlors.  

The Division of Consumer Affairs today issued an Administrative Order that includes comprehensive health and safety standards that personal care services who are licensees of the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy must abide by. Safeguards include:  

  1. Limiting services to appointment-only;
  2. Performing health screening, including temperature checks, on clients and staff prior to entry to the facility;
  3. Requiring use of personal protective equipment, and requiring clients to wear face coverings at all times, regardless of the service they are receiving, unless face down on a massage table or where doing so would inhibit an individual’s health;
  4. Ensuring that all staff-client pairs maintain at least six feet distance between other staff-client pairs, unless separated by physical barriers;
  5. Adopting enhanced cleaning and disinfection practices; and
  6. Staying informed about new developments and guidance related to COVID-19. 

The Order further directs the Commissioner of the DOH to issue health and safety standards for use by tattoo parlors, tanning salons and other locations in which personal care services are offered by individuals  who are not acting within the scope of a license issued by a professional board within the Division of Consumer Affairs. 

Nothing in the Order shall prevent the provision of services to a person that is confined to their home and unable to travel due to a disability, if these services 1) are permitted under existing statutes and regulations and 2) are provided in a manner that substantially complies with standards issued by the Division of Consumer Affairs and DOH.  DOH issued an Executive Directive today that includes comprehensive health and safety standards for these locations.

Cosmetology schools or other places that provide instruction and training for personal care services shall remain closed at this time.

Documentation

  • For a copy of Executive Order No. 154, please click here.
  • For a copy of the Division of Consumer Affairs’ Administrative Order, please click here.
  • For a copy of the Department of Health’s Executive Directive, please click here.
  • To view the original press release on nj.gov, please click here.

New COVID-19 Confirmed Case Data Format on the City Website

Today a new page was brought live to the City website to replace the Google Doc with the daily updated confirmed COVID-19 case data. The new page has live CDC and NJ Department of Health data and graphics embedded into it. The page is available to view here, and is linked to the COVID-19 Menu and to the Smartphone Menu. The new page contains data with embedded, immersive content, and is best viewed from a computer or tablet. On a smartphone, the page is best viewed in landscape.

The City website also has additional information with immersive content about COVID-19 called the Coronavirus Pandemic Data Explorer, which can be found here.

Governor Murphy Announces New Jersey to Enter Stage Two of Restart and Recovery on June 15th

Outdoor Dining and Indoor, Non-Essential Retail Allowed as of June 15th

Hair Salons and Barber Shops May Reopen on June 22nd

TRENTON – As part of his restart and recovery plan, “The Road Back: Restoring Economic Health Through Public Health,” Governor Phil Murphy today announced that New Jersey will enter Stage Two on June 15, 2020.

Guided by strict protocols from the New Jersey Department of Health, as well as input from the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Commission and complementary Advisory Councils, Stage Two will include outdoor dining for restaurants and indoor, non-essential retail as of June 15th. Beginning on June 22nd, barber shops and salons will be able to reopen. In the period to follow, New Jersey will work toward the gradual opening of personal care, gyms, and health clubs, at reduced capacities as the stage progresses. All of these activities will be allowed pursuant to strict health and safety guidelines that will be issued in the coming days. New Jersey ended maximum restrictions and moved to Stage One on May 18, 2020.

“As we move through Stage One of our strategic restart and recovery process, public health data continues to demonstrate our collective success in flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” said Governor Murphy. “It is with these favorable metrics, coupled with expanded testing capacity and contact tracing, that we can responsibly enter Stage Two of our multi-stage approach to recovery. Our economic restart must instill confidence among our residents and visitors that their safety, and that of their families, is our number one priority. I encourage all New Jerseyans to continue their vigilance in keeping themselves and their communities safe by social distancing, wearing face coverings, washing hands frequently, and limiting gatherings.”

STAGE 2:
Restrictions are relaxed on activities that can be easily safeguarded.

Phased-in businesses and activities, with adherence to safeguarding and modification guidelines, include:

  • Outdoor dining (beginning on June 15th)
  • Limited in-person retail (beginning on June 15th)
  • Hair salons and barber shops (beginning on June 22nd)
  • Youth summer programs (beginning on July 6th)
  • In-person clinical research/labs
  • Limited fitness/gyms
  • Limited in-person government services (e.g. – Motor Vehicle Commission)
  • Museums/libraries

All workers who can work from home should continue to work from home.

Precautions that apply across all stages include:

  • Clinically high-risk individuals who can stay at home should continue to do so.
  • All residents and businesses should follow state and federal safeguarding guidelines:
    • Wash hands
    • Wear masks in public
    • Respect social distancing
    • Minimize gatherings
    • Disinfect workplace and businesses
    • Minimize gatherings 
    • No mass gatherings

New Jersey will move toward subsequent stages based on data that demonstrates improvements in public health and the capacity to safeguard the public, including:

  • Sustained improvements in public health indicators, including new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, individuals in intensive care, and ventilator use;
  • Substantial increase in testing and contact tracing capacity;
  • Sufficient resilience in New Jersey’s health care system to include adequate bed capacity, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and workforce;
  • Widespread safeguarding of workplaces;
  • Widespread safeguarding and capacity of child care, schools, and mass transit;
  • Continued public compliance.

If public health indicators, safeguarding, or compliance worsen on a sustained basis, New Jersey will be prepared to move back to more restrictive stages as well.

Click here to read the full press release.

COVID-19 Alternatives to Traditional Commencement Ceremonies (Update)

The COVID-19 public health emergency caused unprecedented disruption to the 2019-20 school year. Recognizing that graduation is a major milestone for students and families, Governor Murphy is committed to providing school districts with maximum flexibility to honor graduating classes while abiding by health and safety requirements and guidelines that continue to evolve based on the latest public health data.

The Department is providing three alternatives to traditional commencement ceremonies for public school districts, charter schools, renaissance school projects and nonpublic schools (collectively “school districts”): (1) virtual, (2) drive-through/drive-in, or (3) modified in-person, outdoor ceremonies. DOE has previously addressed virtual ceremonies, and has provided guidance accessible here. This guidance document provides information on drive-through/drivein ceremonies, and modified in-person, outdoor ceremonies. Decisions about the most appropriate type of ceremony for each community will be made at the local level in consultation with local officials based on the specific circumstances in each municipality and school district.

Please click here to view and/or download the update with all the information about acceptable alternatives to traditional commencement ceremonies.

Coronavirus Economic Impact Payments from the IRS

Americans without a permanent address qualify for a one-time $1,200 Economic Impact Payment.

No income is required to claim the payment. Individuals who normally don’t file taxes, need to sign up with the IRS to receive their $1,200 Payment. The IRS will mail a letter to the individual’s last known address within a few weeks after the payment is issued.

For more information about this program, click here to visit the IRS website.

To sign up using the free IRS online tool, click here.

To view and/or download the official flyer about this program from the IRS, click here.