COVID-19: Updated numbers for Sunday, May 24

BY GWEN OREL
orel@montclairlocal.news

New Jersey reported 1,050 new cases of COVID-19 and 52 resulting deaths on Sunday, May 24, bringing the statewide totals to 154,154 cases and 11,133 deaths, according to the state COVID-19 dashboard.

In the week since last Sunday, May 17, New Jersey has reported 7,820 new cases, roughly the same number as the week prior, despite increased testing. The past two weeks represent the fewest number of new cases reported since the end of March.

The state has reported 777 deaths since May 17, making this the first week since March 29-April 5 in which fewer than 1,000 COVID-19-related deaths were reported.

The statistical trend continues to be positive for most indicators, according to the state dashboard, with the number of hospitalized patients declining to 2,857, the lowest since March, as of Saturday night, May 23. The COVID dashboard also shows lows in the number of patients on ventilators, 639, and patients in intensive care, 760.

Sunday morning, Essex County officials reported 54 new positive cases in the county, bringing the total to 17,124. Saturday's new cases reported were just 15. Officials also reported 11 new deaths, bringing the Essex County total to 1,600.

According to the state dashboard, Essex County leads in the number of fatalities, and remains third for the total number of positive cases, following Hudson and Bergen Counties.

The Montclair Health Department revised their count of residents to have tested positive to 408 on Sunday, one fewer than the number reported Saturday. The number of residents who have not survived the illness remained at 48.

OUTDOOR GATHERINGS FOR 25 PEOPLE OK'D

On Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order increasing the limit on outdoor gatherings from 10 to 25 people. The limit on indoor gatherings remains at 10 people.

So those looking to hold Memorial Day gatherings can have them, so long as they observe the following rules: :

• The gathering must take place entirely outdoors except for restroom use;
• Limit capacity to no more than 25 people at all times;
• Require attendees to be six feet apart at all times, excluding immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners;
• Prohibit contact between attendees, and no organized or contact sports;
• If the event is an organized gathering, the organizer should demarcate six feet of spacing in the area of the gathering to demonstrate appropriate spacing for social distancing;
• Limit provided seating to single individuals, spaced six feet apart, and sanitized after each use and;
• Prohibit sharing of any physical items provided and require sanitization before and after each use.

SMALL BUSINESS FUNDING EXPANSION

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced a $50 million expansion of its Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program, which provides funding to small businesses facing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The expanded program will provide grants up to $10,000 to qualified businesses and relaxes eligibility criteria to include a broader variety of businesses as well as home-based businesses and sole proprietorships.
For complete details on the NJEDA Small Business Grant Program, go to the NJEDA website: www.njeda.com/covidgrantprogramexpansion.

Essex County Coronavirus Cases

Updated: Sunday, May 24, 2020

• Social distancing, hand hygiene, and other steps to prevent infection must be followed at all times in all municipalities regardless of the number of cases.
• The number of infected individuals in any municipality is likely to be much greater than indicated as this data ONLY includes persons who have been tested and whose lab results have been reported in the State’s data system.

This data will not match any other report since cases are continually entering the system and local health departments may reassign place of residence as appropriate during their investigations