11 Coronavirus Cases In Essex County; Official Names Towns

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County towns have seen at least 11 presumptive positive coronavirus cases as of Sunday afternoon, including cases in Nutley, Maplewood, Bloomfield, Millburn, Montclair and Newark, officials say.

On Sunday, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. appeared at a press conference in Newark, as officials announced the city’s first presumptive positive case of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19.

DiVincenzo said the entire county has seen 11 positive cases of coronavirus, including in the following municipalities:

• Bloomfield – 2
• Maplewood – 1
• Millburn – 2
• Montclair – 3
• Nutley – 2
• Newark - 1

“There’s no question the numbers are going to get higher and higher,” DiVincenzo said.

DiVincenzo said he’s asking state officials for two drive-by testing stations to be set up in Essex County, including one in Newark and one in West Essex.

Essex County officials have been taking several measures to protect residents from the new coronavirus, including closing several facilities, postponing events and changing visiting policies.

In addition, the Essex County Sheriff's Office will be suspending foreclosures, evictions and sheriff's sales until the public health emergency is over.

• See related article: Essex County To Close Zoo, Stop Evictions As Coronavirus Spreads

CORONAVIRUS IN NEW JERSEY

The number of people with the coronavirus in New Jersey had risen to 69 as of Saturday. Authorities said two people have died. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency, schools across the state have begun to cancel classes, and local governments and community organizations have launched their own efforts to protect residents from the virus.

In general — depending on where they live — New Jersey residents still face a “low risk” of contracting COVID-19, State Epidemiologist Christina Tan said during a Wednesday press conference.

There have been more than 2,900 confirmed U.S. cases of the new coronavirus as of Sunday morning according to Johns Hopkins University, which says the disease also has killed 57 people nationwide.

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WHAT IS COVID-19?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a health care professional recommends it. A face mask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected. The use of face masks also is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

Residents who have questions about the virus can contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222. The hotline is home of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, and is staffed 24 hours a day by state health workers.

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