WOODBRDIGE – Woodbridge officials reported eight new positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the township to 1,482, according to Mayor John McCormac in his daily report on May 14.
“We are in our best three day rolling average, our best week and our best just about everything else so we have reason to think positively though we cannot forget that only a sustained period of no new cases is our ultimate goal,” he said. “Keep all those who just became ill and those who are still ill and those who passed in your thoughts and prayers.”
The total positive COVID-19 cases at St. Joseph’s Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility is 48. The township is reporting statistics from the nursing home separately.
The residents at St. Joseph’s Nursing Home devastated by COVID-19 were initially counted in the township’s statistics before residents were moved to another facility out of town on March 25. On April 16, residents started moving back home after a massive cleaning effort. On May 4, the last resident has moved back to the facility.
The township has lost 64 residents to COVID-19.
McCormac, in his report, noted the drive for We Feed Woodbridge, a collection of the township’s 11 food pantries, has raised more than 5,000 pounds of food and more than $84,000. Donations can be sent to the township Health Center at 2 George Frederick Plaza or Town Hall at 1 Main Street, both in Woodbridge, NJ 07095.
“In one of the most heartwarming stories of our entire COVID-19 experience these last two months, a 90-year-old resident of Woodbridge named Eugene received a $1,200 check under the Federal Stimulus Package and turned it over to We Feed Woodbridge because he said he didn’t need it,” he said.
The mayor also said the members of the Township Council have been quietly assisting in the overall effort to help people during the pandemic from buying lunch for hospital workers to donating food and supplies for homebound seniors.
With Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement of more businesses able to open up for curbside pickup, the township wants to generate a list of all businesses in town with the option. To be on the list call 732-726-6261 or email [email protected].
Summerfest 2020 has been moved from June 6 to Sept. 5 in Merrill Park, Iselin. McCormac said they hope to have a ceremony during the festival to recognize the residents who passed from COVID-19 and bring together family and loved ones to celebrate their lives as well as to celebrate hero first responders and health care professionals who put their lives on the line to protect and save others.
The township’s annual fireworks display has been moved from July 2 to Sept. 6 in Alvin P. Williams Park in Sewaren.
Colonia Cares is a group of high school students from Colonia High School [CHS], who came together to sell T-shirts and lawn signs. All the proceeds are turned into gift cards from local stores and restaurants, which are then donated to local food banks as well as Woodbridge Social Services.
On May 16, CHS students will be at the Evergreen Senior Center, 400 Inman Ave., giving out T-shirts and collecting non-perishable food items, pet food and supplies, and other donations of masks and gloves.
The CHS students are also calling township seniors to check in on them during the pandemic. Woodbridge High School (WHS) has partnered with Colonia Cares to form Woodbridge Cares. The WHS students will announce their collection dates soon.
The soup kitchen at Trinity Episcopal Church, 650 Rahway Ave., in Woodbridge is open again from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday for a hot lunch to go.
Keep Middlesex Moving, a non-profit transportation management association, challenges people to ride their bike during the month of May and they will donate food to the We Feed Woodbridge food banks. For more information visit the township’s website or www.kmm.org.
The township has extended the grace period for the May 1 property tax bills from May 10 to May 31.
The mayor continues to urge social distancing at parks. Playground equipment is off limits and organized games or practices are not allowed. He also urges neighbors to check on people who live alone and cannot leave their homes and to continue to follow the rules and guidelines for social distancing, good personal hygiene, proper disposal of trash and avoiding non-essential travel. He also continues to warn residents of potential fundraising scams for COVID-19.
For more COVID-19 information, visit covid19.nj.gov. Visit www.twp.woodbridge.nj.us for local information.
For Middlesex County information visit discovermiddlesex.com/covid19/ or www.middlsexcountynj.gov/covid19.