Please see the information below from Mayor Weber and the Township Committee.
Since the arrival of COVID-19 in early March 2020, there have been a total of 1,131 confirmed (PCR test) and 350 probable (antigen test) COVID-19 cases reported in Springfield Township. The chart above shows the trend in reported cases over time. The number of new cases has recently increased slightly statewide. Health departments across New Jersey continue to closely monitor emerging variants of concern, like Delta, breakthrough cases among the fully-vaccinated, outbreaks associated with summer travel and camps, and new clusters in communities with low vaccination rates as well as aggressively pursue contact tracing to prevent further community spread and additional outbreaks where possible.
Guidance/Executive Orders:
- This week, the CDC made changes in its recommendations for masking in areas of the country with “high” or “substantial” transmission in an effort to slow the spread of the Delta variant.
- “To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.” This advice applies to both unvaccinated AND fully -vaccinated individuals over the age of 2.
- As per the CDC, Essex and Union counties are identified as areas of “substantial” transmission; Morris county is still in the “moderate” category. The color-coded map from CDC is available HERE.
- Yesterday, Governor Murphy and NJDOH Commissioner Persichilli announced the recommendation that both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents wear masks in indoor settings when there is increased risk.
Examples of such situations include:
- Crowded indoor settings
- Indoor settings involving activities with close contact with others who may not be fully vaccinated
- Indoor settings where the vaccine status of other individuals in the setting is unknown
- Where an individual is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease
- Also this week, the CDC changed its recommendation for mask-wearing in schools. It is now recommending universal masking in all K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. NJDOH assures us that the updated K-12 guidance documents are in final review. We anticipate that the NJ guidance will reflect the CDC recommendation shift, but it is unclear whether masks in K-12 schools will be mandated like last year.
CALI Score & Variant Report:
- Union County is YELLOW (moderate)
- Week-by-week information on COVID-19 variants identified across NJ can be found HERE. Of note, variant testing across the state has seen a large increase in (Delta B.1.617.2) cases over the past few weeks; Delta now represents over 90% of variants identified. We do not have information on Delta cases at the county or municipal level at this time. We are monitoring the situation closely; there have been breakthrough COVID-19 cases (cases among full-vaccinated individuals) throughout all counties in New Jersey. Fortunately, the vaccines available in the United States are extremely effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death. The latest information from CDC indicates that the vaccines remain highly effective against currently-circulating variants. Vaccination is still the most important tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and is recommended for all individuals over age 12, including those who have recovered from previous COVID-19 infection.
Homebound residents throughout our communities are also being contacted and appointments scheduled. If you know someone who is unable to leave their home (for any reason) to get a vaccine, you can register them here or call our nursing division at (973) 680-4058.
The table above shows a summary of descriptive statistics for confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the past seven days, all confirmed COVID-19 cases, and all confirmed COVID-19-related deaths.
Stay Safe!
jlaw