Dear Residents,

This is the 16th COVID-19 related post that I have posted to our website.  I hope the updates I have been posting over the last few weeks have been helpful.  These public notices have contained a great deal of information covering a host of different issues dealing with the Novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.  I urge you to look at all of them for valuable information.

The Borough Council and I have been regularly engaging in conference calls with State and County Officials about COVID-19 and working with emergency personnel around the clock.  Due to the volume of information over the last few weeks, I thought it best to do a quick recap in conjunction with some new information regarding tax filing deadlines and help for small businesses.

Working with the State of New Jersey

Recently, Governor Murphy has made additional exemptions to his Executive Order covering essential businesses, has moved the NJ State Income Tax filing deadline to July 15th and enacted a host of other initiatives including extending the stay at home order to April 30th.

In order to cover all of this, the most important link I can share with you is one which I have put in multiple past public notices and that is the New Jersey COVID-19 Information HUB.  This website has been set up by the State of New Jersey and is your one-stop website for all issues whether you are an individual or a business.  There are various portals on this site for general questions about COVID-19 itself, what to do if you are infected or think you are infected, financial assistance and grants for both individuals and businesses along with areas for a range of social services assistance including but not limited to food, mental health and domestic violence.  Additionally, this site condenses all of the Governor’s Executive Orders dealing with COVID-19 in a clear and succinct manner.

Please click here for this site: NJ COVID-19 Information HUB

COVID-19 In Point Pleasant

In regard to positive cases of COVID-19 in our community, I’ve previously stated that as tests become more available and time moves on, we will inevitably have a rise in positive cases as with all municipalities in our State.  The names, addresses and statuses of these individual positive cases will not be revealed due to laws protecting one’s medical history.  Not even the Borough Council and I are privy to specific information, only authorized medical personnel have this info as it is not public.  Only the total number of cases in each municipality are available.  I’ve previously shared with you the link to view them daily and will share again below.  While there is not a need for you to be panicked by this, there is a need for you to be concerned though and to continue to do your part by practicing social distancing and making smart hygiene decisions.

The Ocean County Health Department is the lead agency for investigation of cases involving a positive COVID-19 person.  If it is determined that a resident is in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19, the County Health Department will reach out.  The County Health Department conducts a thorough contact tracing exercise on each case and notifies anyone that could have come in contact with that individual.

You can see the total number of cases not just in Point Pleasant but in every municipality in Ocean County daily by clicking on the  Ocean County Health Department web page.  You can also click on the New Jersey Department of Health’s page as well for State numbers at NJ Department of Health.  At the moment, there is no more information other than total numbers in each town.  County and State Officials have not yet created reports breaking down cases town by town in regard to recoveries, deaths or severity.  Once reports like this become available, I will certainly relay them to you.

The Borough Council and I cannot stress enough the need to practice strict social distancing and good hygiene habits.  It is imperative that we all do our part to help flatten the curve and prevent further spread of COVID-19.

Municipal Operations in Point Pleasant

As for Borough of Point Pleasant municipal operations, I am pleased to report to you that even though Borough Hall is closed to the public, we are still performing essential functions to keep our community operational.  I have covered in past posts that we have instituted from the beginning social distancing and increased sanitizing practices at Borough Hall and at all our facilities.   We also took additional actions by closing our skate park, playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts weeks ago.  Additionally, we have also closed our boardwalk at Riverfront Park and our small beaches due to their confined spaces.  Our open fields are still open for passive recreation purposes only but group gatherings are strictly prohibited.

For those residents that registered for Spring 2020 Recreation Programs before we had to make the difficult decision to cancel them, refunds are currently being processed.

We also suspended until further notice all Air B&B and vacation rentals since the Governor has stated everyone should stay at their primary residencies.

While Borough Hall remains closed to the public, all essential functions can still be accomplished either by mail, email or going onto our website.  I encourage you to check our website often for changes to any services.  Public Works services also continue and garbage, recycling and leaf collection schedules are on time.

I would like to thank our employees for their dedication and hard work in these trying times.  Our staff at Borough Hall and Public Works have truly shown what it means to be public servants.  I would also like to thank our emergency personnel as well.  Our Police, Fire and First Aid Departments have been working harder than ever and I cannot thank them enough for putting themselves on the front lines of this pandemic.

I have also made numerous public posts about what Federal, State and private institutions programs for financial assistance are available for both businesses and individuals.  All of that information can be found on our website.

In closing, The Borough Council and I would like to thank our community for your patience and understanding during this unique moment in our history.  I constantly say there is no better place to be than The Boro and the way we have all pulled together recently proves that.  From your charitable acts towards one another, to supporting your local businesses and for adhering to smart social distancing and hygiene practices we have shown what being a community is all about.

Stay well,

Mayor Robert A. Sabosik