Cape May County leads in new daily cases; masks to be required in schools
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
The number of COVID-19 cases is jumping statewide, with increases in Atlantic County and Cape May County leading the state in daily new cases. With schools opening in just under four weeks, Gov. Phil Murphy said students and staff will be wearing masks inside school buildings to start the new academic year.
In Atlantic County, where Mainland Regional High School will return students Sept. 8, new COVID-19 cases jumped again in the past week to 308 from Aug. 3 to 9, from 209 cases the week prior.
In Cape May County, where Ocean City and Lower Cape May Regional schools will have students walk in the doors a day earlier, on Sept. 7, the numbers of active cases nearly doubled, even though officials have taken pains to point out that active cases remain “well below” winter highs.
State and local officials put the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus at the heart of the rising numbers.
The Cape May County Board of Commissioners said the county’s daily base rate rose over the week leading up to the Aug. 6 report. “It appears the more transmissible Delta variant of the COVID virus is within the county population and is likely accounting for many of the new cases,” the county public information office wrote. “Fortunately, hospitalizations have remained relatively low, with 11 COVID-positive patients admitted as of Thursday’s report.”
The county is averaging about 20 cases per day over the prior 10 days, which is about half the number when COVID-19 cases were peaking in January.
County officials pointed to covidactnow.org, which tracks coronavirus cases. It shows Cape May County leads the state with the highest number of daily new cases per 100,000 population – the county’s population is about 92,000 – with 29.2. Only Monmouth County, at 24.1, exceeds 20 cases per day. Atlantic County’s rate is reported at 13.4 new cases daily, according to the website.
Cape May County officials are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, to continue good sanitary practices, social distance and wear masks in indoor settings. The county reinstituted its policy requiring masks in indoor county facilities.
Lower Township had the most active cases in the latest county report with 73, followed by Middle Township with 52, Upper Township with 41, and Ocean City and Wildwood with 27 each.
There were 302 active cases in the communities in the latest Cape May County report, nearly double the 161 cases reported the week prior. There also were 28 cases in long-term care facilities, 22 of them in Woodbine and the other six in Middle Township.
In other communities, Cape May had 14 active cases, West Cape May had nine and Cape May Point had 1. Sea Isle City had 12.
“The Cape May County Department of Health continues to monitor the various COVID variants, including the Delta strain that is dominant currently,” Cape May County Commissioner Director Gerald M. Thornton said in the Aug. 6 release. “We believe these actions are in the best interest of the visitors to our building, along with our employees, and follows the recommendations of the CDC. Our Department of Health continues to provide weekly availability to get vaccinated, which is the best way to stay protected from COVID-19.”
In neighboring Atlantic County, Egg Harbor Township (4,973), Galloway Township (3,660) and Atlantic City (3,642) have reported the most cases during the pandemic. Northfield has had 956, Somers Point has had 872 and Linwood 609.
Masks in schools
On Friday, Murphy announced the mask requirement in schools.
The governor said all students, educators and staff will be required to wear masks in school buildings to start the year. He blamed the rapid spread of the Delta variant, that no child under age 12 is eligible to be vaccinated and “the reality” many older students and their parents have not gotten the vaccine.
However, he pointed out schools will open for full-time, in-person instruction.
Calling the health and safety of the state’s children among the governor’s “most sacred responsibilities,” Murphy said the issue must remain “above politics.”
“Anyone telling you we can safely reopen schools without requiring everyone inside to wear a mask is quite simply lying to you because we can’t,” he said.
Murphy’s position is in stark contrast to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Although Florida is going through a surge of COVID-19 cases, DeSantis signed an executive order banning school districts from implementing mask mandates. He said wearing masks should be up to each student’s parents.
Murphy may have been referencing that when he said he too wants “to see our kids’ smiles” – a line DeSantis used – but the New Jersey governor said he also doesn’t want to see any of them getting sick or schools having to shut down again or go remote because of an outbreak “especially of a dangerous variant that is putting kids in its crosshairs,” Murphy said.
Without a mask requirement in schools, “that is where we’ll end up and that is not speculation,” Murphy said. He advised looking at other parts of the country at schools that have already opened, mostly in the southern part. It’s not a matter of if a school would have an outbreak, but when.
“For this moment, getting our kids safely back in the classroom requires them and their educators and staff to begin the upcoming school year wearing their masks,” Murphy said.
New Jersey residents 12 years of age and older are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Other changes in N.J.
At the beginning of the week, Murphy announced a vaccine requirement for workers in certain state and private health care facilities and high-risk congregate settings.
The facilities are required to have their staffs vaccinated by Sept. 7 or have a plan to test unvaccinated workers – at a minimum of one to two times per week.
Murphy said the state would begin aggressive testing in veteran’s homes.
Other state settings include Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, Ann Klein Forensic Center, Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, Paramus Veterans Memorial Home, Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home, Vineland Veterans Memorial Home, Developmental Centers, University Hospital, state correctional facilities and Juvenile Justice Commission facilities.
Private facilities affected by the new requirement include long-term care and assisted-living facilities, county jails, acute-care hospitals and specialty hospitals, short-term and post-acute in-patient rehabs, licensed behavioral health facilities and home health agencies.
A week earlier, Murphy and Health Commissioner Dr. Judith Persichilli strongly recommended going back to masking in all indoor settings.
Mobile Vaccine Clinic in Ocean City
Cape May County’s COVID-19 Mobile Vaccine Clinic will be in Ocean City Thursday, Aug. 12. The vaccinations are free and no appointment is necessary.
The clinic will be open 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot for the Ocean City Free Public Library at 1735 Simpson Ave. The Cape May County Department of Health will be offering the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which are approved for anybody age 18 or older. For additional information, call (609) 465-1187.
The county also provides free vaccines 1 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Department of Health offices at 6 Moore Road in Cape May Court House. Anyone age 16 or older interested in finding alternative sites to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can visit covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder to find a walk-in location by searching by zip code. The search results then provide available sites, minimum age at that location based on the vaccine available there, street address, and a phone number to call for more information.
