NJ DOH is halting Adult Day Health Services in all counties. As of 2:00 p.m. on March 20th they reported 155 new cases, 890 total and 2 additional deaths, 11 total. The Monmouth County testing site is set to open on Monday, March 23. New Jersey residents should be prepared for the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in their community. You can take measures to reduce the spread of COVID- 19. The NJ Poison Control Center and 211 have partnered with the State to provide information to the Public on COVID-19: Call: 2-1-1; Call (24/7): 1-800-962-1253; Text: NJCOVID to 898-211 or Text: your zip code to 898-211 for live text assistance. Learn more here.

Advocare Merchantville Pediatrics urges please call us first rather than using the Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centers for non-life threatening issues, as there are many conditions that can be treated in the office. Please note the following precautionary measures our office is taking to protect you, your child, and our staff. Our waiting rooms are separated between sick and well. All books, magazines, and toys have been removed. The playhouse will be closed until further notice, which has saddened many of our patients. The office will be closed at lunchtime for a thorough cleaning. We are limiting well exams to the morning. We will be contacting you to reschedule afternoon well exams and also to confirm your existing morning well exam. We will have a tent outside if your child is very sick and needs to be seen in the morning. Please do not hesitate to call the office anytime for sick children. We also may ask to see you outside if you or your child is coughing or has a fever. We will see sick children from 1:00 p.m. to closing. Please do not hesitate to call us at any time. As always, your child's health is our main concern. We cannot stress enough that we are available 24/7 - call us first - at (856) 665-7337.  As this is an ever-changing situation, please check our page frequently or call our office for updates.

Effective immediately, and consistent with the directives contained in Camden County, Proclamation of Local Emergency and guidance from both the CDC and State of N.I officials, all Borough of Merchantville playgrounds, public bathrooms and water fountains located within any and all parks in the Borough arc hereby closed to the public. Park locations will remain open as outdoor only facilities during regular operating hours. Additionally. the Borough is instituting the following additional measures to continue to provide as much service in a safe manner and relief to the residents, businesses and visitors alike:

• Extending a grace period of ninety (90) days to the Sewer Utility bills that are currently due on April 1. 2020. No interest or penalties will be placed on those bills if paid on or before June 30. 2020.

• For all Certificate of Occupancy inspections occurring while the State of Emergency exists. the Borough Code department will offer the opportunity to perform the inspection via Facetime or other video-conforming tool. This will allow us to respect social distancing while still performing the service to allow for business to continue.

• All construction code and sub-code inspections will continue to occur in a regularly scheduled manner. For inspections in occupied homes the inspection will occur. but residents can expect such inspections to take longer than normal due to certain procedures/precautions that our staff must take. We understand the importance of these inspections and will continue to perform them as quickly as we can in a safe manner.

• The Borough has secured a Zoom account through which it will be able to conduct all public business. Meeting invites will be made public through official social media accounts and this tool will allow the public to participate via video conference or telephone as the Borough Council meetings will otherwise be closed to public participation during this State of Emergency. We encourage interested public to go to https://www.zoom.us and download the app to your computer or mobile device.

• To avoid inefficiency in Borough response to the needs of residents. businesses and visitors, we ask that should you be unsure of the department you need to mach, please call extension 303 and leave a message and we will be certain to route the call accordingly. 

From March 18th - 19th Governor Murphy signed the following bills to support residents and businesses and curb the spread of coronavirus during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bills A3680 and A3682 to expand access to tele-health services and to allow professional and occupational licensing board to expedite licensure of out-of-state professionals. Executive Order 106 places a moratorium on removing people from their homes due to evictions or foreclosures. No renter or homeowner can be evicted until further notice. Executive Order 105 implemented changes to upcoming elections to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that voters can exercise their right to vote without risking their health and safety. Bill A-3852/S-2296 allowing conduct of State business and legislative sessions at locations other than Trenton during periods of emergency or other exigence and allows conduct of legislative business using electronic means. Additionally, new amendments were added to the Child Care Subsidy Program to help provide access to critical child care subsidies while eligible parents attend jobs.

As the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, Wawa is doing everything we can to support the communities, customers and associates that rely on us every day, while constantly evaluating the best way to operate our stores. Effective March 20th effective at 5 a.m. Wawa is introducing changes to Self-Serve Coffee and other Beverages, Bakery Processes, and adding Store Closures for Enhanced Cleaning. Moving forward a Wawa associate will serve coffee to customers. We are suspending all self-service fountain beverages, iced drinks, cappuccino and iced coffee. Wawa will be individually bagging all bakery products for customers. In order to remain open safely, Wawa has enhanced our already strict cleaning and quality standards by increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting all touch points and surfaces. Wawa is adjusting store hours and implementing overnight closure between 2-3 a.m. at all locations for additional store cleaning, sanitation and stocking. Wawa remains committed to delivering our purpose of fulfilling lives every day and will continue to monitor the way we operate and make adjustments as needed. Please visit www.wawa.com/alerts/COVID-19-safety-readiness for details and updates on our store status, processes and measures taken to support our communities and ensure the health of our customers and associates.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. Most cases of COVID-19 are mild to moderate, like the common cold. But it can be more severe in older adults and people with chronic health conditions.The virus is most likely to be spread from person to person by droplets when coughing and from contact with surfaces where those droplets have landed. Since this virus is new, health authorities continue to carefully watch how this virus spreads. COVID-19 Cases by County are updated daily on this dashboard. Data is provisional and subsequent to revision. Information for: Communities and the General Public  |  Schools and Businesses  |  Healthcare and Public Health Professionals