Hoboken Mayor Confirms Highest 2-Day Total Of New COVID-19 Cases Since Mid-May
HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - While coronavirus numbers have been trending down in the tri-state area, there's concern about a recent spike in some places, especially as crowds gather to celebrate July 4th.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced Saturday the city recently saw its highest two-day total of new COVID-19 cases since mid-May.
The mayor said 13 cases of the coronavirus were confirmed on July 2 and 3.
"All 13 of the new cases that we've seen are ones that have traveled for work or for pleasure outside of the city of Hoboken," Bhalla said. "Twelve of those 13 cases went to states on New Jersey's quarantine list, including Florida, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina."
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are requiring a 14-day quarantine for anyone returning from the following 16 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
"No matter which way you go about it, unless you have a national lockdown, there's no way you can completely control that," Fort Lee resident John Conway said.
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Bhalla said the positive tests are all people under the age of 45, mostly between 20 and 35-years-old, and who attended indoor and outdoor events with groups of people. In some cases, he said, they showed no symptoms of the virus.
The mayor said no cases are linked to recent protests in Hoboken and encouraged everyone to continue social distancing and wearing masks.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced 303 new positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed statewide Saturday.
Jay Gatt is a Manhattan-based graphic designer who just spent close to two months at a friend's house in New Jersey.
"It was good to get away," he told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
Saturday, he returned home.
"Work wasn't happening, and so staying healthy was the number one goal," he said. "The city seems to be doing a lot better, at least compared to the rest of the country, so it seemed like it was time to come home."
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New cases in New York State, meanwhile, rose to more than 900 Friday, matching highs from three weeks ago.
There was relief Saturday, though, when new cases went down from that figure by nearly 200.
But Gov. Andrew Cuomo said COVID storm clouds could gather if residents attend crowded holiday gatherings and get lax.
In a statement, he said, "As we move through this holiday weekend, I strongly urge everyone to closely follow state guidance on safe practices and local governments to enforce that guidance."
There was an uptick in coronavirus cases after Memorial Day. Time will tell if July 4th will create another bounce.
