Burlington County Backslides, Faces 'Moderate' Coronavirus Risk
BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County is one of 11 counties in the state that have seen a rise in some key metrics in the coronavirus crisis, according to a new report.
Burlington County last updated its case count on Tuesday. At that time, it had 7,817 cases with 477 confirmed deaths and 54 probable deaths.
The state Department of Health's "COVID-19 Activity Level Report," which is issued weekly, says the coronavirus activity level rose from "low" to "moderate" over the past week in Burlington County. Read more here: 11 NJ Counties Backslide In Coronavirus Crisis: Here’s Where
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Willingboro has the highest number of cases in the county, with 866 cases and 30 confirmed deaths. Burlington Township (685), Evesham (639) and Mount Laurel (571) each have more than 500 cases.
The report divides New Jersey into six regions, with Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties making up the Southwest Region. All four counties saw a rise from “low” to “moderate” risk, as did Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union counties.
By rising to a "moderate" level, state officials said, school districts in those counties may have to take more serious steps — such as quarantining or even shutting down schools — if a child shows the symptoms of COVID-19.
In Burlington County, Lenape Regional High School in Medford was closed for four days in September because of two coronavirus cases that were identified in the school.
Burlington County is actively engaged in contact tracing positive coronavirus cases. The focus is on close contacts, defined as closer than 6 feet for more than 10 minutes, household contacts and those that work in high risk settings such as healthcare workers and long term care facilities.
If community exposure has occurred, where a coronavirus positive person was in close contact with people for an extended period of time, while symptomatic, county officials will notify the public. Since residents are abiding by the social distancing requirements, officials said they have not run into that issue since early in the pandemic.
Reminder: Mass exposure, due to social distancing guidelines, and the cooperation of the public has been minimized. Residents are reminded to remain 6 feet apart while obtaining essential items or services, and stay home unless absolutely necessary.
See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
This article originally appeared on the Cinnaminson Patch
