Summit Sees Four New Coronavirus Cases Since Friday

Caren Lissner
·5 min read

SUMMIT, NJ — On Wednesday, July 8, the city of Summit reported two new cases of coronavirus among residents since the day before, a day in which none were reported. And in a Monday, July 6 update, the city had reported two new cases since the previous Friday.

The four new cases this week increased the total number of confirmed cases in Summit to 220 as of Wednesday, from 216 on Friday.

Before that, the city had gone a week with just one new case, from Saturday, June 26 to this past Friday, July 3.

Most cities in New Jersey are seeing an uptick in cases as facilities reopen and people travel back from states that reopened sooner than New Jersey.

The state has asked New Jersey residents to self-quarantine and get tested after coming back from 19 states. Three new states were added Tuesday after the original sixteen.

States around the country have had to pull back on their reopenings, including Texas, which closed bars and which is seeing a record number of hospitalizations and deaths.

Before the July 4 holiday weekend, on Wednesday, July 1, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said there had been 423 new cases of the virus statewide in the previous 24 hours, and 45 more deaths. That meant that the number of cases had risen to 171,928, and 13,244 deaths.

A week later, this Wednesday, July 8, Murphy reported 53 new deaths in 24 hours and 335 new cases, bringing the death toll to 13, 476, with two residents dying from the virus in the state each hour.

But this rate is down from New Jersey's peak: a high of 460 deaths in 24 hours on April 30, or one person every three minutes.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered residents to wear masks. He also said he will expand outdoor dining.

Summit death toll

The last reported death among Summit residents was announced in a report on June 17. A city spokesperson said in a release that day, "The Westfield Regional Health Department has confirmed the 17th fatality associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus in Summit, NJ. The deceased is a resident that had previously been hospitalized."

As of the date of the June 17 report, there had been 212 confirmed cases of residents testing positive for the virus.

Additional local and state statistics are available at https://www.cityofsummit.org/coronavirus.

To find out more about Summit rules and resources, click the city's website here. To check out Patch reports on reopenings and more, see these other recent Summit coronavirus updates:

ENTERTAINMENT

  • Read about the newly announced summer outdoor movies, concerts, and outdoor dining map here.

SCHOOLS

  • Summit Public Schools are scheduled to open for fall Monday, Aug. 31.

  • The state is presently considering three options for fall school reopening in New Jersey: in-person schooling, virtual schooling, and a "blended option" involving both.

  • The acting superintendent asked parents on Monday to help their kids practice "mask endurance."

TESTING

  • The schedule for the Union County drive-through testing center has changed several times. For more information, click here.

  • If you're a Union City resident, you can make an appointment at the testing site by calling 908-214-7107.

LOCAL BUSINESS/JOBS

  • The Garden State had planned to start allowing bars and restaurants to reopen for indoor dining on Thursday at 25 percent capacity — but Murphy pulled back last Monday, citing coronavirus spikes in other states where indoor dining opened earlier, as well as photos of Jersey shore bars packed with patrons.

  • However, outdoor dining started June 15. Here is a map of places to eat in Summit.

  • Hair salons and other personal care businesses were able to reopen June 22. State rules can be found here.

  • Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.

  • Turtleback Zoo has job opportunities in guest relations, paddle boats, Treetop Adventure, parking and maintenance, must be 18 years of age. Please visit the link for a list of available jobs and how to apply: https://buff.ly/2QWodaV

HOSPITALS/NURSING HOMES

  • New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities, and have charged that the facilities are undercounting the numbers and not adequately protecting residents and staff. The state has faced questions for weeks from the press about how they will address the problems.

  • There is now a state website with numbers for people at individual nursing homes.

  • You can report immediate issues with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct that should be reported to the Attorney General, here.

  • Some nursing homes have begun allowing socially distanced visits.

  • Local hospitals updated their visitor guidelines last week. Read more here.

GIVING AND GETTING HELP

  • To find out about help for the needy and seniors, or get food or food bank information, contact your town via the town website.

  • To read about Feed the Front Lines, click here.

Here are additional statewide coronavirus resources:

  • NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/

  • General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1

  • NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Don't miss Westfield and statewide news alerts when they are announced. Sign up for free Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.


This article originally appeared on the Summit Patch