Dear Neighbors,
Happy 4th of July! I hope you will be able to enjoy the long weekend celebrating our nation’s independence! Despite the arrival of warm weather and our summer holiday weekend, rest assured that COVID-19 has not disappeared. We want to flatten the curve AND celebrate our nation’s independence. So please, enjoy the long 4th of July weekend safely and wear your face cover in public places.
COVID-19 Incidence Update and a Bending the Curve
As of Thursday, 598 Hoboken residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
Since March 30th, 29 Hoboken residents have died due to COVID-19. For those of you who have endured such a difficult loss at this extraordinary time, please know that you have the full support of your neighbors and our entire Hoboken community. We are with you. Together, we send you our prayers and extend to you our wishes for your comfort, healing, and peace.
July 4th Celebrations and Self-Quarantine Recommendations
While we all want to enjoy the holiday weekend to the fullest, gathering in large groups of people is still not advisable. Large gatherings during Memorial Day Weekend led to increased positive cases and hospitalizations. If you can, please celebrate with your household. If not, please try to limit your interactions with others and continue social distancing as much as possible. Celebrating outside with proper social distancing is much safer than indoor parties. So enjoy your holiday, but please continue being safe and responsible.
If you are making travel plans for the holiday weekend, please keep in mind that if you visit one of these sixteen states where the rates of COVID-19 are spiking: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, per Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Health (as well as the Governors of NY and Connecticut), you should self-quarantine for fourteen days upon your return and also make an appointment for your free COVID-19 test by calling (201) 420-5621. By self-quarantining and getting tested, you will help keep the rates of COVID-19 incidence low and protect your neighbors and our community from the spread of this deadly disease.
Hoboken Outdoor Dining Safety
Many of our favorite Hoboken restaurants have reopened for outdoor dining since June 15, and people have taken advantage of booking an al fresco table at Hoboken’s varied outdoor dining venues. I have lived on 11th street for 21 years, but never before had I eaten IN 11th street — and thanks to Sorrelina, it was a lovely experience (and yes, the meatballs are as good as they look).
While we are pleased to have outdoor dining return, I know many people remain concerned about whether Hoboken may be moving too quickly in restoring a sense of normalcy while the dangers of COVID-19 remain. To that end, Hoboken has implemented a host of safety regulations to help make the outdoor dining experience a safe one. Regulations to help protect against folks unsafely congregating on sidewalks while waiting for tables and other regulations for restaurants include the following:
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Adjacent tables and chairs must be six feet apart, measured from the back of a chair to the back of a chair at an adjacent table with a customer seated.
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All patrons waiting for seating at a restaurant must wear face masks and social distance at least six feet from others. Face masks do not need to be worn when seated at an outdoor café.
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Businesses are not permitted to serve drinks to people waiting for a table.
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Outdoor cafés or any other outdoor area capacity is limited to the number of seats available.
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Only patrons who are seated can be served, and everyone must be seated while consuming beverages or food.
Remember, all customers are required to bring and wear face masks when going inside the business, such as when using a restaurant’s restroom. You can help ensure that our restaurants are following these regulations by observing whether there is compliance with social distancing and face cover requirements at these establishments and submitting complaints about those that fall short by emailing businessrecovery@hobokennj.gov. The City will then contact the business owner to ensure that regulations are being followed. To report face mask violations at businesses, residents can email covid19@hobokennj.gov. Restaurants will receive warnings if they are not in compliance and can lose the right to serve customers outdoors if they do not comply.
Policing Policy Task Force
On June 16th Mayor Bhalla, along with Hoboken’s Police Chief Ken Ferrante, created a task force to review the HPD’s use of force policies consistent with President Barack Obama’s “Commit to Action” pledge related to racial justice. The task force will review the use of force policies and other relevant practices in the police department, seek community feedback, and report findings publicly within 90 days.
The eight policies of President Obama’s “Commit to Action” pledge include banning chokeholds, requiring de-escalation, requiring warnings before shooting, exhausting all alternatives before shooting, duty to intervene, banning of shooting at moving vehicles, requiring the use of force continuum, and the requirement of comprehensive reporting, are policies already embraced by the Hoboken Police Department. Under the leadership of Chief Ken Ferrante, the Hoboken Police Department is proud to have not had a single civil suit or complaint against its police officers for excessive force in the past six years.
The Policing Policy Task Force consists of the following members:
3 City Councilmembers: Vanessa Falco, Emily Jabbour, and the Chair of the Public Safety sub-committee (currently, Michael Russo).
2 Hoboken Police Officers: Lieutenants Johnathan Butler and Steven Aguiar.
3 Hoboken residents: Agan Singh, Mariah Tarawally, and Christy Hoffman.
1 NAACP and Hoboken Housing Authority Board member: Jason Smith.
1 retired police officer: Edgardo Cruz.
1 Hoboken school representative: Chris Munoz.
I look forward to reviewing the report of the Policing Policy Task Force and wish them well in their work. As a community, we must always strive to do better and recognize that Black Lives Matter. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police has caused all Americans — and so many other countries’ citizens — to examine the role our police play in our communities, and it is right and appropriate that we assess, even with a good record, whether there is room for improvement in our Hoboken Police Department.
Senior Parking Permits
Senior parking permits ordinarily expire on June 30th. However, this year the City has extended the expiration date for Senior Parking Permits until August 31st, 2020. So you do not have to worry about renewing your permits just yet as they will remain valid until the end of August.
Hoboken Relief Fund Applications
If you are an independently-owned Hoboken business or Hoboken resident who has suffered adverse economic impacts as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not too late to apply for funding through the Hoboken Relief Fund, but time is running short. The updated deadline is now July 3, 2020. To apply, please visit http://www.hobokenrelieffund.com.
I am proud to Co-Chair the Hoboken Relief Fund, and we were gratified to receive a determination from the IRS that the Hoboken Relief Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and all donations made to the Fund after May 4, 2020, will be fully tax-deductible. So, if you are in a position to make a contribution to the Hoboken Relief Fund, your tax-deductible contribution will go directly to fellow Hobokenites and the small local businesses that have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 and really can use your help. You can learn about the Hoboken Relief Fund here. The need is great, and your contribution will make a difference. You can make your contribution to the Hoboken Relief Fund here.
Critical Census Filing
Despite the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoboken’s 2020 Census participation rate has been impressive, and as of July 2nd, we are at 63% participation citywide! However, we still have a way to go and are falling behind NJ’s response rate of 63.8%.
I strongly encourage all residents to respond online at www.my2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail. While the self-response period has been extended, we need you to respond ASAP to avoid the need for in-person follow-up from the Census Bureau.
In order to be eligible for critical funding for our schools, roads, housing initiatives, non-profits, Medicaid, Medicare, and so much more, it is critical that all Hoboken residents complete the 2020 Census. It takes less than ten minutes to fill out the questionnaire online, but your response makes a big impact on our community. You can learn more about the importance of completing the Census here and here.
Coffee with Cohen . . . the home edition
To practice social distancing, rather than eliminate my monthly Coffee with Cohen constituent events, I turned to the internet. On Monday, June 29th, I hosted my latest Coffee with Cohen Livestream event. I enjoyed updating you on what’s going on with COVID-19, outdoor dining at Hoboken restaurants, new information concerning the City budget, and other helpful information for our residents. If you tuned in, you also learned the results of my latest poll in which I asked whether you have been dining outdoors, and if so, where have you been going? Over 205 people have already viewed Monday’s event, and if you haven’t seen it, you can check it out here. My favorite part of Coffee with Cohen is answering your questions, which you can submit to HobokenPhil@gmail, and participate, as I try to answer each of your questions. The event is hosted on my Facebook page @Philcohenforcouncil and you can watch it here.
As long as we have this state of emergency, I plan to continue hosting the event twice a month, and I hope you join me at noon on Monday, July 13th for the next one!
In the meantime, please like my City Councilman Facebook page, and follow my regular Facebook posts of interest to the community here. You can also follow me on Twitter here, or Instagram here.
As always, if you’d like to reach out with any questions or concerns at any time, or if I can be of any assistance to you or to your family, do not hesitate to contact me at HobokenPhil@gmail.com
Stay safe and Happy Independence Day everyone!
Phil Cohen
5th Ward Councilman
City of Hoboken, New Jersey
HobokenPhil@gmail.com
(862) 234-9053
P.S. You can learn more about me and my ideas for Hoboken on my website,
