As the warm weather eclipses and a tinge of winter starts to sting the air, the area picture comes into focus.
That picture offers a clear view, as clear as the iconic, soothing one, on a crisp day, from Scenic Drive in Highlands to New York. The predicted second surge of COVID is happening.
From a statewide perspective …
From that first meeting about the pandemic and the danger it was posing in mid-January, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy said in his state address on Thursday, “It’s still safe to say that the worst has been worse than we’ve ever imagined.”
While the governor said that the current transmission rate of 1.08 positivity, which means that “each new case is leading to more than one other new case, this virus is still spreading … it still says the second wave would not be any easier than the first.”
Hospitalization numbers, he added, “tell us how this virus is moving.” Those numbers paint a picture that is “not up for debate. It is simple math.” Hospitalizations predict where the virus is going to take us, he added.
Right now New Jersey’s 71 hospitals are treating 3,287 patients, of which 599 are in intensive care and 354 are on ventilators. While 367 were discharged as of Thursday, 507 were admitted. Therein lies the surge math, the governor said. There were 51 confirmed COVID-related deaths. The fact remains that the fewer that are in hospitals, the less of a strain and risk put on healthcare workers.
With a vaccine on the horizon for healthcare front-liners and months away for the general public, “the news is really good, but it’s not a light switch that we can turn on tomorrow … not any time soon.”
The governor again stressed personal responsibility and caution being applied to “crush the curve” once again in the state, as it was done effectively in the spring. He emphasized, “basic common sense and personal responsibility” and turned to a photo of a massive gathering of unmasked patrons at the outdoor bar at Portobello in Oakland last Wednesday, saying, “Are you kidding me? … The entire concept of personal responsibility is completely absent.”
The restaurant was cited with violations and has had its outdoor dining permits revoked for any patronage after 4 p.m..
This was an exception in the state, he added, saying that an “overwhelming number of restaurant owners are playing by the rules and doing the right things … outlier owners … give the good and hard working restaurateurs (thousands across the state) a black eye.”
Adding that he and his family actively support restaurateurs and enjoy a taste of NJ, calling them the backbone of the economy, he added that “we will not tolerate knucklehead behavior like this that puts people at risk.”
The state edict on travel, basically is the same. The governor asked that no one travel “unless it is for an essential purpose,” calling to mind that “we cannot forget that behind each one of the numbers reported daily is a human face.”
The state, county and local numbers …
To date, the number of positive COVID tests in New Jersey is 350,999 with 15,373 confirmed deaths and another 1,836 probable.
In Monmouth County alone, as of Thursday, there were a total of 21,621 positive test results with 820 confirmed deaths and 92 probable.
Locally, from Thursday back to Tuesday, the numbers looked like this: Fair Haven had cumulative cases of 134 on Thursday, from 129 on Wednesday and 128 on Tuesday; Rumson had 177 on Thursday from 172 Wednesday and 168 on Tuesday; Sea Bright had 53 on Thursday from 51 Wednesday and 50 Tuesday; Little Silver had 149 on Thursday and Wednesday from 143 on Tuesday; Red Bank had 708 from 703 on Wednesday and 691 on Tuesday; Middletown had 1,926 cases as of Thursday, up from 1,868 on Wednesday and 1,835 on Tuesday.
Schools across the state and locally …
Of all the school districts in New Jersey, 89 in the state are fully open, 438 are offering a hybrid in-person and remote method of instruction, 38 are offering a mix of all-remote, in-person or hybrid and 246 are currently moving to all-remote instruction.
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) is currently operating on an all-remote learning basis until at least Dec. 7. The switch went into effect on Nov. 23 because of eight new COVID-19 cases in the district and 56 quarantining because of contact.
Red Bank Regional High School (RBR) officials have announced again that the school has shut its doors to in-person classes until Dec. 11.
The weather …
It’s not quite frightful, but after a warm little respite last week, temperatures are getting a bit more wintry.
With a 30 percent chance of rain and temperatures hitting a high of 50 degrees tomorrow, predictions for Saturday, according to the National Weather Service are 80 to 90 percent chance of rain with a high of 46 degrees. Skies are not expected to clear until Sunday, calling for a mostly sunny day with a high temperature of 41 degrees.
Click here for more on Rumson-Fair Haven area weather from the National Weather Service.
In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy the view in the above photo gallery (and don’t forget to CLICK on one photo to enlarge and scroll!).
Photos/Elaine Van Develde
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