COVID-19 Update from Mayor Manzo – 3/19/2020

Mayor Lou Manzo provides regular updates on the COVID-19 crisis. This is the 3/19 update.

Dear Residents & Business Owners:

The first Mullica Hill resident with a confirmed case of COVID-19 was verified today. We have a female resident who is currently home quarantined and said to be improving. We wish her a speedy recovery. While her condition is under control, this clearly brings a sharper focus on our collective effort to follow all direction being provided by federal, state and local government. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Additionally, there are a few more few important announcements:

Disabled residents with unmet needs:

  • Dial 2-1-1 for direct connection to the State Health & Human Service Resource Center
  • For local assistance and direction contact Harrison Twp Emergency Management at [email protected]

Note: If you know someone that is in need of assistance please share this with them.

Mullica Hill ShopRite – Special Hours of Operation

  • Pursuant to the Governor’s Declaration, the store will be open daily from 7:30AM – 8PM
  • For High Risk Customers or Aged 60+ there will exclusive shopping from 7AM – 7:30AM

Mullica Hill Amish Market Crowd Control

  • Starting Friday, March 20th, Market management will seek to limit the total number of customers in the Market at one time to 50
  • I am asking that we all try to remain patient throughout this COVID-19 crisis, especially with those entities and workers who are providing us with our basic needs and services. I point to our Mullica Hill ShopRite first, who today implemented new store hours pursuant to Governor Murphy’s Declaration, which is dictated to them.

They also established a policy that the first 30 minutes of daily operation will be dedicated exclusively to High Risk/Elderly customers. This is a voluntary action on their part seeking to address the needs of our community. Yes, slightly inconveniencing all others for 30 minutes a day, and yes, perhaps not as lengthy an exclusivity as desired by some. But we appreciate ShopRite’s effort and would ask that the masses do the same. It should be noted that ShopRite, as a Grocery/Food store, is exempted from the 50-person gathering limit dictated in the Governor’s Executive Order #104.

Second, The Amish Market has voluntarily offered to monitor and limit the number of customers in their building to 50 persons because of their tighter quarters and at our request. We are thankful for their immediate action to address our concerns and I ask your patience with their process starting tomorrow.

Lastly, in accordance with the vested powers in Chapter 251 of the laws of 1942, today we officially declared a State of Emergency in Harrison Township. Emergency Management Coordinator, Police Captain Brian Bartholomew and I signed the official declaration earlier today, as required by law. We did so in conjunction with the State and then the County making those same declarations in the last week. This positions us to receive Federal assistance or funding should the need arise, and it becomes available.

I close by reminding you all that things will get worse before they improve. We will continue to see more positive tests as a result of better testing in place. Be prepared for the inundation from news outlets about these numbers increasing. Potentially more restrictions could be put in place and less access to certain normal comforts. This is cataclysmic for families who suffer the worst of it and lose a loved one — please keep them in your prayers. I pray that the “worst of it” doesn’t touch anyone I love or anyone in our community. I am embracing these inconveniences and the unknown impact on our economy, businesses and jobs, because we will recover. No matter how bad it is, we will recover as a country economically and as individuals and families fiscally. One day at a time.

Together for Harrison Township,
Lou Manzo
Your Mayor