When students go back to school in January, the state may have new protocols to allow children exposed to COVID-19 to stay in the classroom. At a press briefing on Dec. 20, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli revealed that the Murphy Administration is working with local school officials to develop “test-to-stay” programs in some school districts to be implemented after the holidays. “We’re working with the school nurses. We have developed a proposal for a pilot. We’re looking at that for the restart after the holiday break,” stated Persichilli. The pilot program would come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently endorsed this strategy. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy said state officials will do “everything we can” to keep having in-person classes in schools across New Jersey after the upcoming Winter break, even as COVID-19 cases are surging at record levels. “We know the impact of learning loss has been overwhelming, particularly in underserved communities. We’re going to do everything we can to stay in person, obviously safely and responsibly,” said Murphy Dec. 21. “So my fervent hope is we don’t have to (go virtual again).” NJ.com
The surge in COVID-19 cases has resulted in large numbers of employee absences at Paterson’s schools, firehouse and its police department, forcing officials to scramble to address the shortage of workers. So many nurses were out sick at Eastside and John F. Kennedy high schools that the buildings closed early on Tuesday and switched to remote learning for Wednesday and Thursday. The Paterson police department is dealing with COVID-related absences affecting 50 of its 408 officers, prompting the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office to fill gaps in the patrols. The Record
Staff members and parents of Newark Public Schools’ 38,000 students were advised of the possibility of remote learning when they return from Winter break in a letter from Superintendent of Schools Roger León. Thursday’s classes in Newark had been cancelled so that teachers would use the day to prepare for the move. “We are redoubling our efforts to be prepared for any necessary changes and a potential pivot to remote instruction. Some may move to that point sooner than others, but we all will be prepared if and when necessary,” wrote León. News12 New Jersey
Montclair Township Council on Dec. 21 passed a resolution requiring that masks be worn indoors in public places, effective immediately. The mandate, which passed by a 7-0 vote, is in effect for the next 30 days. Masks must be worn regardless of vaccination status. The Record
President Joe Biden accelerated his administration’s coronavirus response as the country faced a surge in cases from a highly contagious new variant, telling anxious Americans that “we should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked.” The Biden Administration will buy a half-billion rapid coronavirus tests and distribute them free to Americans; create new vaccination and testing sites; and send 1,000 military medical professionals to help hospitals nationwide. The New York Times
President Joe Biden expressed optimism he will find a pathway to an agreement with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on his Build Back Better Act. “All the things in that bill are going to reduce prices and costs for middle-class and working-class people,” the President said, later adding “Sen. Manchin and I are going to get something done.” The Wall Street Journal
Rep. Tom Malinowski sees a way forward by breaking up the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act into smaller pieces, especially parts of it extremely popular such as money for child care and initiatives to reduce drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription prices. While Malinowski concedes removing the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap could not pass the Senate as a stand-alone bill, he thinks that’s a possibility it could be linked to other popular measures to gain passage. InsiderNJ
There will be no deal between Republicans and Democrats on the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission, setting up a possible vote on a map on Dec. 22. That means commission members voting on the maps submitted by the two parties, with former state Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace acting as the tiebreaker. The two parties, along with their staffs and lawyers, spent four days last week meeting with Wallace and his advisors, but except for one quick session, not with each other. They went home on Dec. 18 after submitting their best and final offers. New Jersey Globe
Despite early fears about the supply chain disruptions, holiday shoppers have received their gifts mostly on time. Many consumers helped themselves by shopping early and in person. Retailers ordered merchandise ahead of time and acted to head off other bottlenecks. And delivery companies planned well, hired enough people and built enough warehouses to avoid being crushed by a deluge of packages at the last minute, as the Postal Service was last year. The New York Times
Gov. Phil Murphy recently promoted New Jersey’s supply chain infrastructure and its performance to-date. Murphy noted that according to the global logistics firm Shifl, it is now 25% faster for ships from China to reach the Port of New York and New Jersey than ports on the West Coast, resulting in savings of thousands of miles and weeks of time. “In working with our partners at the Port Authority, organized labor, and the private sector, New Jersey has avoided the supply chain and logistical breakdowns that much of our country has faced,” he said. North-JerseyNews.com
Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21) criticized the action of his own party members that caused an 11 hour marathon voting session to protest the COVID-19 health protocols Dec. 20, calling it “a very sad day.” Though Bramnick disagrees with the constitutionality of the policy, he stated after the court decided not to grant the legislators a restraining order against it, his GOP lawmakers’ response was inappropriate. “Everyone’s got their passion. My passion is civility and respect for the court decision. I understand their position. But once the court ruled, let’s respect the process,” said Bramnick. NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Dec. 21 that will bring together top healthcare experts to lead a campaign to lower healthcare costs over the next six years. Starting in January 2022, the Department of Banking and Insurance will begin collecting two years of data from claims billed to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance carriers operating in the state, including what people pay in premiums and deductibles. This will capture total health care costs at the state, market, insurer, and large provider entity levels. The expert panel will analyze the data and then publish strategies to find savings. The Daily Record
New Jersey logged gains in jobs, revenue collections, and gaming revenue for the month of November. The Garden State added 25,800 nonfarm wage and salary jobs in November, marking the 11th straight month of employment gains. November revenue collections for the state were up by 13.5% above November 2020, totaling $2.6 billion—an increase of $305.6 million—while New Jersey casinos, racetracks, and their partners reported total gaming revenue of $439.6 million for November, rising 52.2% compared to the $288.9 million in November 2020. North-JerseyNews.com
Rutgers University will join a group of nine other universities to study how best to fortify “soft targets” such as hospitals, malls, schools and stadiums against criminal and terrorist assaults. Rutgers investigators will work on real-time threat detection and mitigation, as well as advanced sensing and risk-assessment prediction and deterrence, among other things. The school will use the New Brunswick campus as a “living lab,” and experiment with crowd management and security procedures on the university bus system and in its dining halls, movie theater and concert venues. The consortium will be funded through a series of U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants over the next decade. New Jersey Herald
New federal funding from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law is on the way to revive the long-delayed cleanups of seven Superfund sites in New Jersey. Those receiving funding include the White Chemical site in Newark; the E.C. Electroplating site in Garfield; the Kil-Tone site in Vineland; the Diamond Head Oil Refinery in Kearny; the Kauffman & Minteer site in Jobstown; the Roebling Steel Co. site in Florence, and the Unimatic Manufacturing Corp. site in Fairfield. The seven Garden State sites are among 49 nationwide that will share $1 billion as the first tranche of funding from the new law to help clean up a legacy of industrial contamination that threatens human health and fouls the environment from coast to coast. NJ Spotlight News
Hoboken’s Sinatra Drive will get a dedicated bikeway, repaved roadway and new pedestrian crossings within the next two years. Planning and design will begin this month for the improvements intended to transform and enhance safety in the popular area for recreation and views of the Manhattan skyline with a target of Summer 2022 to begin publicly planning the design of the newly acquired property at 1501 Shipyard Lane. The construction will add a walkway to connect it to the existing waterfront walkway and replace fencing along the water. The Jersey Journal
The Bayonne Police Athletic League (PAL) and the Bayonne PAL Day Care Center may soon have to close its doors. Executive Director KT Torello asked the council and city for support, noting that two sexual assault lawsuits may force the Bayonne PAL to close due to legal fees. “I don’t know if we are going to make it any longer,” Torello said. “Like so many other non-profit organizations, we’ve been hit with lawsuits…that date back to 1968.” Hudson Reporter
And finally…The High Mountain star is shining bright again in North Haledon, restored after damage done by vandals. The Record
