NJ, PA and NY help fuel national coronavirus record

The region’s three big states are contributing to the nation’s new record high number of coronavirus cases.

Pennsylvania today reported 2,043 new cases — 176 fewer than Friday’s record high. To date, there have been 192,622 infections statewide since the start of the pandemic.

The seven-day moving average of new cases in Pennsylvania was 1,668 on Saturday, up significantly from 1,413 a week earlier.

In New Jersey, where Governor Phil Murphy is in a self-imposed quarantine after a member of his staff tested positive, 1,994 new cases of coronavirus and eight additional deaths were reported on Saturday, marking one of the highest daily case numbers in recent weeks.

In a tweet marked “urgent update,” Murphy released the latest virus statistics, sounding an early alarm for steadily rising numbers in the coronavirus pandemic that were reaching levels not seen since May. The 1,994 cases on Saturday is the most new cases reported in a day since May 6, when 2,494 positive tests were announced.

In New York, as of Saturday afternoon, there have been at least 496,510 cases and 33,038 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a New York Times database.

The Times is also publishing detailed neighborhood level case and death counts for New York City.

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US sets coronavirus infection record with 83,000 new cases on Friday; death toll at 224,000

By REBECCA BOONE and DAVID CRARY Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. coronavirus caseload has reached record heights with more than 83,000 infections reported in a single day, the latest ominous sign of the disease’s grip on the nation, as states from Connecticut to the Rocky Mountain West reel under the surge.

The U.S. death toll, meanwhile, has grown to 223,995, according to the COVID-19 Dashboard published by Johns Hopkins University. The total U.S. caseload reported on the site Friday was 83,757, topping the 77,362 cases reported on July 16.

The impact is being felt in every section of the country — a lockdown starting Friday at the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s reservation in South Dakota, a plea by a Florida health official for a halt to children’s birthday parties, dire warnings from Utah’s governor, and an increasingly desperate situation at a hospital in northern Idaho, which is running out of space for patients and considering airlifts to Seattle or Portland, Oregon.

“We’ve essentially shut down an entire floor of our hospital. We’ve had to double rooms. We’ve bought more hospital beds,” said Dr. Robert Scoggins, a pulmonologist at the Kootenai Health hospital in Coeur d’Alene. “Our hospital is not built for a pandemic.”

Read the full story

And, from the New York Times

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Pa ballots can’t be tossed based on signature

By The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously Friday on a key concern surrounding an avalanche of mailed ballots, prohibiting counties from rejecting them if the voter’s signature on it does not resemble the signature on the voter’s registration form.

Two Republican justices joined five Democratic justices in the decision.

The verdict was a victory for the state’s top election official, Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat who had asked the court to back her up in a legal dispute with President Donald Trump’s campaign and Republican lawmakers.

“County boards of elections are prohibited from rejecting absentee or mail-in ballots based on signature comparison conducted by county election officials or employees, or as the result of third-party challenges based on signature analysis and comparisons,” the justices wrote.

Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are locked in a battle to win Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes. With Democrats voting by mail at an almost 3-to-1 rate over Republicans, the prospect of disqualified ballots poses a greater threat to Biden’s candidacy.

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Pols battle over who gets credit for free food

Fresh food deliveries went to Linden senior citizen buildings

By David Wildstein, New Jersey Globe

A letter from President Donald Trump that accompanied U.S. Department of Agriculture fresh food boxes for Linden was replaced by one from the city’s Democratic mayor, Derek Armstead.

Food boxes were opened by local public works department employees.  Trump’s letter was removed and a letter from Armstead was added.

“The original letter in these boxes was removed, and the mayor had city employees put in his letter on work time,” said Councilwoman Gretchen Hickey, a Democrat and an Armstead political rival.

Armstead acknowledged that his message was added to the box, offering local residents the impression to recipients that the food came from him.

“Whenever I do a delivery, I always add a letter from the mayor,” Armstead told  the New Jersey Globe.

Trump says his administration has delivered 100 million Farmers to Families food boxes since May as part of a program to send nutritious food to families in need.

Included in the box is a letter from Trump on White House stationary that includes guidance to reduce the risk of being infected with COVID-19.

“The Mayor bragged about himself and his hand-outs,” Hickey said.  “Trickery, deceitfulness, and theft for votes is very much alive in Linden.”

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Today’s Coronavirus-19 update for New Jersey

Provided by the NJ Chamber of Commerce

Coronavirus Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths are Rising – New Jersey reported 1,139 new coronavirus cases and 11 additional deaths on Friday, marking the sixth consecutive day with more than 1,000 new positive tests as hospitalizations also continued to rise to the highest numbers in three months. (nj.com) 

Gov. Murphy: I Don’t Want to Shut Down the State Again – Gov. Phil Murphy said he thinks New Jersey can handle COVID-19 outbreaks by location; he said the state is better prepared for a second wave; and he said he doesn’t want to shut the state down again. But there are no guarantees, he added. (ROI-NJ) 

Election 2020: The Ballot Counting in New Jersey Will Soon Begin, But Don’t Expect to Hear About It Until Election Day – With thousands of mail-in ballots already in, New Jersey officials will begin counting general election votes on Saturday. It’s the first time counties can start counting ballots this early, but they cannot reveal any count results, under a law Gov. Murphy signed in August. If they do, they risk criminal prosecution. (NJ Spotlight News) 

A Judge Dismissed the Trump Campaign’s Lawsuit Against New Jersey’s Election Plans – A federal judge on Thursday tossed the Trump campaign’s lawsuit against New Jersey’s primarily mail-in election, ruling that most of its arguments were speculative and that the campaign failed to show how it’s being harmed. (Politico) 

Today is the Deadline to Request a New N.J. Ballot – If you misplaced it, made a mistake while completing it, or damaged it, you can request that a new ballot be mailed to you. (nj.com) 

More School Districts are Offering In-Person Instruction – Although COVID-19 cases are on the rise, New Jersey schools are slowly shifting back to in-person learning. Statewide, 245 school districts have remained all-remote for now, down from 266 two weeks ago. (NJ Spotlight News) 

A List of School Districts – See the latest plans for your school district: remote, in-person or hybrid. (NJ Spotlight News)  
N.J. Coronavirus Cases – New Jersey Residents(Source: N.J. Health Department)
Total Confirmed Deaths Reported: 14,484
Total Positive COVID-19 Cases Reported: 225,430
For data on hospitalizations and discharges, click here.

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Bill allowing employees to live on horse farms advances in New Jersey Assembly


TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Ron Dancer’s bill to allow housing for employees at facilities that board horses passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee Thursday.

he bill (A2768) would amend the Right to Farm Act to allow housing for equine-related farm employees as long as the newly constructed housing is in a separate area or level from the horses and meets all Uniform Construction Code standards, including fire ratings.

The bill also makes providing this housing an act that falls under Right to Farm protections.

“Farm employees often need more access to the horses they care for,” said Dancer (R-Ocean). “They will be able to take better care of these animals if they can live on the same farm.”

Dancer’s bill will require the state agriculture development committee to adopt rules and regulations to implement the bill. The committee would adopt an agricultural management practice that permits the housing of equine-related farm employees in the same building where the horses are boarded either in a separate area or level from the horses.

“Taking care of a horse is one of the most demanding and worthwhile jobs one could do,” said Dancer. “The horse industry is important to New Jersey’s economy, and we must keep this industry thriving.”

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