Essex County Gets $2M From Feds For COVID ‘Reimbursements’

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — More than $2.3 million is coming Essex County’s way to help it pay for a year-and-a-half of pandemic-related expenses, officials announced Monday.

According to U.S. senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, the county is getting $2,369,649 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to support its ongoing COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

The funding will reimburse the county for expenses incurred since the coronavirus pandemic began, including for payroll, testing sites, personal protective equipment purchases and vaccine distribution, the senators said.

With a population of 863,728, Essex County has been among the hardest-hit in New Jersey when it comes to the pandemic. As of Tuesday, it has seen 95,062 cumulative cases and 2,829 deaths, the county’s latest statistics show (see the town-by-town breakdown below).

When the pandemic began, the county was one of the first in the state to roll out testing and vaccine sites. After beginning with five sites in Newark, Livingston, West Orange and West Caldwell, the county has scaled back to three centers in Newark, Livingston and West Orange. Each offers free COVID-19 testing and vaccines, including the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson versions. Anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Essex County can make appointments at www.EssexCOVID.org or by calling 973-877-8456.

County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said Essex has rolled out a “comprehensive” response to the coronavirus pandemic, including providing free testing for the past 19 months, hosting vaccination sites, reaching out into the community with mobile clinics, offering assistance to small businesses, renters and homeowners, and making food boxes available to the underserved.

“The $2.3 million reimbursement from FEMA secured by senators Menendez and Booker will help defray the cost of our pandemic response and enable us to continue to act effectively during these challenging times,” DiVincenzo added.

Menendez said the FEMA funds come after the agency recently answered his call to eliminate cost-sharing requirements for disaster grants.

“Essex County has had a top-notch response and recovery plan in place that put families, small businesses, and frontline workers first,” Menendez said. “We still have a long way to go until our state puts the pandemic in our rearview mirror, but this funding will allow the county to continue protecting the health and safety of all its residents as we continue fighting COVID-19.”

Booker said the state has made incredible progress fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, but communities are still facing long-term costs associated with procuring personal protective equipment, testing kits and other essential materials.”

“This federal funding will help these communities recoup their losses, providing them with the resources they need to continue offering vital public health services to our state’s residents,” Booker said.

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