Bergen Urges Public To Report COVID-19 Price Gouging

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ - After New Jersey's second presumptive coronavirus case was identified in Bergen County, local officials are urging residents to be on the lookout for potential COVID-19-related price gouging.

Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said the Division of Consumer Protection and county officials are asking residents to report businesses that "dramatically increase prices" for items like surgical masks, gloves, sanitizing products such as hand sanitizer, Lysol/Clorox wipes and sprays "in an apparent attempt to take unfair advantage of a health emergency."

See Also:Second Presumptive Coronavirus Case Identified In Bergen County

According to the Division of Consumer Protection, "excessive price increases" are ones that are more than 10% higher than the price at which merchandise was sold during the normal course of business prior to a State of Emergency.

Price-gouging violations are punishable by civil penalties of up to $10,000 for the first offense and $20,000 for the second and subsequent offenses. Each individual sale of merchandise is considered a separate and distinct event, according to the county.

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Anyone who suspects price gouging and other COVID-19 related fraud can contact the Division of Consumer Protection at 201-336-6400 and leave your name, contact information, nature of the complaint, and the name of the business and location.

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“We are urging Bergen County residents to remain calm, not spread fear and panic, and to be assured that we are all working together and utilizing all of our resources to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19,” Tedesco said.

On Wednesday, state officials identified a 32-year-old Fort Lee man as the first case and said he has been hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center since Tuesday. A second case involving a person at Englewood Hospital was announced Thursday.

The New Jersey Department of Health has been working to prepare for and respond to the evolving coronavirus since early January. The department shared state and CDC guidance with hospitals, local health officials, K-12 schools, universities and businesses; established a novel coronavirus webpage; partnered with the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES) to open a call center (1-800-222-1222) for the public.

To date, the 24/7 NJPIES hotline (1-800-222-1222) has received more than 1,195 calls from the public and can accommodate callers in multiple languages.

Visit the NJ Health Department website for more information on the coronavirus.

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