Manasquan Declares State Of Emergency

MANASQUAN – Manasquan has declared a state of emergency because of the coronavirus outbreak. Manasquan schools also took steps to deal with the outbreak.

Mayor Ed Donovan declared a local state of emergency effective 2 p.m. on Friday.

The purpose of the declaration is to open up all of the available levers of municipal government to respond to the potential spread of the virus, he said.

The borough was not aware of any confirmed cases within the municipality as of Friday afternoon.

"However, we are aware of the limits of the testing and surveillance programs currently in place and realize that community spread is occurring in the tri-state area," Donovan said.

In Manasquan's school district, meanwhile:

• District schools are OPEN on Monday 3/16 and following normal operating schedules.
• SATs scheduled at Manasquan HS on Sat 3/14 are CANCELLED.
• Currently, there is no state mandate to close schools. The district continue to rely on direction from the NJ Department of Health who has advised that schools remain open unless there is a confirmed case of Coronavirus in the schools. Currently there are no confirmed cases of the virus in the schools or the Manasquan community.
• In support of the overall public health effort to limit any possible spread of infectious disease, the district is taking the precautionary step of postponing all extra-curricular public activities and events from now through the conclusion of spring recess on April 20. This includes concerts, plays, Squan-A-Thon, March Melodies, fashion show, and any other indoor event that will be attended by an audience or large group.
• At this time, spring athletic practices and games will continue as scheduled.

Although the risk to any one individual may remain low, the borough believes there is considerable risk to first responders and the regional healthcare system.

This emergency declaration enables Manasquan to request outside resources and enable an agile and dynamic municipal response to a rapidly developing threat to the community.

The municipal declaration includes the following:

• Donovan directed all Department and Agency Heads to develop a continuity of government plan in order to ensure that essential government functions remain uninterrupted
• Donovan directed the Office of Emergency Management to request additional supplies and Personal Protective Equipment for emergency responders in order to ensure our essential personnel are protected and can continue to provide these critical public safety services.
• Donovan redirected the Police Department to prioritize their response strategy to critical medical emergencies in order to protect members from unnecessary exposure and conserve protective equipment.
• The borough will be suspending non-essential borough-sponsored events, assemblies and meetings throughout Manasquan until further notice.

Moving forward, the borough will be providing updates to the public as additional information becomes available via the webpage and social media outlets. All affected municipal functions and closures are currently posted on the borough website.

"I also encourage all residents and local business owners to register with our municipal notification system for the latest information," he said. "These proactive steps serve to protect essential functions of municipal government, and reduce both the potential of immediate virus spread as well as the associated inundation on our local healthcare system."