COVID Pivots Reorganization Meeting To Virtual Event: Chester Twp

CHESTER, NJ — With the rise in COVID cases, Chester Township has shifted its upcoming reorganization meeting on Tuesday night, to a full, virtual format.

In a public notice about the change, Township Clerk Robin Collins reported that the township was holding its meeting electronically “to protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents while ensuring the continued functioning of government.”

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Zoom with the link to register and participate at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83950241796.

For more instructions on meeting access, including by phone, click here.

The reorganization agenda is here, with the agenda for the meeting’s regular business here.

The meeting notice is available at this link.

As of Jan. 3, Chester Borough's reorganization meeting, also happening on Jan. 4, is still scheduled in-person, with the agenda here.

According to the County of Morris dashboard, as of Dec. 30, the last date numbers were reported, Chester Township has had 811 total positive COVID cases since the pandemic started in March 2020, with the borough’s tally 207. On Dec. 21, the Township had a 734 cumulative case count and the borough, 173.

The state's most recent COVID-19 Activity Report from week-ending Dec. 25 has Morris County in a "red zone" with a "very high" designation for the Northwest region, which includes Morris, Sussex, Passaic and Warren Counties combined.

The state is placed at a "4" COVID-19 Activity Level Index or "CALI," which is considered a "very high" score, with the county at the same level. As of that date, the Northwest Region was at a 139.89 case rate per 100,000 and at a 12.68 percent COVID-19 Activity Level over a seven-day period. During a seven-day period, the positivity rate for tests was 21.30 percent in the Northwest region of the state.

As compared to other regions statewide, the Northwest region has the second highest case rate, with the Northeast - comprised of Bergen, Essex and Hudson Counties - at 188.21 and the Southeast's Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland Counties the lowest at 67.87. The Northwest placed third highest in the COVID-19 Activity Level with the Central East or Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union Counties the highest at 18.55 percent. The region was additionally the third highest in positivity percentages, with the Northeast at 23.42.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a local news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.