Moorestown Council Going Virtual Again As COVID-19 Cases Spike

MOORESTOWN, NJ — As the number of new coronavirus cases continues to climb, Moorestown Council has decided to return to virtual meeting formats. The decision was made during Monday night’s council meeting, after 60 new cases were identified in the township this month.

“We’ve had 60 cases in August, and there were 25 in July,” Moorestown Mayor Nicole Gillespie said. “We are on pace to pass last August’s rate.”

As of Monday, night, there have been 47,300 cases of the coronavirus and 894 coronavirus-related deaths in Burlington County since the pandemic began in March 2020. This is an increase of 405 cases and one death since Friday.

The increase in numbers is driven by the delta variant, which is currently accounting for more than 90 percent of the coronavirus cases in New Jersey.

“The transmission rate is 6-and-a-half and 7 was the high point,” Councilman Dave Zipin said. “Delta is scary enough. I don’t want to see gamma.”

“I prefer meeting in-person, but this is the best option,” Councilman Jake Van Dyken said.

The decision comes as all 21 New Jersey counties hit a "high" transmission level of coronavirus for the first time since April 23, according to the latest rankings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more here: NJ Hits High COVID Transmission Rate, First Time Since April

On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy also announced that all school staff in all pre-K through 12 schools must be vaccinated by Oct. 18, or they will be subject to weekly COVID testing. Read more here: NJ Teachers, State Employees Must Be Vaccinated Or Face Testing

“It’s an ever-changing situation,” Councilman Quinton Law said. “I hope we can remain flexible, and return to in-person if we can.”

Township Manager Kevin Aberant said meetings in September would be virtual, and the township would continue to evaluate the situation. As was the case before, residents will have the chance to ask questions in the virtual format.

The township is also exploring upgrades to the technology used in council chambers, and hopes to have those upgrades complete by the next meeting on Sept. 13. The next meeting will be held in three weeks due to the Labor Day holiday.