Here’s what you need to know for Friday, May 1:
1: Jersey City will provide free COVID-19 testing to all residents
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced that the city will provide free coronavirus testing to all residents starting Monday, May 4. Any resident will be able to get tested regardless of whether or not they’re showing symptoms. “We will also be putting our most vulnerable communities and front line workers on regular testing rotations to both keep them safe and also to identify potential larger clusters earlier,” tweeted Mayor Fulop. To make an appointment, you must call (201) 547-5535 between 9am and 5pm seven days a week. According to NJ.com, testing sites operate on a rotating schedule.
- Mondays and Wednesdays: 465 Marin Blvd.
- Tuesdays: Mobile testing at various Jersey City Housing Authority locations
- Thursdays: Mobile testing at various senior living facilities
- Fridays: Bethune Center at 140 MLK Drive
Jersey City is the second city — behind Los Angeles — to provide free testing for all residents. —Fulop/Twitter
2: White House to send PPE, COVID-19 test kits to New Jersey
The Trump administration is sending 550,000 COVID-19 test kits and 750,000 swabs to New Jersey, says Gov. Phil Murphy. In addition, 358 New Jersey nursing homes will also receive a direct shipment of PPE from the White House including about 220,000 masks, 19,000 goggles, 200,000 gowns, and one million gloves. (Whether that materializes or not, is a different question). —Murphy/Twitter
3: NYC will end overnight subway service indefinitely
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that NYC subways will not run between the hours of 1am and 5am for the duration of the pandemic. The indefinite shutdown will begin the morning of Wednesday, May 6th. The closure will allow them to deep clean stations and subway cars. —Gothamist
4: Nearly half a million NJ residents still unable to access unemployment benefits
Almost 1 million NJ residents have applied for unemployment benefits, yet nearly half have yet to receive anything. Similar to other states, the delays are due to the sheer number of claims, short staff, and outdated websites/equipment. —News 12 NJ
5: The boil water advisory has been lifted
Per Suez NJ, it’s now safe to consume your tap water in Jersey City. If it’s still discolored, let your tap run for a minute. —SuezNJ
Reminder: Liberty State Park will reopen this weekend. However….
This upcoming weekend will be a crucial test.
We are placing tremendous trust in you to keep up with your social distancing. But, if we see this weekend what we saw that first weekend in April, I will not hesitate to reverse course and close our parks again.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 30, 2020
