Health officials in Jersey City reported a record 367 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, December 17, according to the JC Covid-19 tracker That’s the city’s highest count ever, smashing the previous record of 268 new cases set on April 2, 2020.
The Covid surge continued through Saturday (December 18) with 296 new reported cases, the city’s second-biggest spike ever. This comes as restaurants like Skinner’s Loft and Cafe Alyce have had to briefly close as a result of staff infections.
The more contagious Omicron variant is likely to blame for the new wave of infections. The CDC reported on Monday that Omicron is now the dominant strain in the U.S. accounting for 73% of new cases.
Neighboring cities New York and Newark are also undergoing record infections. To combat the surge, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio recently enacted a new mask/vaccination mandate across New York City, whereas Mayor Ras Baraka just announced an indoor mask mandate for Newark. City officials in Jersey City have yet to address the new wave of infections.
The light at the end of the tunnel is that Covid-related hospitalizations in Jersey City remain low. That said, there’s usually some lag between new infections and new hospitalizations.
The city needs to do a better job of manning the covid test sites. The firehouse mobile unit on Marin had only 1 person working, doing the paperwork and the testing. 3 hour wait in the cold and still not moving on the line.
They should also make allowances for Senior Citizens who should not have to wait in the cold for 3 hours
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