MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy and Superintendent of the State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan announced an Administrative Order clarifying which businesses are permitted to operate and ways in which certain businesses may operate in accordance with Executive Order 107. (Click here for a copy of Administrative Order No. 2020-10).

The Administrative Order states the following:

• • 1) Pet grooming businesses, pet daycare, and pet boarding businesses, and
  • 2) stores that principally sell items necessary for religious observation or worship shall be considered essential retail businesses
  • Car dealerships may permit customers that have ordered and/or purchased a vehicle online or by phone to test drive the vehicle at the time of pick-up or prior to delivery, provided the dealership adopts social distancing policies, the individual is given access to the vehicle alone, and the dealership appropriately cleans and sanitizes the vehicle after such test drive if the customer does not purchase the vehicle.
  • Licensees, owners, operators, employees, or independent contractors of personal care services facilities are not permitted to provide personal care services in their own homes, the homes of others, or in any facility or business setting unless the individual personal care service provider is providing the service to their household members, immediate family or other individuals with whom the personal care service provider has a close personal relationship, such as those for whom the personal care service provider is a caretaker or romantic partner. A prior business relationship alone does not qualify as a close personal relationship.
  • “As long as my stay-at-home order remains in effect, we’ll continue to provide New Jerseyans and our business community-at-large with as much clarity as possible for any and all restrictions we’ve put in place,” said Governor Murphy. “I thank everyone for doing their part to stay at home and maintain social distancing, which is the single most important thing we can do to beat this virus.”

“We understand the challenges businesses face in these unprecedented times and the need to keep the economy operating,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “These clarifications address the way certain businesses are permitted to operate while adhering to the stay-at-home order and social distancing guidelines.”

The Order will take effect immediately.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, First Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Zelante, and Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker regretfully announce the passing of former Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Investigations, Joseph A. Devine. Chief Devine passed away yesterday at his residence in Chester.

A graduate of the FBI National Academy’s Class #198 and proud U.S. Army veteran of the Military Police Corps, Chief Devine began his law enforcement career at the Morris County Sheriff’s and the Morris County Prosecutor’s offices. He joined the Rockaway Township Police Department in 1981, and worked his way up through the ranks to become Chief of Police in July 1998. Chief Devine led the township police department until 2002 when he returned to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office to serve as Chief of Investigations under then Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio.

In 2006, Chief Devine retired from law enforcement to pursue a career in higher education. Chief Devine once served as an associate professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, teaching graduate classes on homeland security, management, and leadership. He was also an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University.

Chief Devine held a Masters of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, a Masters in Administrative Science, an Educational Specialist Degree, and a Doctorate in Leadership and Management from Seton Hall University. He had presented lectures at several academic and professional conferences, including a leadership lecture about social and emotional intelligence on the USS Intrepid in 2014.

Prosecutor Knapp said “As the Township of Rockaway labor attorney, I worked extensively with Chief Devine for many years, beginning during his tenure as a captain and subsequently when he was promoted to Chief of Police. We continued to work together when he joined the MCPO as Chief of Investigations. Joe was also a student of mine in the graduate program at FDU for multiple courses. As a career law enforcement professional, Chief Devine served multiple agencies with honor, dedication to duty, and excellence. May he rest in peace.”

Chief Devine is survived by his three children, Conor, Sean, and Heather.

MORRIS COUNTY — Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital has reported to New Jersey Department of Health that 100 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition there were 45 patients testing positive; as well as five deaths.

Currently there are a total of 338 patients at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital.

Statewide Psychiatric Hospitals have a total of 1,251 patients, of that 152 patients tested positive as well as 386 staff members testing positive. There have been a total of nine patient deaths and five staff deaths related to COVID-19. The other hospitals include Ancora Psychiatric Center, Ann Klein Forensic Center, and Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.

Greystone has 450 beds in its state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital, plus another 60 beds in cottages on the grounds. Located in North Central New Jersey straddling the two townships of Morris Plains and Parsippany.

MORRIS COUNTY —  Morris County has risen to 5048 presumptively tested positive cases an increase of 40 cases since last reported on Friday, April 24. A total of 355 deaths have been reported in Morris County. In New Jersey a total of 111,188 presumptively tested positive cases with a total of 6,044 deaths.

The County of Morris, in partnership with Atlantic Health, is offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the County College of Morris, Dover Chester Road, Randolph, NJ 07869, in parking lot 1. Testing is scheduled beginning at 9:00 a.m. and is for Morris County residents only. There is no fee for the test.

To sign up for an appointment online click here for details.

The figures reflect COVID-19 positive cases as of the date and time indicated, some cases which may be pending, or have yet to be entered into the system.

Please note the following limitations and provisos related to the data above:

• COVID-19-related deaths are not included in this data. Visit the State of NJ COVID-19 Dashboard for a summary of death totals.
• Pursuant to HIPAA, specific identifying health information of persons testing positive or who have passed due to the virus will not be released.
• Data reflects COVID-19 positive cases on dates and times indicated; some cases may be pending and are not yet entered.
• Data may not include cases with incomplete or incorrect street addresses or PO boxes. Such cases require additional investigation by local health officials.
• Figures do not include persons under quarantine/isolation due to exposure and who have not tested positive.
• The numbers, especially higher numbers, do not necessarily reflect community spread in a specific town. Various factors may be related to high numbers, such as increased testing and facilities with high-risk populations.
• This data should not be used to gauge if heightened precautions are needed in specific towns. Social distancing, hand hygiene, and preventive steps must be followed at all times regardless of the number of cases in a municipality.

MORRIS COUNTY — Amid growing concerns for the long-term impact of the coronavirus on the economy, Senator Joe Pennacchio today announced plans for legislation to help employers cope with the loss of revenue and stay in business.

“This crisis has stripped companies of the ability to operate their business or adapt to changing market conditions,” said Senator Pennacchio (R-26). “Hard-working men and women who are used to doing everything possible to protect their business and their employees’ jobs find themselves powerless in a marketplace shut down caused by the virus. Without warning or any time to prepare, businesses have been closed down for more than a month and most have no way to make money under current restrictions.”

Senator Pennacchio will introduce legislation that would allow landlords to waive all or part of three months’ rent to businesses, up to $15,000. In return, the landlord would be eligible for a state tax credit for one-third of the forgiven rent. The program would be voluntary.

“Tax credits will help landlords who may otherwise be faced with foreclosure,” Senator Pennacchio said. “I think there’s a lot of landlords who want to do the right thing. My legislation will help reduce the number of businesses defaulting on leases and prevent a glut of vacancies created in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.”

The program can be initiated without the need to create any new bureaucratic layers, and it may be eligible for a portion of the almost $2 billion in federal coronavirus stimulus aid, the Senator noted.

“This would be a life preserver for businesses that are going under,” noted Senator Pennacchio. “We will reap triple benefits. If the state commits $100 million, the business will get $300 million in relief that will save tax-paying companies and the jobs of citizens who already struggle to pay New Jersey outrageous tax rates.”

Pennacchio is also introducing a resolution urging the federal government to adopt similar tax credits, increasing the net benefit of the state’s rental assistance.

“New Jersey sends more of our tax money to Washington than almost any other state,” Senator Pennacchio added. “Federal tax credits would help our state recover sooner from the devastation of the ongoing lockdown. We need help from the feds.”

Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously approved a bill to create the “2020 New Jersey Emergency Rental Assistance Program” and appropriate $100 million aid for residential renters.

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Steve Oroho and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) called on lake associations throughout the State to cease taking action against homeowners who are being targeted by the misapplication of Chapter 106, also known as the Radburn Law, during the COVID-19 emergency.

“The overly aggressive approach used by some lake associations to collect dues from homeowners is unfortunate in the middle of this crisis,” said Senator Oroho. “I condemn any homeowners’ association trying to intimidate owners with heavy-handed tactics. The State has already provided relief to those unable to make mortgage or rental payments. With more than 858,000 New Jerseyans out of work because of COVID-19, compassion is called for in times such as these. This is one more reason the Assembly must follow the Senate’s lead and pass our legislation, S-908/A-2480, that clarifies misconceptions regarding homeowner fees.”

Word has spread that lake associations and their attorney are threatening homeowners who were never required to pay dues with liens until Chapter 106 was creatively interpreted as doing so. This is even more reprehensible in light of the virus crisis and while important legislation (S-908/A-2480) is pending to clarify that Chapter 106 was never intended to force people to pay dues they were never required to pay.

“Businesses are closed, jobs are lost and people are suffering and can’t pay their bills, and now we have homeowners being threatened with liens because a select few are trying to draw ‘blood from a stone,’” said Assemblyman Space.

S-908 unanimously passed the Senate on February 10m and A-2480 was released unanimously by the Assembly Housing Committee on March 5. The legislation is ready to be voted on by the Assembly.

“It is outrageous that during a pandemic and the worst economic meltdown in 90 years that there are those seeking to spread more economic hardship,” said Assemblyman Wirths. “The legislation is ready to go and as a prime sponsor of A-2480, we are talking with Speaker Coughlin and when legislation not dealing with the crisis are going to be posted that our bills are at the top of the list.”

MORRIS COUNTY — The process of filing for unemployment benefits got even more difficult Sunday morning.

“Our application to certify for weekly benefits is not available at this time. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and apologize for the inconvenience. Please check back for updates,” was the message on the website for many users simply trying to log into their accounts on the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce website.

Users were able to check their claim status but unable to log into their accounts. Residents took to Twitter to alert the department the system was down. Thousands of others have been tweeting at the department over the last several weeks begging for help.

It was unclear how long the server had been down.

Filing for unemployment has become nearly impossible for New Jersey residents out of work due to the COVID-19 crisis due to the overwhelming number of residents looking to file a claim.

One Parsippany resident told Parsippany Focus in an email “I applied for unemployment after being laid off from my dishwashing job at a local restaurant. I have not collected one cent as of Saturday, April 25. When I log into the system, I get “Claim Status: Filed; Date of Claim: 03/15/2020; Weekly Benefit Rate: $224; Remaining Balance: $5824; Next Payable Week: 03/21/2020; Last Week Paid:; and Last Paid Amount: $0.” It’s been six weeks now. I need money. I am paid minimum wage and it is tough to save. I live paycheck to paycheck. I keep calling the Unemployment office and can’t get through. What am I supposed to do?”

A historic 576,904 workers applied for unemployment insurance for the first time over the last three weeks starting March 15, as businesses shuttered to stop the spread of the coronavirus. That’s hundreds of thousands more than the claims filed in all of 2019.

According to a spokesperson “Claims will be backdated, so if there is a delay in an application, the person will still receive all eligible benefits.”