Spiking Covid-19 cases prompts Paterson mayor to order businesses to close at midnight
By Jayed Rahman
Published: October 28, 2020
After seeing a surge of Covid-19 cases over the past several days, mayor Andre Sayegh has ordered the closure of restaurants and bars at midnight.
“All City businesses, including restaurants, bars, and grocery stores must close at midnight daily. Gas station may stay open only to dispense gas. Restaurants may open for pick-up and delivery only after midnight provided that no parties are allowed to congregate inside or outside of the establishment,” reads Sayegh’s executive order issued on Wednesday. “All city residents are encouraged to remain indoors after 9:00pm, practice social distancing techniques as recommended by the CDC by avoiding large crowds and, when possible, keeping a distance of 6 feet.”
Sayegh’s executive order comes into effect on Thursday.
“We are seeing an increase in our daily infection rate rendering this measure necessary. We have worked too hard to the slow the spread in our city and can’t afford to reverse our progress,” said Sayegh.
Over the past three days, Paterson has witnessed a surge of Covid-19 infections. Daily case count has increased to the highest level not seen since mid-June.
An average of 48 new cases have been reported over the past three days.
“This executive order, grounded in public health, will help to prevent new infections and save lives,” said health officer Paul Persaud.
350 people have died of Covid-19 in Paterson since the beginning of the pandemic. That figure is likely to be an underestimate.
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