NJ COVID-19 Updates and More

Residents of ten New Jersey counties are currently eligible for direct help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Ida damages as a result of a Major Disaster Declaration. Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties were added to the declaration on Monday, September 6th. Essex, Hudson, Mercer, and Union counties were added today, September 10th. If you live in an eligible county, you can apply now for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs designed to help people and business owners recover by visiting disasterassistance.gov.

Governor Murphy is actively making the case for additional counties to be made eligible for FEMA assistance. New Jerseyans affected by the storm in counties not yet included in the FEMA declaration can log their damages with the State at damagenj-njoem.hub.arcgis.com which will help make the case for an extension of the Major Disaster Declaration.

Disaster Assistance

Don’t forget that all students, educators, staff, and visitors will be required to wear masks inside of all school buildings for the start of the 2021-2022 school year with limited exceptions, regardless of vaccination status. Individuals seeking a medical exemption from wearing masks will be required to produce written documentation from a medical professional. Self-attestations and parental attestations are not sufficient.

In addition, all workers in preschool through Grade 12 schools will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to COVID-19 testing at minimum one to two times per week.

Governor Murphy announced a partnership with Uber and Lyft to provide free and discounted rides to New Jersey residents who lost a personal vehicle as a result of Tropical Storm Ida.

If you need a ride to an essential service, text NJIDARIDE to 898-211 or dial 2-1-1.

For information on other resources available to New Jerseyans affected by Tropical Storm Ida, visit nj.gov/ida.

New Jersey’s Eviction Prevention Program will pay up to two years of rent arrears and future rent, as well as utility assistance, for low-, moderate-, and middle-income households that have experienced an economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eviction Prevention Program uses the same application process as the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which began in March 2021 and is still accepting applications. Landlords may apply for assistance on behalf of a tenant. Visit https://njdca.onlinepha.com/ to get started.

In addition to the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Eviction Prevention Program, the State introduced critical eviction protections for renter households that have experienced economic hardships during the pandemic. To find out more about current eviction protections available and how to self-certify for these protections, people can visit https://covid19.nj.gov/renter.

Everyone 12 or older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine for free. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing you from getting sick.

• Use the NJ Vaccine Appointment Finder to find available vaccination appointments near you or sites with walk-in vaccinations.
• Find pop-up COVID-19 vaccination events and mobile vaccination clinics in your community on the COVID-19 Community Calendar.