MONROE – Monroe officials reported 60 new COVID-19 cases over a seven-day period, which brings the total number of cases to 3,612, according to the Monroe Township Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
The seven-day period was from March 18-24.
There are a total of 67 cases reported from the New Jersey Training School for Boys.
Twenty-six additional positive community-wide cases were reported from September through February.
The township has lost more resident to COVID-19, which brings the total number of residents lost to 173, 88 in long-term care facilities and 85 community-wide.
Vaccinations
Vaccination center coordinated by the Middlesex County Board of Health is open at the Monroe Senior Center. Vaccines are administered by appointments only through the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System on the state’s website at covidvaccine.nj.gov. The senior center was designated as one of five regional vaccination centers operating through the County vaccination program.
With the efforts of Mayor Stephen Dalina and the Township Council, the COVID-19 vaccination site at the Monroe Township Senior Center is now limited to serving only Monroe Township and Middlesex County residents.
Township officials have started a Vaccine Angels program to help seniors and other residents access vaccines. The program has matched hundreds of volunteers who have successfully secured hundreds of vaccination appointments for seniors and other residents who need assistance. For information, call Eileen in the Mayors’ Office at 732-521-4400 ext. 114.
Interested volunteers for the program can email volunteer@monroetwp.com with their name, address, and phone number.
Community
The Monroe Recreation Department will present a Drive-Thru Easter event from noon to 2 p.m. on April 1 at the Monroe Township Community Center, 120 Monmouth Road For more information call the community center at 732-723-5000.
The Recreation Department will be accepting employment applications for counselors and supervisors for the township’s summer camp throughout the month of April. Applications are not being accepted for Counselors-In-Training at this time. Applications can be downloaded at www.monroerec.com/index.php/about-us/forms and emailed to reccenter@monroerec.com or dropped at the Community Center by April 30.
The Monroe Township Library will open for grab-and-go service on March 17. Masks will be required and temperatures will be taken. As a safety precaution, there will be no seating and programs will remain virtual. Hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Curbside service via the drive-thru will remain available for those who wish to use it.
On Sept. 8, the library’s bookmobile went back on the road making contactless deliveries. Requests, which will be limited to 10 items, must be made in advance via email at bookmobile@monroetwplibrary.org. For more information visit www.monroetwplibrary.org or call the bookmobile office at 732-521-5000 ext. 126.
The library offers a robust line-up of virtual programs for adults, children and teens via Zoom. A full schedule, along with a Zoom tutorial, program registration, meeting ID and password information can be found on the library’s website at www.monroetwplibrary.org/virtual-programs.
One adult class includes an Instacart Class at 11:30 a.m. on April and 4 p.m. on April 15. Learn how to use the website Instacart to order online from your favorite grocery store. Teen volunteers from the Girl Scouts will lead the class and answer any tech-related questions. Register in advance online at http://www.monroetwplibrary.org/calendar or by phone at 732-521-5000.
An upcoming children’s class includes a a virtual storytime, craft and game Unicorn Party! at 1 p.m. on April 10. Registration required and beings April 1. Material and Zoom invitation must be picked up prior to program via curbside.
The township has resumed medical transportation for seniors and people with disabilities. With retrofitted buses and social distancing in place, medical transportation is available Monday through Friday for township seniors and people with disabilities. To make a reservation call 609-443-0511 between 1-4:15 p.m. Buses are regularly cleaned and masks are required for all riders. Temperature checks will be conducted for all passengers prior to boarding the bus.
The Monroe Township Food Pantry provides assistance for residents, families in need. For more information contact Karen Theer at 609-448-7140. Another resource is the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Services (MCFOODS) Directory, which directs people to an agency in their area that can provide them with emergency food assistance as well as Jewish Family Services. For more information and MCFOODS email ja@mciauth.com or call 732-729-0880 and for Jewish Family Services call 609-395-7979.
Donations to the food pantry can be mailed to Office of Senior Services, 12 Halsey Reed Road, Monroe Township, NJ 08831, Re: Food Pantry. Checks should be made payable to “Friends of the Senior Center” with “Food Bank” written in the memo line of the check.
The township Recycling Center hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. For more information contact the township Department of Public Works (DPW) at 732-656-4575.
Antibody testing is now available along with COVID-19 testing at MyInstaDoc, 298 Applegarth Road for anyone wishing to be tested. The facility will serve pre-registered COVID-19 testing patients from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Antibody blood testing will be conducted in-office by appointment. To be considered, a patient must be free from all COVID-19 symptoms for no less than 14 days. This test will assess them for subclinical infection in the past.
The COVID-19 drive-thru testing site serves pre-registered patients from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and drive-up patients from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays. Pre-register at www.myinstadocmonroe.com or call 609-207-3220 to speak with a medical professional. A person does not have to be symptomatic to be tested.
COVID-19 testing is also available at Hackensack Meridian Urgent Care in Monroe at 215 Applegarth Road. The facility is offering antibody blood testing and COVID-19 nasal swab testing walk-in or by appointment from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend. For more information call 732-263-7922 to schedule an appointment.
For more information visit www.COVID19.nj.gov.
For Middlesex County information on COVID-19 information visit discovermiddlesex.com/covid19/ or www.middlesexcountynj.gov/.
