Presumptive Positive Case of COVID-19 at Mercer Elementary School

March 14, 2020

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–From Hamilton Township 10 pm. update:

Just recently we were made aware of a presumptive positive case of an individual associated with Mercer Elementary School, part of the Mercer County Special Services School District. 

The individual lives outside Mercer County and therefore, it is not a Mercer County case. However, the Hamilton Health Department is awaiting a list of Hamilton residents with whom this individual has been in contact. We will begin reaching out to those individuals once we receive their names and contact information.

As always, we will keep you informed of all releasable information as quickly as possible. 

Letter from Mercer County Special Services School District:

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) NOTIFICATION
Dear School Community,

In conjunction with the Mercer County Division of Public Health and the Hamilton Township Health
Department, we are informing you that an individual at Mercer Elementary School, tested presumptive
positive for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 13, 2020. This individual is awaiting
confirmatory test results from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) laboratory.

COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that was first detected in Wuhan
Hubei Province, China. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people
who are in close contact with one another, and through respiratory droplets produced when an
infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the eyes, mouth or nose of people
who are nearby or possibly inhaled into the lungs. People are thought to be most contagious when
they are most symptomatic.

A limited number of students and staff have potentially had close contact with the presumptive
positive individual. As per the New Jersey Department of Health, a close contact is considered to
be a person who was within 6 feet of a COVID-19 presumptive positive case for longer than 10
minutes. In coordination with the Administration of the Mercer County Special Services School
District, the Hamilton Township Health Department representatives will be directly contacting those
individuals who have been determined to be a close contact.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding at this time, we will continue to update
you as more information is available.

For more information about COVID-19 and the public health procedures visit
https://www.nj.gov/health and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/. You may also call the New Jersey
Department of Health call center at:
1-800-222-1222. The call center is staffed by trained health care professionals 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, has multi-language capacity, and is free.
Sincerely,

Kimberly J. Schneider, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools


Hamilton Township March 14, 2020 6:30 pm update:

As of 6:30 PM, there are no known cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) reported in Hamilton Township.

Yesterday evening, it was announced that Municipal Courts would be closing for two weeks effective Monday, March 16, 2020. You can find a copy of the notice from the NJ Supreme Court here: Notice to the Bar.

Altice USA (better known to residents as Optimum), announced that for for households with K-12 and/or college students who may be displaced due to school closures and who do not currently have home internet access, are being offered Altice Advantage 30 Mbps broadband solution for free for 60 days to any new customer household within their service region.  Starting Monday, March 16, 2020, eligible households interested in this solution can call 866-200-9522 to enroll.