Here's How Coronavirus Is Affecting Businesses In Belleville

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Belleville Township. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Mayor Michael Melham and other Belleville officials hosted a phone conference with several local small business owners to urge them to practice enhanced social distancing procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Township Manager Anthony Iacono, Emergency Management Coordinator Martin Lutz, Health Director Colleen Britton and Police Chief Mark Minichini were joined on the call by owners of restaurants, liquor stores, pharmacies, day care centers and other businesses in the Township.

More than 100 local business owners were invited to take part in Thursday’s conference.

Melham said he has visited several of the businesses in the past few weeks, noting that many of them are doing a fine job adhering to the safeguards – such as maintaining social distancing and banning gatherings - instituted by Gov. Phil Murphy.

Taking these safeguards a step further could have greater benefits, Melham said.

“By keeping your employees safe and keeping our residents safe you will keep our first responders safe,” he said. “We only have a limited number of first responders. We have X-amount of police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel. We have already quarantined members of our police and fire departments. We have to keep them safe in order to keep our residents safe.”

Melham is strongly urging local business owners to adhere to these enhanced social distancing procedures:

Money - "Several businesses have stopped accepting cash because the one-to-one transfer violates the six-foot social distancing order. Plus, there’s a possibility the money could be contaminated. So, some businesses have started using a small tray during transactions. Customers place the money or credit/debit card on the tray. The cashier takes the tray, finishes the transaction and returns the card or change. The tray is then wiped down after each transaction."

Limit People - "Murphy’s measures don’t address the number of people who can be within an essential business. Melham is asking that businesses limit the number of patrons at any one time. One idea is putting a worker at the door to control the traffic flow. Some establishments have been putting markers six feet apart on the floor so customers know how far apart to stand. With restaurants, one idea is to keep customers outside the store and bring the food to them. And, in that same vein, restaurants should consider moving their businesses to delivery-only through such services as Uber Eats and DoorDash."

Wear Masks - "Business owners are urged to require all their works to wear gloves and masks. Gloves should be changed often, especially in restaurants."

Wipe Down Touchpoints Constantly - "Murphy’s executive orders don’t specifically address cleaning guidelines. Melham urges business owners to clean touchpoints such as door handles and credit/debit card keypads often. Also, continually clean door handles if your restaurant has a refrigerator case in the waiting area."

Check The Township Website - "Business owners, as well as all residents, are urged to check www.bellevillenj.org. All news and updates during the COVID-19 outbreak will be promptly posted."

Melham also took the opportunity to tell local business owners that the township is doing everything it can to support them. For instance, he said the list of local eating establishments, called Belleville Delicious, is constantly being updated and shared on various social media platforms.

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