In TV appeal, Calamari urges kindness; chief vows officers will render aid but keep distance

TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—Mayor Peter Calamari said “kindness and common sense will go a long way” as the town weathers the Covid-19 emergency.

He added in part, “There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned phone call” for residents who need to conduct business at the now closed-to-the-public municipal center. He said he hoped people also had access to email and a scanner for submitting documents.

Calamari was joined by Police Chief Richard Skinner, Council President Stacey DeMarco-Feeney, and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Sgt. Rio Fasciano at the studio of WCTVNJ this afternoon, shooting an 11-minute public service announcement reinforcing safety messages and updating viewers on closures and cancellations.

Fasciano coordinates with county emergency managers, who in turn work with counterparts at the state and national levels, on crisis situations. Much of what the four discussed was sent to homes earlier in the day in a pair of SwiftReach phone calls.

  • The municipal building is closed to the public. However, municipal functions will still be operational and borough employees will be available via phone or email.
  • All township parks and fields are closed to organized and non-organized sporting and private events.
  • All child and senior recreation programs are cancelled until further notice.
  • The court session for Thursday, March 19 has been canceled.
  • All spring recreation sports are suspended until April 6.
  • The Township Library is closed until further notice, though the library does have digital offerings that may be accessed from home.

“The safety of our residents is our top priority, and a declaration of a national emergency regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a matter that we are taking very seriously here in Washington Township,” Calamari said.

He added, “We have been consistently meeting to educate our staff as well as to carefully receive, discuss, and implement state-mandated instructions.”

Calamari did not say, but it is posted on the town website, that the meeting of the governing body set for Monday, March 16 has been moved to Monday, March 23. The Planning Board, at the time of this posting, was scheduled to meet on March 25.

Police Chief Richard Skinner says his dispatchers and officers are going to use personal protective gear to protect themselves and the community against unneeded potential exposure to coronavirus.

Skinner advised that the police station, at the municipal building, is staffed 24/7/365 but that officers no longer will invite complainants into the station’s offices; the dispatcher will take reports from behind the window. There is now hand sanitizer in the lobby, he said.

He also apologized in advance if people encountering police find them “a little bit less up front and friendly” than usual; he has instructed his officers to try to keep 6–10 feet away from other people to avoid exposure to coronavirus.

Skinner said that he had coordinated with the Washington Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps and advises anyone in respiratory distress to call 911. Anyone with a suspect fever, cough, or other symptoms of respiratory infection should call their primary care physician. Do not call for an emergency transport.

“We are going to try to limit contact a little bit. … I think the important thing to remember is that we don’t want our first responders to be exposed because then we create a situation where first responders will need to be treated or quarantined,” he said.

He added, “We’re a police force of 20 officers with two SLEOs, we have dispatch personnel and one civilian. So you can imagine if we get a couple of police officers who are exposed and need to be quarantined it would put some serious manpower issues down. We’ll certainly still respond to any and all emergencies.”

DeMarco-Feeney said “We are all here—the mayor, the council—to support anybody in need.” She called for a graph to be shown emphasizing the benefit of social isolation as our best means of protecting each other, advised against playdates and sleepovers, and warned against frequenting restaurants, cafes, and markets.

“My recommendation really is to use your best judgement,” she said.

The administration encouraged residents “to remain calm, kind, and mindful to others in need,” asked that we check on our elderly neighbors, and recommended resources at the New Jersey and New York departments of health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WCTVNJ evidently had initially expected more councilmembers to participate, at least according to a Facebook post promoting the event. And at least once councilmember posted after the fact that he knew nothing about the show. The speakers did not take questions and the show was not moderated.

The show will be re-broadcast; see it on FiOS Ch. 24 and Optimum Ch. 77.

Related: the town website warns of a scam: “Please be aware that individuals are going door to door claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC does NOT deploy teams to go door to door. Residents should not let these people into their homes or speak with them. Contact Township of Washington Police Department if this activity is reported.”