Hoboken’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has directed that all bars and restaurant establishments, with or without a liquor license, are no longer permitted to serve food within the restaurant or bar.
If a bar does not currently offer food, they will no longer be permitted to operate and are no longer permitted to serve alcohol, as of 11 a.m. Sunday, March 15.
Any bar or restaurant establishment that currently offers food service will be permitted to conduct food takeout and food delivery service only.
OEM is also implementing a city-wide daily curfew which will be in effect from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m., starting Monday, March 16 until further notice.
During this curfew, all residents will be required to remain in their homes except for emergencies, or if they are required to work by their employer.
“I received a call from our Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante notifying me of a bar fight in downtown Hoboken, with at least one person falling in and out of consciousness, and our police having to wait for over 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, because our EMS is inundated with service calls,” said Mayor Ravi Bhalla. “This is unfortunately a contributing factor why we cannot continue bar operations which can trigger calls for service that are delayed in part because of this public health crisis.”
Bhalla said there has been a substantial uptick in positive COVID-19 cases throughout the state calling these “extremely challenging times.”
“The time is now to enact proactive policies that will help save lives in the long run,” said Bhalla. “We’ve asked families with children to be a part of social distancing by closing our schools. We must all now do our part.”
“I completely recognize that these measures will result in substantial changes and inconveniences to our daily lives. However, these measures are being taken to save lives and protect our residents. I strongly urge residents to continue to take every measure possible in order to practice social distancing, washing your hands, and sanitizing all surfaces,” he said.
