The Weehawken Township Council has adopted a resolution mandating that municipal employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to regular testing.
Weehawken is thought to be the second municipality in Hudson County to do so, following Hoboken.
The resolution was walked on at the council meeting on Sept. 8 by Mayor Richard Turner. Turner said the township had been working on the policy and decided to roll it out at as resolution at the meeting.
“The schools are doing it, the fire department is doing the same policy,” Turner said. “I believe the state of New Jersey is doing it. Most municipalities and businesses are doing it.”
Turner said the resolution authorizes the Township Manager to institute the policy effective as of Sept. 9, that unvaccinated municipal employees must be tested every week. However, that number is small, according to Turner.
“We already have as close to 90 percent in the schools and the municipal vaccination rate, which is very high,” Turner said.
Overall, 74 percent of adult residents are fully vaccinated in Weehawken.
The jab or the swab
Those who aren’t vaccinated can get vaccinated or get tested weekly, Turner said.
“There’s plenty of places to get tested,” Turner said. “They can get tested by their own doctors. They can get tested free of charge in Union City. There’s testing and vaccines in multiple locations, so there’s really no excuse.”
Testing is available at the joint testing site with Union City on 36th Street between Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Appointments are not required; walk-ins are allowed.
The township is administering vaccinations at the Senior Nutrition Center, Thursdays 1 to 6:30 p.m. Qualifying Weehawken residents can register at northhudsonvax.us. Walk-ins are encouraged.
The council unanimously voted to approve the resolution. Turner said the township would release a memo with more information soon; check weehawken-nj.us.
For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.
