Along with the rest of the state and the country, our community has been reeling from the
swift chain of events that the exponential spread of COVID-19 has brought to Voorhees. Our hearts are breaking as we lay witness to the effect of this pandemic. Sadly, we continue to report new positive cases, and some of our own Voorhees residents have passed away due to COVID related complications.
Last week, we shared with the community that Mayor Mignogna tested positive for the virus just one day after receiving the devastating news that Deputy Mayor Ravitz lost his father, Steve Ravitz, to COVID-19.
The entire Voorhees family sends them both strength and support. Steve Ravitz was a philanthropic pillar of our South Jersey Family who served as chairman to the Ravitz Family Foundation, a private nonprofit that has donated more than five million dollars to community groups and organizations, funding everything from after-school programs and playgrounds to food pantries and community gardens.
Steve’s legacy will live on in our community for years to come. Mayor Mignogna continues to recover at home and is extremely grateful for the overwhelming support and well-wishes that he has received. The stories of residents stepping up and supporting one another and our essential workers has brought him much needed joy and we look forward to his prompt return.
New information is continually becoming available regarding the status/spread of the
coronavirus and what actions we should be taking. Our best defense to stop the spread of the virus is social distancing, stay at least six feet away from others not in your household, and remember that any one of us could be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus, so we must remain diligent.
Under Executive Order 122, Governor Murphy mandated that all customers wear face
coverings when shopping at essential retail businesses, entering a restaurant or bar to pick up takeout orders, and when traveling on train, bus, light rail, or paratransit vehicle, except where doing so would inhibit that individual’s health or where the individual is under two years of age.
The CDC recommends that surgical masks and N95 respirators not be used by the general
public as they are still in critically short supply and needed primarily by our medical
professionals and first responders. The face cover helps stop the spread of the virus to others but remember you should still maintain six feet of separation even if everyone is wearing a mask.
Additionally, Executive Order 126 from our Governor mandates that no cable or
telecommunications provider that supplies residential internet and voice services to New Jersey residents shall terminate such internet and voice service due to non-payment as long as the State of Emergency remains in effect.
There is a voluminous amount of misinformation on the internet about the COVID-19
pandemic. Below are Federal, State and Municipal phone numbers and websites that you can use to find out the most trusted, accurate and current information.
Voorhees Town Hall (856) 429-7757
New Jersey Department of Health Hotline (800) 222-1222
Voorhees Township Emergency Medical Service (856) 783-6630
Voorhees Township Fire Department (856) 783-6630
Voorhees Township Police (856) 428-5400
Camden County Office of Emergency Management (856) 309-2106
Voorhees Township: www.voorheesnj.com
New Jersey: www.covid19.nj.gov
Camden County: www.camdencounty.com/service/covid-19-updatesandpreperations/about-covid-19-what-to-do/
NJ Department of Health: www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml
Centers for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/COVID19
It is important to still support our local businesses during the COVID-19 crises. The
Voorhees businesses listed below are open in some form. Ways to help are take-out orders,
drive-thru service, on-line shopping and the purchase of a gift card from local establishments such as Acme, Applebee’s, Angelo’s Pizza, Black Olive Restaurant, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Coriander Indian Bistro, Dominic’s Pizza & Restaurant, Dunkin Donuts, Elena Wu Restaurant, El Mariachi San Lucas Restaurant, Franky D’s Pizza, Healthy Garden & Gourmet Pizza, Iron Hill Brewery, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Lai Thai Cuisine, Mirabella Italian Restaurant, Mount Masala Himalayan Cuisine, Mulan Chinese Restaurant, Munsal Pakistan and Indian Restaurant, Olive Garden Restaurant, Oki Maki Restaurant, Panera Bread, Primo Hoagies, Radicchio Restaurant, Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse, Royal Farms, Subway, Sushi To Go, Tandoori Kabab, Target, TJ’s Pizza, Wawa, Wayback Burger, Wendy’s Old Fashion Hamburger, and Wine Warehouse.
We continue to engage in this fight together. There is so much that is outside of our
control right now. Let’s focus on the things we can control. Practice gratitude and look for the opportunities to spread goodwill in this challenging time. Find ways to pivot from old habits and move forward to create positive new possibilities.
Stay home. Stay hopeful. Stay healthy. Please continue social distancing. Please continue
to check on your neighbors, those in need and the elderly because as our Mayor has stated,
