By Donald Gilpin

On Monday, February 14, the Princeton Health Department reported 34 new COVID-19 cases in Princeton over the previous seven days, down about 30 percent from the week before, and 83 cases in the previous 14 days, down about 37 percent from the two preceding weeks.

Princeton University’s Campus Risk Status was reduced from “High” to “Moderate to High” on February 8, with indoor gatherings now permitted to include food and attendees allowed to remove masks when eating or drinking. Also, students are no longer limited to 20 guests in dormitory suites or rooms.

The University COVID-19 Dashboard reported a 0.32 percent positivity rate from February 5 to 11, down from 0.36 percent the previous week and 1.05 percent the week before that.

Princeton Public Schools reported 27 new COVID-19 cases for the week ending February 11, three more cases than the previous week, but well below the numbers for the six weeks before that.

With New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement last week that the statewide mask mandate for schools and child care centers will be lifted on March 7, Princeton

Deputy Administrator for Health and Community Services Jeff Grosser discussed current guidance on mask wearing and his thoughts on when masks should still be worn and when to consider taking them off.

“Mask wearing is still recommended in public settings, particularly where physical distancing is not possible,” said Grosser. “If cases continue to trend this way, it’s likely that we will see masks being optional in those same places.” He stated that if transmission rates drop to “Low” throughout the state more places would most likely make mask-wearing optional.

“That said, there will likely continue to be recommendations for certain individuals to continue to wear a mask due to recent COVID infection, or if they are in days 6-10 of their isolation period or they live with those who are medically frail or they may be immunocompromised themselves,” he added.

Grosser went on to support the removal of masks under appropriate circumstances, but he warned that we still might not be out of the woods yet. “Cases are getting better, situations are improving,” he wrote in a February 15 email. “It makes sense for masks to come off, but as we have stated before, we are still monitoring future variants and should be prepared to mobilize our existing community health precautions.”

In Tuesday’s report from the New Jersey Department of Health, the state’s seven-day average for positive tests declined to 1,657, down 32 percent from a week ago and 92 percent from a month ago. The transmission rate for New Jersey on Monday, February 14, was 0.52, with any rate below 1 indicating each new case leading to fewer than 1 additional case and a declining outbreak. 

The seven-day daily average of new cases in the United States dropped to 154,912 on Monday, February 14, an 11 percent decline from the day before, according to the New York Times.  At least one in four people who live in the United States have been infected, and at least one in 360 people have died since January 2020 at the start of the pandemic. In the past 14 days there has been a 66 percent drop in case numbers in the U.S., as well as a 6 percent drop in deaths and a 36 percent drop in hospitalizations.

COVID-19 testing locations in the Princeton area include the Princeton Pop-Up Clinic at 237 Harrison Street near the Princeton Shopping Center, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; a Montgomery Township clinic at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Inc.’s Skillman Campus, 199 Grandview Road in the lobby of the North Building, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and a clinic at CURE Insurance Arena, 81 Hamilton Avenue, Trenton, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free test kits for at-home testing are available at covidtests.gov and learn.vaulthealth.com/nj.

The Princeton Health Department is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine and booster clinic on Thursday, February 17 at the Princeton Senior Resource Center, 45 Stockton Street, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.  Princeton University will hold a Pfizer vaccine and booster clinic on Wednesday, February 16, and a Moderna clinic on Thursday, February 17, both from noon to 4 p.m. at Jadwin Gymnasium.

Vaccines and boosters are also available at several pharmacies and other clinics in the Princeton area. Visit the New Jersey Vaccine Appointment Finder at covid19.nj.gov or vaccines.gov for further information.