Bergen County alone now has more coronavirus cases than 38 U.S. states
Bergen County has been the epicenter of New Jersey’s coronavirus outbreak, and now the 233 square mile area has exceeded 38 states in the number of cases of the virus it has reported so far.
There have been 1,505 positive cases of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in Bergen County to date, according to the state health department. For context, the entire state of Colorado has 1,430 cases, according to data compiled by the Washington Post.
Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco told NJ Advance Media that his jurisdiction’s high rate of cases is due in part to more testing becoming available. A large number of Bergen County residents also travel for work to New York City, which has the most cases in the United States.
“Stay home. Stay home. Stay home,” Tedesco said in a phone interview. “I can’t say that enough.”
At an estimated 932,000 residents, the county is the most populated one in New Jersey. Living in such a densely populated area makes social distancing - or staying at least 6 feet away from others - a challenge.
Bergen County accounts for about 17% of New Jersey’s 8,825 coronavirus cases. At least 108 New Jersey residents have died after contracting the virus and at least 20 of those deaths were Bergen County residents, according to the most recent data put out by the state and county.
“We have almost a quarter of the deaths in the New Jersey,” Tedesco said. “It’s unfortunate that the families of people in Bergen County are feeling the magnitude of the virus.”
The whole state of New Jersey, meanwhile, ranks third in the United States for the number of COVID-19 cases. Only Louisiana and New York have more.
To quell the spread of the virus Gov. Phil Murphy ordered non-essential businesses to close and required all New Jersey residents to stay at home unless it’s for an essential purpose, like grocery shopping.
Tedesco is also closing all Bergen County parks Saturday morning. He said neighboring counties have done the same, which is driving residents from other areas to Bergen County’s parks instead.
Social distancing and stay-at-home orders are necessary to flatten the curve, or lower the number of patients infected with the virus at one time, officials have said. If too many residents get the virus at once, health experts say hospitals would be overwhelmed.
Still, Tedesco said, there is hope amidst all the staggering statistics.
“There are many, many people that are coming out of the virus and surviving,” he said. “That’s the great news, but the challenge is we’ve got to stop the spread. So the good news is that people can survive and a large majority in Bergen County are surviving.
“But - but! - we need people to change their behaviors.”
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