Dear Pennsauken Residents and Business Owners,

With the outbreak of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, we’ve been experiencing unprecedented responses – both at home and abroad – in order to contain the spread of this virus. Sporting events have been postponed indefinitely; large public events have been canceled; and the possibility of even more closures is on the horizon. I know I speak for many of us when I say that what’s happened in just a few days has caused a great deal of concern when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of our family and friends.

To date, Pennsauken has not experienced a direct case of a resident or employee that has been infected with the coronavirus. We are encouraging residents to limit any unnecessary exposure and risk to this disease. If you’ve recently traveled abroad, particularly to those countries currently designated by the CDC with a Level 3 Health Notice, please, self quarantine and follow the CDC guidelines to prevent potentially exposing others.

I want to share with our residents that the entire Township Committee, our Administration, our Public Safety officials, and our Office of Emergency Management are working diligently to safeguard the Pennsauken community. The impact of the coronavirus changes on a daily basis; we are continuing to monitor this situation hour-by-hour. We are in constant communication with our partners at the County and State levels, the Pennsauken School District, as well as you: our residents and business owners here in town.

To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, we are all going to have to make changes that will cause inconveniences. Some of them we will make willingly; some will be out of our control. We just have to remember that these changes are only temporary; that a little discomfort now makes a big difference when it comes to preventing the spread of this disease.

Case in point: we will be making several changes to all Municipal services. Effective at end of business on Friday, March 13, we will be closing the Municipal Building, Pennsauken Free Public Library, Municipal Court, Fire Prevention and Inspection Bureau, the Police Records office, and Pennsauken Country Club until further notice. All non-essential Municipal functions are temporarily suspended. The fees associated with these, including tax payments, registrations, etc. will be given a 30-day grace period effective today. Key administration members and staff will still be working to maintain essential Municipal services. Our Public Works Department, Pennsauken Sewerage Authority, and the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission will be operating on a modified schedule during this time. Pennsauken first repsonders, our police, fire, and EMS, will continue to work on their regular schedules. PYAA will also suspend practices, scrimmages, and games until further notice.

This is a fluid situation; we will be making the appropriate changes on an as-needed basis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a resource we are relying on regarding protocols during this outbreak. There are many simple steps we can take, like employing social distancing and sanitizing public spaces, which help reduce our risks of exposure. You can find out more by visiting CDC.gov. Our Township Administration and Township Committee will do its best to continue to update our community on the coronavirus. I encourage you to follow the official Township social media outlets and visit our website. If you have not yet signed up for Reverse 9-1-1 notifications, please do so by visiting MPWC.com/swift911.

Again, Township Committee, our Municipal staff, our Public Safety officers, and our Office of Emergency Management are working tirelessly to protect the public health of our Pennsauken community. We will continue to serve our residents and our businesses as best we can during this crisis.

This is something we’ve never experienced before. As we all learn from this, we are going to be as proactive and cautious as possible to insure the safety and health of our community. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we do everything we can to get through this together.

Sincerely,

Tim Killion
Mayor of Pennsauken Township