COVID-19 FAQ

• Casinos, gyms, racetracks and movie theaters will be closed until further notice, effective 8 p.m. Monday;
• Bars and restaurants will close for sit-down eating on a nightly basis at 8 p.m.; they can remain open after 8 p.m. on a nightly basis, but only for takeout;
• All nonessential stores will close nightly at 8 p.m., but are allowed to reopen the following day;
• Essential stores — grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, medical offices — will be allowed to stay open after 8 p.m.
• ‘All Gatherings of persons in the State of New Jersey shall be limited to 50 persons or fewer, excluding normal operations at airports, bus & train stations, medical facilities, office environments, factories, assemblages for the purpose of manufacturing work, construction sites, mass transit, or the purchase of consumer goods.
• Gov. Phil Murphy said nonessential travel is “strongly discouraged” between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. — a policy that will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. The curfew is a suggestion, workers will NOT be pulled over by the police or face legal consequences for their travel home after working hours. 2^nd & 3^rd shift work can continue as normal.

Soap has two parts to it, one part the head, is hydrophobic: hates water; the other part is the tail and it is hydrophilic: loves water. When you wash with soap and water the soap molecules get distributed all over the surface they come in contact with by the water. The hydrophobic end starts looking for something to hide itself from the water, so it attaches to whatever is not water….like dirt, and the lipid spikes on Coronaviruses.. As this dance continues the dirt and/or virus molecules get completely surrounded by soap molecules forming micelles, these micelles are now suspended in the water and are not attached to any surfaces [like your skin]. Rinsing, flushes these micelles down the drain leaving the surface [your skin] clean of everything that was on it.

Hand sanitizers rely on alcohol to attack the virus surface and kill it. Unfortunately, they are not 100% effective and in some cases not effective at all.

The order has been canceled and a revised version has been sent to the governor’s office. (Information posted at 11:30am 3/19/2020)

The Small Business Administration is providing disaster assistance loans for small businesses impacted by the Coronavirus.

Click the button below to learn more about each individual NJEDA requirements and to see who’s eligible.

Clarifications…from the Governor’s Executive Order #107:
Manufacturing, industrial, logistics, ports, heavy construction, shipping, food production, food delivery, and other commercial operations may continue operating, should limit staff on site to the minimal number to ensure that essential operations can continue. (Updated 11:39am on 3/23/2020)

All manufacturers are considered essential at this time (11:39am on 3/23/2020).

FDA-regulated food manufacturers are required to follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) and many have food safety plans that include a hazards analysis and risk-based preventive controls.  CGMPs and food safety plans have requirements for maintaining clean and sanitized facilities and food contact surfaces. See: FSMA Final Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food.

Food facilities are required to use EPA-registered “sanitizer” products in their cleaning and sanitizing practices.

In addition, there is a list of EPA-registered “disinfectant” products for COVID-19 on the Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 list that have qualified under EPA’s emerging viral pathogen program for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

IMPORTANT: Check the product label guidelines for if and where these disinfectant products are safe and recommended for use in food manufacturing areas or food establishments.

We encourage coordination with local health officials for all businesses so that timely and accurate information can guide appropriate responses in each location where their operations reside.

Food facilities may want to consider a more frequent cleaning schedule.

Click the button below for the steps to take if an employee contracts COVID-19. Also see the official CDC Environment Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations.

Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. However, the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person in some communities in the U.S. The CDC recommends that if you are sick, stay home until you are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

Anyone handling, preparing and serving food should always follow safe food handling procedures, such as washing hands and surfaces often.

CDC recommends that employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [37.8° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick. We recommend that businesses review CDC’s interim guidance for businesses and employers for planning and responding to Coronavirus disease.  Also see the FDA’s Retail Food Protection: Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook.

CDC recommends routine cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, counter tops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. CDC does not recommend any additional disinfection beyond routine cleaning at this time.

View the EPA-registered disinfectant products on the Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 list that have qualified under EPA’s emerging viral pathogen program for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Restaurants and retail food establishments are regulated at the state and local level. State, local, and tribal regulators use the Food Code published by the FDA to develop or update their own food safety rules. Generally, FDA-regulated food manufacturers are required to maintain clean facilities, including, as appropriate, clean and sanitized food contact surfaces, and to have food safety plans in place.   Food safety plans include a hazards analysis and risk-based preventive controls and include procedures for maintaining clean and sanitized facilities and food contact surfaces. See: FSMA Final Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food.

There is no evidence to suggest that food produced in the United States can transmit COVID-19.

Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.

Unlike foodborne gastrointestinal (GI) viruses like norovirus and hepatitis A that often make people ill through contaminated food, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is a virus that causes respiratory illness and not gastrointestinal illness, and foodborne exposure to this virus is not known to be a route of transmission.

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. That’s why it’s always critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill.