Coronavirus

New Hanover Township COVID-19 Mitigation Measures
03/14/2020 | 5:00 p.m.

In response to the Governor’s directives on Thursday, March 12, 2020 and Friday, March 13, 2020, New Hanover Township will begin mitigation practices to help slow and prevent the spread of the coronavirus/COVID-19. To assist with the Township’s response and in accord with the Township’s Emergency Plan, the Township Manager and Emergency Management Coordinator have Declared a Disaster effective immediately. 

Effective March 16, 2020 through April 3, 2020, all municipal buildings are closed to the public, except for the Police Department, and all public meetings and recreational events are canceled.  All in-person “over the counter” Township services will, subject to evolving conditions with COVID-19, resume Monday, April 6, 2020.  Please be aware that this timeline is based on the Governor’s current directive and is subject to change.

The Township will continue to provide essential services, such as Police, and all other and non-essential services such as tax collection, financial services and permitting will be open for business, but residents will be directed to online and telephone services.

At this time, the Township will continue to monitor COVID-19 carefully and is seeking alternative options for public meetings after March 30, 2020 to limit the opportunity for exposure and spread of the illness. Any change in meetings will be posted in advance of the meetings on the Township website (www.newhanover-pa.org) and our Parks and Recreation Department Facebook page (@https://www.facebook.com/NHTParksRec/).

A breakdown of Department services can be found below:

• Code Enforcement and Zoning

• All new zoning, building, or other applications will be processed via mail, email (jwozniak@newhanover-pa.org) or through the drop box at the Police Department. 

• Inspections will still be taking place on a limited basis.

• The public will still be able to interact with Township personnel via phone and e-mail (jwozniak@newhanover-pa.org). Residents are encouraged to call Code Enforcement and Zoning at (610) 323-1008 ext. 4 to discuss their applications.

• Finance Department

• The Finance Department will be available by e-mail only (msmith@newhanover-pa.org).  In-person services will resume March 30, 2020.

• Front Desk

• The Township Building is closed to the public. Please call (610) 323-1008 ext. 9 and leave a message for the Township Manager.

• New Hanover Municipal Authority

• The Authority Building is closed to the public and will be prioritizing plant operations. Please call (610) 323-1008 ext. 3 and leave a message for the Superintendent.

• Parks and Recreation

• All programs are canceled through March 29, 2020. No organized activities are permitted at any Township facility. Large group gatherings within the Township are strongly discouraged. 

• The Parks and Recreation Department will be available by e-mail only (jwilhelmy@newhanover-pa.org).  In-person services will resume March 30, 2020.

• Township Parks:

• Although some parks will be open, please practice social distancing and be aware that recreation equipment will not be cleaned. Visitors to Township parks assume all responsibility for risks and hazards.

• Our Police Department will still be monitoring Township parks. Residents are asked to continue to abide by facility rules and regulations.

• Police Department

• The Police Department will be open and providing services as usual. Police services personnel can be reached at (610) 323-1008 ext. 2. In the event of an emergency, please call 9-1-1.

• The Police Department will be issuing response and safety announcements directly to the public during this emergency.

• Public Works

• The Department will only be responding to items of immediate concern, including but not limited to: pipe bursts in the township building, access and site issues at intersections, malfunctioning traffic signals, debris removal, and anything else that needs immediate attention.

• For service needs related to Public Works, please call (610) 323-1008 ext. 5.

• Tax Office

• There will be no tax office hours during this period. Please contact the Tax Collector with questions at (484) 644-3123.

Information on Governor’s Order Recent Order Pertaining to Life-Sustaining Businesses --  Press Release from Senator Bob Mensch

Mitigating COVID-19 in the 24th Senatorial District -  Press Release from Senator Bob Mensch

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have up-to-date information regarding the COVID-19.  For your convenience, links to webpages of particular relevance are provided below:  

COVID-19 Webpage:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

 Current Situation Assessment: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html 

 Employer Preparedness: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/guidance-business-response.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fguidance-business-response.html

 Law Enforcement Preparedness: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-law-enforcement.html

 Emergency Medical Services Preparedness: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-for-ems.html

 Community Preparedness: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fpreparing-individuals-communities.html

 Guidance for Travelers: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

 In addition to the CDC Traveler webpage, it is recommended that individuals contemplating travel should also consult the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory webpage:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

 *** The above links represent primary sources of up-to-date information relied upon by emergency management and the medical community.  Due to the evolving nature of the situation, individuals should be wary of out-of-date, secondary sources of guidance.  When possible, always seek credible primary sources when dealing with critical information.