Since you received the alert below yesterday afternoon, new Cumberland County Ag Agent Dr. Tim Waller discovered the following details:

“[Both] inventory reports and donations of PPE can be made at this site: 

• https://covid19.nj.gov/ppereport

“What does this mean? It is the current understanding that the state will not take PPE from companies at this time, but that could change in the future if the situation reaches a critical mass. Public health and medical workers may need these devices to provide care for ill COVID-19 patients.

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On March 23, NJ Governor Phil Murphy’s signed Executive Order 109 that includes the following impacting all NJ businesses:

“Inventory of personal protective equipment to be taken: Any business, non-hospital health care facility, or institution of higher learning in possession of PPE, ventilators, respirators, or anesthesia machines not required for the provision of critical health care services shall undertake an inventory of these supplies and send that information to the State by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 27. The Office of Emergency Management shall establish a process for affected entities to submit this information.”

Information on where to submit your inventory will be shared as soon as it is available.

In the meantime, New Jersey State Police working with the NJ Hospital Association has announced that anyone willing to donate PPE equipment should please email ppedonations@njsp.org to assist with this critical need.

From https://njbiz.com/together-want-help-njha-offers-can/, NJHA also suggests these ways to help:

• Support the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, launched by First Lady Tammy Murphy to help New Jersey residents with the economic and social impact of COVID-19.
• Give blood. There is an urgent shortage of blood in our state. Blood donation sites are taking heightened precautions to protect those who give. The American Red Cross-New Jersey helps supply hospitals statewide; call ahead for appointment information.

The Rutgers Plant Diagnostic and Soil Testing Laboratories are currently closed to the public.

However, lab employees will be processing samples during limited hours and without extra support from student workers.

Instructions for submitting plant samples and questions to the Diagnostic Lab are:

• Samples may be shipped via UPS or FedEx (not via US Postal Service) directly to:  Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, Ralph Geiger Turfgrass Ed. Ctr., 20 Indyk-Engel Way, North Brunswick, NJ 08902. Please email us at rutgerspdl@njaes.rutgers.edu to inform us when to expect your sample (please provide tracking information if available).
• Hand deliveries of samples may be left in the hallway at our front door. Please email us at rutgerspdl@njaes.rutgers.edu to inform us that you have dropped off a sample.
• For questions, the best way to reach the lab staff is via email to rutgerspdl@njaes.rutgers.edu as we may have limited access to voicemail.

To for submit soil samples and questions to the Soils Testing Lab:

• Soil samples may be mailed via the US Postal Service or shipped UPS or FedEx to: Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 57 US Highway 1, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8554.
• In-person visits for dropping off samples are not permitted.
• Soil testing kits can be mailed, or for clients without soil testing kits, sampling instructions and the soil test questionnaires are available on the NJAES/soil-testing-lab webpage: How to Have Your Soil Tested. It is important to select the correct kit/questionnaire for the type of soil you are testing and the analysis required.
• For questions, the best way to reach the lab staff is via email to: soiltest@njaes.rutgers.edu as we may have limited coverage of phones.

With limited hours and no student workers to assist, please anticipate slower turnaround times. We thank you for your patience.

To learn the status of your Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) office, please visit the County Office tab at njaes.rutgers.edu. Note that the status of office access listed below is subject to change in this current state of emergency. Personnel in most offices are working remotely or in offices with restricted access, but are still available to assist via mail, phone or email.

From RCE Director Dr. Brian Schilling,

“…Cooperative Extension… continue[s] to operate under the directive that all Rutgers Cooperative Extension events, programs, and noncredit classes involving groups larger than 15 participants are to be cancelled through at least April 3.  Significant progress is being made with the movement of programs and associate resources into online formats.

“Over the past week, RCE county offices have begun altering their operations to promote social distancing and continue programs/service provision, as is feasible.  RCE and county government partners are working to ensure continuity of operations, which in many instances involves remote work arrangements and/or restrictions of the public to county facilities. The [current] operating status of our county offices is as follows:

• • Closed – 9 offices (Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Essex, Mercer, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union)
  • Open, Public Access Limited – 10 offices (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem, Warren)
  • Open, No Restrictions – 1 office (Sussex)