Mayor W. Reed Gusciora along with The Citizens Campaign and the Trenton Civic Trust have announced the formation of a new Task Force dedicated to helping residents avoid infection called ‘Trenton Beat-COVID’. This is a partnership combined of city officials, volunteers and policy experts that will distribute simple instructions to citizens of Trenton on how to minimize risk of exposure and infection.
The Task Force will ensure that health protocols, indexed for daily activities and incorporating best infection prevention health practices, will be communicated by major Trenton organizations, including the School District, Capital Health and others, to all residents and businesses in a consistent and reinforcing manner. These protocols have not only been reviewed and approved by The Citizens Campaign Medical Advisor but also by Stanley Weiss, M.D., Professor. Dept of Epidemiology, School of Public Health at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
“As we reopen our city for business and reclaim our public lives, we must ensure we do so safely,” said Mayor Gusciora. “The Trenton Beat-COVID Task Force will help supply all our residents, businesses, schools and non-profit organizations with the most up-to-date and user-friendly instructions on how to stay healthy as we emerge from this crisis.”
Beat-COVID masks will also be distributed to high school security officers, principals and crossing guards so that a good example can be set for those students who are hesitant to wear them. These masks which have been provided by The Citizen’s Campaign will be decorated with the Trenton Central High School mascot. In tandem with this the Beat-COVID Task Force will be looking to recruit volunteers from within the community for essential tasks which will limit new infections and help us return to normalcy, such as serving as connectors between contract tracers and the community to ramp up the penetration and effectiveness of tracing efforts.
Trenton Civic Trustee Bishop Sidney Gaines said, “Trenton’s Civic Trustees look forward to working with the Task Force to enlist community residents in the essential tasks required to beat COVID-19.” The Trenton Civic Trust is comprised of two dozen volunteer Civic Trustees who work together to identify cost-effective, evidence-based solutions to the major challenges facing their city.
The Task Force is comprised of Mayor Gusciora; Ronald Lee, Superintendent of Schools; Yvette Graffie-Cooper, Trenton Health Officer; Ben Delisle, Director of Housing and Economic Development; Dr. Eric Schwartz, Executive Director, Capital Health; and Bishop Sidney and Dr. Shirley Gaines, Trenton Civic Trustees. Assisting the Task Force are mayoral aides, Rick Kavin and Ericka Pressley, as well as Capital Health’s Gina Mumolie.
