Out of an abundance of caution, the New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli is asking individuals who attended religious events at the Temple Young Israel in New Rochelle, NY on February 22 and 23 to self-quarantine until March 8.

This recommendation is based on a public health assessment and guidance issued yesterday by Westchester County Health Department yesterday, and is based upon a case of COVID-19 in a person who attended this temple.

“While the risk to any given individual is likely to be low, we felt it was important to share this guidance for any New Jersey residents who may have attended these services and events,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

Self-quarantine is used to separate and restrict the movement of people who may have been exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. A quarantine means that both adults and children, should remain at home during this period. This means they should not go to work, attend school, go shopping or attend religious services or gatherings anywhere and should have no guests, visitors or staff in their homes during this period.

If individuals are experiencing symptoms, they should call their healthcare provider in advance before visiting.

The Department continues to remind residents to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from all respiratory viruses, such as washing their hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick.

A free, 24/7 hotline is being operated by the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES), also known as the New Jersey Poison Center. The hotline, staffed with trained healthcare professionals, is available at 1-800-222-1222.

The New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories (PHEL) in West Trenton has the ability to test individuals for the novel coronavirus. The Department has learned that it will receive another 500 test kits from the CDC tomorrow.