Volume LXXV, Number 3
Town Topics
Take- ut Directory Pages 17-28 Online Concert Series Features Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble . . . . . . . 5 Glaude, Nader Highlight PPL Virtual Events . . . . 11 NJSO Presents Second of Virtual Performances . . . . . . . 14 Princeton Triangle Club Show Goes Digital . . . . 15
Celebrating the Visual Poetry of Walker Evans on Inauguration Day . . . . . 13 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 30 Classified Ads . . . . . . 38 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 36 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 39 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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COVID Vaccine Push Hampered by Delays In Delivery from Feds With last week’s expansion of eligibility to millions of additional New Jersey residents, including smokers, anyone from 16 to 64 with a qualifying medical condition, and all people over 65, there are now millions of people waiting to be vaccinated. The vaccine supply, however, continues to be severely limited. New Jersey has the capacity to administer 470,000 vaccine doses per week, health officials report, but the states depend on delivery from the federal government, and New Jersey received only about 100,000 doses per week last month and anticipates the same number —50,000 doses per week from Pfizer, 50,000 from Moderna — in the coming month. The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) COVID-19 website states: “Due to supply limitations, vaccination appointment availability is extremely limited at this time.” A number of vaccination sites have reported overwhelming demand and a shortage of doses, and some overbooked sites are currently unable to schedule appointments. The NJDOH states that “there will be more vaccine with each coming week and month. We urge everyone to be patient, understanding everyone’s desire to get vaccinated as soon as possible.” The Princeton Health Department has reported an unusually high volume of calls and emails about the availability of the vaccine, coinciding with the federal government’s acknowledgement that there is a shortage of doses. “This unfortunate news comes at a time when our state has ramped up efforts to get shots into people’s arms by creating over 300 clinics, mobilizing a substantial vaccination force of volunteers and paid personnel to staff them, only to have those efforts impeded by this unexpected turn of events,” Princeton Press and Media Communications Director Fred Williams wrote in an email. NJDOH has notified Mercer County that the County will receive 800 doses per week starting next week. Prior to this temporary shortage, the Mercer County Public Health Officers’ Association mobilized a series of clinics that vaccinated many eligible people. New Jersey residents have been asked by the state to preregister for the vaccine Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Undergraduates Begin Return to University Campus The first phase of undergraduates returning to the Princeton University campus is underway. As of Tuesday morning, about 1,140 on-campus residents, sent home last March due to the pandemic, had arrived, completed their first COVID-19 test, and entered the University’s arrival quarantine process. Of the more than 1,300 tests given to arriving students as of Tuesday morning, six have been positive — a positivity rate of about 0.4 percent, according to Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss. Nearly 3,000 of the more than 5,400 undergraduates enrolled at the University have chosen to move back to campus. In doing so, they had to sign a strict “social contract” outlining expectations for behavior, and participate in a COVID-19 testing program. Students will have their own sleeping spaces. “Requirements of the social contract include wearing a face covering, maintaining a minimum of 6 feet of physical distance from others indoors and outdoors, and completing a daily symptom check,” Hotchkiss said in an email. “Students re-
main in strict quarantine — leaving their rooms only to use the restroom — until they receive the results of their first test. If negative, they continue the arrival quarantine protocol that concludes after at least seven days and two additional negative tests. Students who test positive are moved to separate spaces for isolation.” The return of the students was a key topic at a Zoom meeting of the Princeton Merchants Association last Thursday. The University’s Director of Community and Regional Affairs Kristin Appelget, and Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety Robin Izzo, reported to the merchants on what was required
of the undergraduates. Merchants can expect to see students around town by February 1, which is when classes begin. “They can go into town, but they can’t leave Mercer County or Plainsboro without permission,” said Appelget. While classes will be held almost exclusively online, all of the undergraduates were invited to move back to campus. “Even though a lot of instruction is virtual, there is still a lot of benefit for students to see each other,” Izzo said. “I’m a parent of a college student. Looking at the experience he’s had, I’ve seen there is so much value to feeling like part Continued on Page 8
Princeton Parents Launch Black Students’ Advocacy Organization in Public Schools
A group of local parents has initiated the Princeton Parents for Black Children (PPBC), a nonprofit organization to support and advocate for Black students in Princeton Public Schools (PPS). Citing “unique challenges faced by Black students in Princeton Public Schools,” a January 14 press release from the organization stated, “The PPBC
is the outgrowth of decades of advocacy by families and allies seeking to improve educational opportunities and conditions for Black children.” Co-president Rhinold Ponder pointed out that PPBC is well underway in pursuing a full slate of goals as it works with the district and its Black students. Student Continued on Page 10
THE CALM BEFORE THEIR RETURN: The Princeton University campus was quiet prior to the return of undergraduates . The students who have chosen to come back began moving in, with specific time slots, last weekend . The process continues in the coming weekend . (Photo by Weronkia A. Plohn)