Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco has announced that an emergency cooling center will open from Wednesday, August 25, 2021 through Friday, August 27, 2021 in the first floor cafeteria of One Bergen County Plaza from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to help residents stay cool during the duration of the current heatwave. Social distancing will be required and the location will be closely monitored by County security. Residents should consider visiting municipal cooling centers before traveling to the County facility to help avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

It is also recommended that residents stay indoors if possible from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the sun is at its strongest and burns and heat strokes are more likely to occur. All age groups are at risk for heat stroke so please take necessary precautions if you have to be outdoors, including wearing sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and staying properly hydrated.

It is NOT okay to leave a child or pet in a locked vehicle even for a moment as temperatures can rise quite quickly.  It is also imperative to lock all parked vehicles so children cannot accidentally lock themselves inside while playing games like hide and seek.

Below are some of the COVID-19 guidelines for the emergency County cooling center:

• All individuals, including staff, must wear face masks. If the individual does not have a face mask one will be provided to them;
• All individuals will have their temperature taken prior to entering the building;
• Hand sanitizing stations have been placed in the cafeteria; and
• For contact tracing purposes, individuals who wish to use the cooling center must provide identification or any document containing their name, sign in and leave their best contact telephone number.