Hazleton mayor predicts city will be hardest hit in Luzerne County

Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat predicts his city will have the highest coronavirus prevalence in Luzerne County for several reasons, including an influx of people traveling there from New York City.

With a growing city Latino population he now estimates is about 60%, Cusat said many residents have friends and family in New York City and parts of New Jersey going back and forth.

“I am convinced we will be hit harder than any other municipality in Luzerne County, and I think the traveling between families is going to be the biggest reason,” Cusat said.

The city also has a high density — he pegs the population count at thousands higher than the latest 25,000 U.S. Census projection — and many residents working in confined areas at still-bustling factories and distribution centers in adjacent Hazle Township and West Hazleton, he said.

“A majority of our properties are multi-family units, so there’s a lot more contact with others,” the mayor said.

Early on, attempting to slow the coronavirus spread, Cusat said he reached out to private transportation van companies based in Hazleton, and they voluntarily halted their daily routes back and forth to New Jersey and New York.

However, Cusat said there’s no way to mandate they cease service, and he has no authority to stop vans or other transportation companies based in New York and New Jersey from bringing people to Hazleton.

“We still have taxi cabs coming in with New York license plates all the time. When the vans stop, the people still keep coming,” Cusat said. “Everything is out of my control.”

Due to potential language and communication barriers, Cusat said he met several times with Latino media representatives and business leaders to spread the message of remaining at home, social distancing and hygiene that has been conveyed throughout the world in the pandemic.

City hall and other public buildings are on lockdown with limited access, and police officers and emergency responders are taking protective measures, he said.

He’s in daily communication with Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton and said he has confidence the medical provider is prepared.

“I think we have a very good hospital here. If a catastrophe happens, we’ll be ready for it,” Cusat said.

Cusat said there are “many more” confirmed cases than the two he had publicly acknowledged a few days ago.

“I don’t have an exact count, but we’re expecting a lot more,” he said, noting he is publicly sharing updates as able through his Facebook page.

More residents seemed to be heeding the plea to remain home, but he noticed increased traffic and activity Thursday with the warm weather. He said he is trying to be blunt about the threat to save lives.

“All we can do is keep urging people to be aware how serious this is,” Cusat said.