New York Amsterdam News’ Cyril Josh Barker reports

In an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus in Newark, Mayor Ras Baraka recently announced the installation of “Be Still Mondays” asking for a complete shutdown of the city once a week.

Beginning this Monday, “Be Still Mondays” will happen each week through May 11. While not an executive order, the weekly shutdown is a request that discourages all businesses except for health, safety, and welfare emergency services to close.

“We want to shut down the whole City,” Baraka said during his Thursday night Facebook Live briefing. “We’re sending out letters to all businesses asking them to close. Businesses that provide food and shelter for the homeless population may operate but the City is asking soup kitchens to limit their operations from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.