MVC closes 6 locations after employees get coronavirus

The long lines may not be going anywhere fast after the Motor Vehicle Commission closed its sixth location as a result of employees testing positive for the coronavirus.

The MVC said Tuesday that the Springfield vehicle center will be closed until Friday and the Delanco licensing center will be shut until Saturday, Oct. 24.

The Eatontown regional licensing center was closed Tuesday. Road tests at Eatontown are in a separate facility and are not affected.

Also closed:

• Paterson licensing center until Friday
• Newark regional licensing center until Friday
• North Bergen licensing center until Tuesday, Oct. 20

The MVC said its policy is to quarantine immediately following a single employee COVID-19 test. Since the agency's reopening in July, the MVC has closed a branch office on 10 occasions due to an employee testing positive for COVID-19. In eight cases, it was for a single individual; in the remaining two cases, both at Regional Centers, it was two employees each.

The MVC has been plagued with long lines partially due to social-distancing protocols, The MVC has insisted that customers do not need to wait on lines because of the text-notification system.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ