Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday he’s pumping the brakes on taking more steps to gradually New Jersey from months of coronavirus lockdown orders after the state’s rate of transmission rose above the key mark 1 for the first time in 10 weeks.
Murphy did not say he is rolling back any re-openings the Garden State has already allowed, but he said “we’re not gonna be jumping the gun on a whole lot more opening-up steps right now.”
“We’re here right now,” the governor said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “My guess is we’re gonna be here a bit.”
That means businesses and services that have not yet reopened — including gyms, indoor dining sections of bars and restaurants, movie theaters, performing arts centers, and more — will likely have to keep waiting.
New Jersey is currently in Stage 2 of a multi-phrase reopening plan that Murphy presented in May. Murphy said officials will restart the process if key figures drop.
“If we see these numbers, particularly the (rate of transmission), go down again precipitously and the spot positivity rate stay down, that will allow us to take some steps that I don’t think we feel comfortable taking today,” he said.
The governor said one of the key figures officials watch to decide how to gradually peel back restrictions is the transmission rate — the number of people one infected resident passes COVID-19 to.
As long as that number stays below 1, which means that every sick person is infecting fewer than one other person, the state can continue opening its economy, said George Helmy, one of Murphy’s top advisers.
But if the virus starts growing again, meaning a transmission rate equal to or more than 1, the reopening will stop, Helmy has said.
The rate, which topped 5 in March, had fallen to 0.62 by June 11 but has crept up in recent days. It reached 1.03 the last two days — meaning, on average, every newly infected resident is now passing COVID-19 to at least one other person.
“This is an early warning sign that, quite frankly, we need to do more,” Murphy said.
Once a coronavirus hotspot, New Jersey has seen its daily figures — new deaths, new cases, and hospitalizations — drop dramatically in recent weeks.
With those numbers falling and the economy suffering, Murphy has allowed retail stores, indoor malls, casinos, amusement parks, and more to reopen in recent weeks — all with capacity limits and other guidelines.
Stage 2 continued Monday, with summer camps, summer school, and outdoor graduation ceremonies permitted to resume and NJ Transit returning to a full weekday schedule.
But Murphy canceled plans to allow restaurants and bars to offer limited indoor dining starting last Thursday, citing troubling figures from other states. Outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery are still permitted.
Then came Monday’s news about the transmission rate.
Officials said the reason for the rate rising is a mix of more indoor businesses reopening during Stage 2, as well as residents bringing the virus back after visiting other states with surging new cases.
Murphy — who marched in a pair of Black Lives Matter protests last month — also said there’s no evidence that mass outdoor activity at beaches, parks, or protests has led to major spikes in cases.
Despite that, the governor also said state officials are considering mandating that people in New Jersey wear face coverings not just indoors but outdoors when they are in public.
Currently, masks are required only when you’re indoors in a public place. But Murphy said during a television interview Sunday that there should be a national mandate to wear masks.
“We’re constantly assessing and re-assessing the recommendations we have,” the governor said during Monday’s briefing. “The virus is a lot less lethal outdoors, but that does not mean it is not lethal.”
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, has reported 15,229 known deaths attributed to COVID-19 — 13,373 lab-confirmed and 1,856 probable — with 173,611 known cases in a little more than four months since the state’s first case was announced March 4.
Officials on Monday reported 20 new deaths related to the virus and 216 new cases.
About 1.3 million Garden State residents have filed for unemployment benefits as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy. But the number of workers who filed last week dropped by 15%.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
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