Gov. Phil Murphy said Saturday he’s begun gradually “removing bricks” from the sweeping restrictions he’s put New Jersey under the last two months to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Indeed, parks and golf courses have reopened with restrictions, nonessential retail businesses can offer curbside service starting Monday morning, beaches can be open with guidelines this summer, and Murphy just announced he’s permitting charted fishing and boat rentals to resume Sunday morning.
But the governor said Saturday, despite all that, the broader order he issued eight weeks ago for residents to stay home remains in effect.
Isn’t that confusing?
Murphy says no.
He stressed that as the state’s COVID-19 numbers drop, he’s “taking deliberately incremental steps” toward reopening the state while trying to “avoid particularly connected large steps taken together.”
“We want to be able to assess the impact of our steps, to be able to get our enforcement right, tweak it where we have to,” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus press briefing in Trenton.
“We’re going to, through actions we take, essentially chip away at the blanket stay-at-home reality,” he added.
To be clear, the stay-at-home order Murphy issued March 21 calls on residents to stay home except for specific circumstances, like exercise, essential work, and obtaining necessities like food and medicine. Technically, visiting parks, beaches, and stores with curbside pickup are allowed.
The governor said Saturday he still doesn’t have a hard date for when the stay-at-home order will be lifted completely.
Some lawmakers, businesses, and residents have criticized him for not having a more definitive timeline for reopening as the state grapples with widespread unemployment and revenue losses.
But Murphy said he may have “a little bit more detail” on Monday or Tuesday.
“Not with dates associated with it, but you all have asked, I think rightfully, exactly what marker should we be expecting you to look at to trigger some actions,” he said. “I think we want to give folks a little bit more detail on that.”
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
Murphy also warned that he may have to put some restrictions back if the state’s COVID-19 numbers surge again. Some have expressed concern that beaches will be overrun with visitors and social distancing will be difficult to enforce.
“I hope this doesn’t happen, and this will bring us no joy, but we reserve the right to put the brakes on and reverse the car if we think we’ve got unintended, particularly bad health, consequences from steps we’ve taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, Murphy said child daycare centers will remain closed except for the kids of essential workers, even though he’s slowly peeling back restrictions.
“That’s something we constantly monitor,” he said. “But it is where it is, and it will continue to be until further notice.”
And tennis courts? Those remain closed.
“But we’re looking at that,” Murphy said. “That’s something we are monitoring, along with a few other steps.”
New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, has reported at least 10,249 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, with at least 145,089 total cases, since the outbreak started March 4. Only New York has more deaths and cases among American states.
On Saturday, officials reported another 115 deaths and 1,239 positive tests.
But Murphy has said the state’s number of daily new deaths, cases, and hospitalizations from COVID-19 have dropped in recent weeks.
Still, he repeatedly stresses “we’re not out of the woods” and that residents should continue practice social distancing and wear face coverings even as the state begins to reopen.
The pandemic has also taken a massive toll on the state’s economy. Nearly 1.1 million residents have filed for unemployment since mid-March, and many say they’ve been waiting for weeks to get paid and have struggled with the state’s busy phone and online systems.
The state government is predicting $10 billion in tax revenue losses through next year, and Murphy has warned of massive public-worker layoffs if the state doesn’t get more federal aid.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected].
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
