Gov. Murphy: NJ Reopenings To Stall As 2nd Wave Of COVID-19 Hits

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy says plans to reopen more of New Jersey's economy – particularly the expansion of indoor dining – are in a "holding pattern" now that the second wave of the coronavirus is here.

"We are in a holding pattern," Murphy said on Thursday. "I think it would be irresponsible to do otherwise."

Murphy, speaking during a news conference, made the remarks as he announced that the second wave of the coronavirus has arrived in New Jersey. For the first time in five months, New Jersey reported 12 straight days of 1,000 new daily cases or more. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ's Second Wave Of The Coronavirus Is Here

Murphy has signaled that he may be willing to allow further expansion even as the coronavirus outbreak is on the rise across the country. Colder, rougher weather, he suggested, may make it necessary to allow restaurants to expand their capacities in order for them to survive.

New Jersey's current rules say that restaurants can open up 25 percent of their indoor capacity. But many restaurants have said they'll either struggle mightily or shut their doors if they can't open up more space, even though they're allowed to have indoor dining.

Murphy said he doesn't make these remarks "with glee" and he even agreed that New Jersey's recent outbreaks don't appear to be connected to indoor dining, or any indoor business.

"There's no smoking gun evidence that at restaurant X there was an outbreak Y," he said.

Nationally, however, studies have shown that people who regularly engage in "indoor experiences" are much more likely to be exposed to the coronavirus than those who engage in outdoor experiences.

Murphy said New Jersey is trying to be "creative," such as allowing restaurants to open up more space if they can open their walls and large windows to the outside. Towns have also closed off streets to allow for more outdoor dining.

"We open things up things on the inside knowing we're taking on some amount of risk," he said. "So that (increased cases) doesn't surprise us. But it doesn't give us the fact pattern we want to continue the opening-up steps."

It's not clear whether Murphy's remarks will have an impact on schools districts, many of which have been expanding their schedules recently since they've had very few outbreaks.

Murphy confirmed on Thursday that the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit New Jersey, noting that the state is continuing an "aggressive program" to source the personal protective equipment needed for a strong three-month inventory in the state's strategic stockpile.

Murphy has not favored reversals of reopenings, but he is now urging New Jersey to double down on the practices that helped flatten the curve of the outbreak throughout the spring and last summer.

Murphy said "if we have to shut things down, we will" but, right now, New Jersey is taking a "scalpel" approach to fixing outbreaks. He noted that Newark took shut-down steps to deal with its local outbreaks.

"Everything is on the table," he said.

Murphy made the announcement as he revealed 1,477 new cases and eight more deaths. It was the first time New Jersey had 12 consecutive days of 1,000 cases or more since April 30-May 11.

Murphy urged New Jerseyans to show the "level of vigilance" shown at the beginning of the pandemic in order to beat the latest wave. His recommendations include:

• Social distancing
• Washing hands with soap and water frequently
• Using hand sanitizer
• Wearing a face mask

In his remarks, Murphy also noted that the state is building capabilities in three key areas: PPE, testing and contact tracing. The latest spot positivity rate was at 6.54 percent and that the total number of COVID-19 positive cases was 234,547. The rate of transmission is 1.25.

There are 217 new individuals in critical care, with 36 percent of those patients on ventilators.

North Jersey is reporting a positivity rate of 6.76 while Central Jersey reports a positivity rate of 6.85. South Jersey reports a positivity rate of 5.66.

Murphy has issued guidance for New Jersey for small gatherings amid the coronavirus crisis. Here's what that means. Read more: Start Planning For Small Holiday Gatherings, Murphy Says

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