Gov. Murphy: NJ To Lower Gathering Limits Amid Coronavirus Spikes

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that the state will reduce limits on gatherings – including those on Thanksgiving – because coronavirus cases have risen sharply (you can watch his live news conference below).

Murphy told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that New Jersey is reducing the limits on indoor gatherings from 25 to 10 people beginning Tuesday, and on outdoor gatherings from 500 to 150 people beginning Nov. 23 (watch video below).

Here is what the rules specifically say:

Indoor gatherings

The limit for weddings, funerals, memorial services and religious and political activities remain unchanged and will be limited to 25 percent of the capacity of the room in which the gathering takes place, up to a maximum of 150 individuals.

Indoor sporting competitions and practices will be permitted to exceed the 10-person limit only for people necessary for the practice or competition, such as players, coaches, and referees, but may not exceed 150 individuals. For most indoor sports, this will mean that there can be no spectators.

Legislative and judicial proceedings are not subject to the indoor gatherings limits.

Outdoor gatherings

Weddings, funerals, memorial services, and religious and political activities are not subject to the outdoor gatherings limit. All other types of gatherings, such as a high school football game or an outdoor concert, will be limited to 150 people.

Athletes, coaches, referees and other individuals necessary for a professional or collegiate sports competition are not counted towards the 150 person limit.

Outdoor gatherings continue to be subject to strict social distancing restrictions, including the requirement to wear masks whenever it is not possible to social distance.

It was the second time in a week that Murphy took steps to combat the second wave of the coronavirus, with New Jersey reporting a record number of daily cases Sunday.

It's not clear how enforceable the new rules will be. Authorities have typically targeted parties that have had hundreds of people, but smaller gatherings have been harder for police and other law enforcement to track.

Murphy told "Morning Joe" that "there is a lot of fatigue" and that people are gathering after nearly a year of lockdowns. But he said that he's pleading with people to "not let their hair down."

"It's gotten worse, and it's going to get worse," Murphy said. "We have to be honest with folks."

Murphy is expected to provide more details during a news conference at noon. Patch will cover it live:

Murphy reported 4,540 new coronavirus cases Sunday, exceeding the previous daily highs that the state hit Saturday — 4,395 — and on April 17, when 4,391 cases were reported.

"We're in for a rough ride, there is just no question about it," he said.

He also reported that New Jersey had 18 more confirmed deaths — far below the worst days of March and April, when the daily fatality numbers were in the hundreds. But hospitalizations have risen close to 2,000, the highest number since midsummer.

Murphy said hospitalizations in the spring exceeded 8,000. But metrics also have risen lately. Read more: NJ Hits Highest COVID-19 Daily Case Totals As Key Metrics Jump

"Please, God, it doesn't get to the levels it was in the spring," he said on "Morning Joe." "Thank God we're not at those levels, but it's going to get worse."

There have now been 279,274 total cases and 14,765 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Murphy has taken some steps this past week to contain the virus's spread, imposing a 10 p.m. indoor curfew at bars and restaurants and eliminating bar seating. Murphy also signed an order this past week allowing communities to establish a curfew as early as 8 p.m. Read more: Gov. Murphy Clarifies Rules For NJ Indoor Dining, Bars, Barbers

The bright spot in all this, he said, is that schools have caused few problems.

"Schools continue to be a bright spot for us," he said. "There's transmission, but much less than we feared."

Murphy has said he's also not planning a major reversal of reopenings — particularly schools — despite the rising numbers. A growing number outbreaks have been linked to indoor dining at late hours, he said, but very few have been linked to schools.

If the Garden State gets any worse, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said, New Jersey's solution will be "increased testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantining."

As the weather gets colder and people move inside, she said, the risk of transmission will continue to grow.

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