Governor not calling for new restrictions, asking everyone to do their part
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
COVID-19 cases are rising across New Jersey, with numbers not seen for months. State officials say community spread through small parties and gatherings is to blame.
In response, they are asking for the state’s residents to be more vigilant even though they are fatigued by the precautions they have been asked to endorse since March. What residents do now, they say, will decide the dangers they will face come the holiday season.
At Gov. Phil Murphy’s COVID-19 press conference Monday afternoon, he said there were 1,192 new daily cases in New Jersey, bringing the statewide total to 221,205 since March 4.
“While numbers are a far cry from where we were at our springtime peaks, they are also significantly higher than where we were for most of the summer until just a few weeks ago,” Murphy said. He added most are not coming from schools or businesses, but from private gatherings at homes.
State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the trend showing an increase began about a month ago. Until September, the state was experiencing positive test results in the high 300s each day. Then, she said, they climbed to 500 to 600 cases daily and now is averaging 1,000 a day.
Persichilli said this is similar to what most of the nation is experiencing with rising coronavirus cases.
She echoed Murphy that more of the cases are due to community spread, not to any single event or relaxation on limits the state put on large gatherings and indoor dining.
Persichilli said excluding schools and congregate living, the largest percentage of outbreaks shows that personal gatherings and parties have contributed the most, followed by day care settings and farms.
“I know we’re all tired of COVID-19 and precautions needed and restrictions we have endured,” she said. It is understandable residents want life to go back to normal, “but as we approach the holiday season, now is the time to double down on social distancing, wearing face coverings and good hand hygiene. As the weather gets cooler and more people move inside, the risk of transmission increases.”
She added, “The trajectory of the next few months will be determined by all of us in the coming weeks. Our behavior will be critical in shaping how our holidays will be celebrated. Now is not the time to let your guard down. The virus has not stopped circulating, so we must continue this fight.”
She and the governor urged residents to put the COVID-alert app on their smartphones. It is available online at covid19.nj.gov/app and also at Google and Apple app sites.
Murphy said there have been more than 205,000 downloads so far, but he urged more people to download the app to make it easier to notify people who may have been exposed and to address hotspots in the state.
He and Persichilli said as colder weather makes people want to move inside, they should stay outside as much as possible.
Murphy said because there has been no evidence that the higher numbers are the result of looser restrictions on businesses, there were no plans to revise those restrictions but he would not rule them out if conditions change in the future.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say … these numbers are sobering,” Murphy said. “We’re war gaming a whole lot of potential steps we can take, indoor or outdoor.” He added he didn’t want to increase the burden on businesses. “We don’t have any evidence indoor dining is contributing to this,” he said, suggesting he is more interested in taking “scalpel steps” to tailor limits to specific areas rather than have broad mandates.
There is one broad mandate, however, what he referred to as “an individual call to arms” for individuals to wear face coverings, to social distance and to practice good hand hygiene, a plea that Persichilli seconded.
Voting begins in a big way
The governor noted that 1.75 million ballots have been returned so far to county clerks for the Nov. 3 election, which is already 45 percent of the total number of ballots cast in the 2016 presidential election.
“Folks, if you haven’t returned your completed ballot, I urge you to put it in the mail today,” he said, or to use a secure drop box, hand deliver it to the county board of elections or give it to a poll worker on Election Day.
“No matter how you do it, your ballot is safe and secure,” he said.
Outdoor alcohol
Murphy said the state is extending permits for outdoor consumption of alcohol until March 2021 for a nominal $10 fee.
“For many of our residents, the ability to serve liquor to their customers beyond their normal premises has been meaningful, in some cases lifesaving, helping them survive in these uncertain times,” Murphy said, noting “given the uncertainty, extending these permits is the right thing to do.”