Gov. Murphy blames party knuckleheads
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
As the rate of transmission of COVID-19 increases across New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy is blaming “knuckleheads” having big indoor parties without face coverings and social distancing.
In response, he cut the allowed number of people to gather in any room down from 100 to 25 percent of capacity and a maximum of 25 people.
The 25-person limit doesn’t apply to weddings, funerals, memorial services and activities protected under the First Amendment such as political rallies and church services.
The rate of transmission — the number of people who are infected with COVID-19 by each person who carries the infection — had been as high as 5.31 in mid-March, meaning each person who had the coronavirus was infecting more than five other people.
That number had fallen to 0.70 by mid-June, but now it is back up at 1.48.
Murphy, in his COVID-19 press conference Monday afternoon, blamed it in part on house parties, including some that made the news such as one in Middletown where nearly 60 teenagers were infected and another in Long Beach Island that caused three dozen cases among lifeguards.
“We cannot be any clearer about indoor gatherings where social distancing isn’t practiced, face masks aren’t worn. They just are not safe,” Murphy said. “But as we warned on Friday, we wouldn’t hesitate to clamp down on indoor gatherings. As of today, I am exercising this option, not with joy, but out of necessity … We are tightening indoor gatherings to restrict them to 25 percent of a room’s capacity but with a maximum of 25 persons. That is down from 100.”
He said most of the state’s residents have been acting responsibly.
“Unfortunately, however, the actions of a few knuckleheads leave us no other course. We have to go back and tighten these restrictions” until the rate of transmission and other numbers drop, he said.
The governor said some restaurants have been trying to circumvent rules on serving patrons indoors by having them sit by windows. That isn’t allowed. Indoor dining is allowed only if a restaurant has two of its four outer walls open. The state is asking local officials to enforce the restrictions.
“It all comes down to this,” Murphy said. “The only way we can get to where we want to be with indoor activities, be it dining or anything else, is if everybody plays by the rules and nobody tries to make end runs around them. This is not a game. This is about public health and safety.
“I fully understand the hardships the restaurant industry faces, among other industries, but we cannot move forward if a few knuckleheads don’t think the rules apply to them. They think they can be cute and skate by with a wink and a nod. Let me reiterate, we remain in a public health emergency.
“Over the past week we have a seen a number of (COVID-19) cases that we had not seen in eight weeks. Our rate of transmission is now double where it was a few weeks ago. Everyone needs to get it together, folks. This is not yet past us,” the governor said.
Aside from blaming the indoor gatherings, Murphy said a rise in cases had been expected as the economy was reopened. He said surges in coronavirus cases in other states is also slowing down test results nationwide, including in New Jersey, which is slowing down the ability to contact trace and warn people who may have been exposed.
The governor noted if the rate of transmission continues to climb, it may lead the state to take more action. He couldn’t say what that would be but expected it would be greater enforcement of restrictions.
As of Monday’s press conference, there were 182,614 cases of COVID-19 reported in New Jersey since the pandemic began. There have been 13,971 confirmed coronavirus deaths and another 1,875 suspected fatalities from COVID-19.
In the hospital, there were 356 COVID-19 patients and another 382 under investigation for COVID-19 with 144 individuals in critical or intensive care. Forty-nine ventilators were in use.
“New Jersey residents worked hard to flatten the curve,” state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said Monday. “We asked for your help and you did an incredible job, you stayed home, you social distanced, you masked up, driving cases down tremendously. In order to keep the virus contained in our state, we need residents to continue to adhere to preventive measures. I know we all want life to return to normal, but COVID-19 is still circulating and now is not the time to be complacent. We need residents to be cautious and careful.”
She reminded people that COVID-19 can be spread by people without any symptoms who do not know they are infected.
Her advice: Stay at least 6 feet apart, especially from those not in the same household. Choose outdoor activities over any indoor activities because the transmission is higher indoors. Wear face coverings. Even if not feeling sick, wear a face mask covering both nose and mouth. Wash hands frequently. Keep hand sanitizer close.
She noted the daily positivity rate of those tested was 1.88 percent statewide. In northern New Jersey the rate is 1.38 and in central New Jersey it is 1.43 percent. In southern New Jersey, the positivity rate is more than double that at 3.46 percent.
Not clear if first
wave is over
State officials said they were not sure if the first wave of the virus is over.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan said that is unclear but suggested “we are on the opposite end of the first wave. Time will tell where hard numbers go. Until we go through another respiratory virus season, it is hard for us to really estimate what a true baseline is.”
Tan said it is hard to predict a second wave of COVID-19 in lieu of a vaccine, but said the tools are available to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“We know what we should be doing,” she said, reiterating Persichilli’s list of precautions with hygiene and social distancing. “We have to continue to heed all that advice.”
School mask change
The governor noted there was a change in school policy for students. While there had been an allowance for students being able to take their masks off at some point during the school day, that is no longer the case. All students must wear face coverings all the time when they are in school buildings. The only time they can be off is when they are eating lunch.