By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Because of rising COVID-19 cases in multiple states across the country – and bad behavior at some establishments in New Jersey – Gov. Phil Murphy delayed the start of indoor dining at restaurants.
Indoor dining was to be allowed, at 25 percent capacity, starting this Thursday, July 2, in time for the July Fourth holiday weekend. Restaurants are allowed to serve customers outdoors.
“Given the current situation in numerous other states we do not believe it is prudent at this time to push forward with what is, in effect, a sedentary indoor activity,” Murphy said during Monday afternoon’s COVID-19 press conference, “especially when we know this virus moves differently indoors than out, making it more deadly.”
He said indoor dining would be decided at a later date, but offered no specific timeline.
“We have seen spikes in other states driven in part by the return of patrons to indoor dining establishments where they are seated and without face coverings for a significant period of time,” he added. “We do not wish to see New Jersey experience a similar spike.”
The governor said his administration has been taking a cautious approach to reopening the state’s economy and has always indicated it would “not hesitate to hit pause to safeguard public health. This is one of those times.”
He said part of the rationale also comes from what New Jersey has experienced in various situations as the COVID-19 restrictions have been eased – overcrowding, people not wearing face coverings and no regard for social distancing. He said that is not the case with most establishments, but the state can’t move forward without full compliance.
“It only takes one,” he said. “The carelessness of one establishment can completely undo the good work of many others. We will not tolerate outlier bars and restaurants and frankly patrons who do not think the rules apply to them. They are the ones who ruin it for everyone else.”
Outdoor graduations resume next week
The governor said outdoor graduation ceremonies will be allowed to begin on Monday, July 6.
Mainland Regional High School is planning two separate outdoor ceremonies on Thursday, July 9 on the football field at the Mustang Corral, one at 4 p.m. and one at 7 p.m., to accommodate more spectators while keeping social distancing in place.
At OCHS, graduation will take place on the football field at Carey Stadium at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 9.
Murphy said ceremony requirements include social distancing and face masks. He cited the case of a Westchester, N.Y., graduation where a student returned from Florida infected with the coronavirus and proceeded to infect another four classmates at his graduation. “By the way, this was a drive-thru graduation, not even a sit-down one,” he said, adding no one who has traveled through a COVID-19 “hot spot” should be participating or attending a graduation ceremony.
More deaths from COVID-19
“We have to learn from our sister states that are now battling for their lives,” Murphy said, noting the numbers are low in New Jersey but there are still nearly a thousand people with COVID-19 in the state’s hospitals. “None of us want to go back to that hell.”
Consumer confidence is highest in the Northeast, compared to other regions of the country, because of the precautions that have been taken to limit exposure to the coronavirus.
There are now 171,272 cases of COVID-19 in the state, including 156 new ones statewide on Monday. The daily positivity rate for testing was at 1.92 percent June 25. “That is a good sign,” he said, noting the rate of transmission remained steady at 0.86, meaning less than one person has been infected by each infectious person. (In mid-March, the transmission rate was 5.31, or more than five people being infected by each person who had COVID-19.)
He noted when the state moved into Stage 2 of the reopening, the transmission rate was 0.70, but they expected it to rise a little as more people left their homes and were moving about. “We’ve been able to keep this increase in check, but we know that we can quickly lose control of this virus and keeping this number from going higher remains a top priority.”
The state has been able to keep its testing at about 20,000 residents per day, but to maintain those numbers to track the coronavirus more people need to get tested. He urged just that, saying the problem is the lack of demand for testing because there are plenty of tests available. To find a testing location, go online to covid19.nj.gov.testing.
New Jersey, Murphy said, is losing ground to other states in its rankings, and is now sixth in the U.S. for the number of COVID-19 deaths per day, 10th in the number of patients in the hospital and 39th for new cases per day.
There are now 13,138 deaths attributed to COVID-19, but in a new statistic added last week, there are an additional 1,854 “probable deaths” from the coronavirus that were not initially attributed to it. That would put the death toll at just about 15,000.