As cases soar, he stops indoor dining at 10 p.m., bans interstate youth sports
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Gov. Phil Murphy announced new restrictions as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in New Jersey that take effect Thursday, Nov. 12. One is prohibiting youth sports tournaments through the high school level that feature teams from out of state. The second is cutting back hours for indoor dining at restaurants.
Also at Monday’s press conference, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker spoke, calling for a bipartisan relief bill to go through quickly as coronavirus cases grow across the nation. “We are still in that proverbial valley of the shadow of death,” Booker said, and need federal action now.
Effective Nov. 12, all restaurants, bars, clubs and lounges must close indoor dining by 10 p.m. and not reopen until at least 5 a.m. the following day. Outdoor dining, takeout or delivery services can continue past 10 p.m.
The time restrictions also include casinos, but their gaming operations may continue around the clock. After 10 p.m., no food or drink will be served inside the casinos.
Murphy said because of evidence there has been virus spread because of patrons seated at bars, effective Nov. 12 all bar-side seating will be prohibited at all hours.
To give restaurants some relief with the 25 percent limit on occupancy, they will be allowed to place tables closer than 6 feet apart, if the tables are separated by barriers. The Department of health will issue guidance on those dividers.
He noted outside dining bubbles – tents, essentially, around single tables – will be allowed, provided they are cleaned between each service.
The governor said the new restrictions on fall sports came mostly because of increased infections at youth indoor hockey tournaments featuring teams from multiple states.
Starting Thursday, all interstate games and tournaments for indoor youth sports – up to and including high school – are prohibited for the time being.
It is not safe for teams to be crossing state lines to participate in tournaments where there is significant risk of spreading the virus, he said.
There are no other restrictions at the moment, but more could be coming depending on how the COVID-19 situation changes.
However, those measures will be “surgical” in their approach.
New Jersey, he said, “is back at levels we thought we left behind months ago.”
“To be clear, the last thing I want to do … is shut our economy back down and thankfully we are not at that point,” he said. “We are taking surgical steps that we hope will mitigate the current increasing rate of spread. No one up here wants to take the broad and all-encompassing measures like we had to take in March.”
He and state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli realize people are tired of the restrictions, but called for continued caution.
“We have to shake off the pandemic fatigue I know we all feel and we have to get back to the mindset that saw us crush the curve in the spring,” Murphy said.
“Let’s focus on the next six months. We have a six-month window to beat the fatigue back and beat the virus into the ground,” he added.
COVID-19 vaccine
Persichilli said Pfizer announced Monday morning that the vaccine it has in development may be more than 90 percent effective and that it would seek emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
She said with work on vaccines moving forward quickly, also vital is boosting confidence in vaccines among health care professionals. “We need our health care heroes … to get vaccinated to protect their patients and families,” she said.
Persichilli said an October survey showed significant concern among those professionals about potential vaccines. The survey revealed 66 percent of doctors would likely take the vaccine when it is developed, but only 47 percent of nurses.
“Science and vaccine safety were the top concerns among these health care professionals,” Persichilli said. She noted they would be more likely to get the vaccine once there is proven efficacy.
Murphy noted he talked to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and that he reported a realistic time frame for a broad distribution of a vaccine is April-May and that it wouldn’t be broadly distributed if it were not properly vetted and tested.
“He said we’re in a six-month race to the finish line,” Murphy said. “We’re a sprint for the next six months. Do the right thing.”
Sen. Booker calls for federal action
“This is the fourth largest mass casualty event in American history,” Booker said of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “it demands a big response. We cannot play it small.”
Booker said the House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act six months ago to get the virus under control, including extending unemployment relief and eviction protection, aid to businesses, more funding for states and municipalities, and making sure institutions and families have what they need to meet the crisis.
Booker said he hopes this is not going to be held up in the Senate by GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “It is my hope that we now put politics aside and work for the people …. COVID relief to our communities cannot be a partisan issue. We cannot yield to partisan gridlock. We must focus on getting something significant done.”
He said waiting until January means more lives lost.
“We are still in that proverbial valley of the shadow of death,” he said.
