By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the stay-at-home order, which has been in effect since March 21 in an attempt to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19, during a news conference Tuesday. But he also stressed the importance of continuing social distancing and other efforts to stop the virus.
“We can take these steps today and be significantly more permissive in the outdoor sphere than the indoor sphere because of the data and the prevailing science. The data tells us the time can be now, and the science tells us that outdoor activities are far safer than indoor activities. And we will continue to base our decisions squarely on facts and data as we have throughout this emergency,” Murphy said. “But this is where we need to continue to be careful. We’re still not out of the woods and we are still near the top of some lists we don’t want to be on top of. We need to continue practicing the social distancing that is now part of our everyday routine. You’ve done an extraordinary job, all we ask is that you keep it up.”
The new executive order raises the indoor limit from 10 to 50 people or 25 percent of a building’s capacity — whichever number is lower — effective immediately, Murphy said. People must also wear face coverings and stand 6 feet apart, he said.
The order also raises the number of people allowed at outdoor gatherings from 25 to 100 effective immediately — with “an exception explicitly allowing outdoor gatherings of more than 100 persons for First Amendment-protected outdoor activities,” including protests and religious-based events.
Murphy said he anticipates outdoor gatherings may be able to grow to 250 people June 22 and to 500 people July 3.
As the season slowly slips away, hair salons and barbershops are set to reopen June 22, two days after the formal start of summer. Outdoor, noncontact organized sports can resume June 22 and youth day camps can begin July 6.
The governor also announced the state Economic Development Authority opened the application period for an additional $45 million in small business grants and expanded the microbusiness loan program to provide loans of as much as $50,000 in direct assistance to small businesses.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy, and starting Monday many of them will be reopening their doors and welcoming back workers and customers as we enter Stage 2 of our restart and recovery. However, we know that this continues to be a fraught time for small businesses. Many business owners continue to have very real concerns about their ability to survive this pandemic,” Murphy said. “We all fully appreciate and recognize these concerns and we remain fully committed to helping our small businesses not just to make it, to survive, but to thrive as we move forward with our restart and recover.”