Gov. Murphy Extends NJ's Coronavirus Public Health Emergency
NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday extended the coronavirus outbreak's public health emergency for another 30 days, saying New Jersey isn't out-of-the-woods from the crisis even as cases continue to decline.
Murphy on Thursday extended the public health emergency to July 7, an action that allows all orders connected to the coronavirus crisis – such as the governor's stay-at-home order as well as Murphy's reopening plans – to remain in effect.
The extension comes as Murphy is set to speak, with reopenings amid the coronavirus being the possible topic, during a 1 p.m. news conference on Friday. Read more: WATCH LIVE: Gov. Murphy Issues NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Update
The announcement also comes as the number of cases rose to 162,068 on Thursday, and 11,880 people have died. But numbers have steadily declined for more than a month. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
Even as the state moves forward with its restart and recovery plan, Murphy said, "maintaining access to all resources available is essential."
Murphy said New Jersey still needs to increase its testing capacity and implement robust contact tracing, as well as develop a system to isolate the sick, before having a complete reopening. Read more: Gov. Murphy: 'Hard Dates' For NJ Coronavirus Reopening (UPDATE)
“Extending the public health emergency allows us to continue to work to save lives, while safely and securely reopening our state’s economy," he said.
Murphy said the state's emergency services still remain strained even as cases have steadily declined.
"Even as the rate of reported new cases of COVID-19 decreases, the ongoing risks presented by COVID-19 mean that many of the state’s current measures must remain in place, both to reduce additional new infections and to save lives," he said.
Absent social distancing measures, Murphy said, "public health experts anticipate that the spread of COVID-19 would again significantly increase."
Murphy showed graphs on Tuesday that displayed the progress that's been made, but reminded people that it only came because of social distancing. Here they are:
LOOK: We still have work to do. Let’s keep pushing these numbers down.When we do, well get through Stage 2 that much sooner. pic.twitter.com/nbM6lWU5zO
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 4, 2020
LOOK: The data from our hospitals keeps moving in the right directionThe green lights outnumber the red ones in every region of our state – north, central, and south. pic.twitter.com/H99G8mohsA
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 4, 2020
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This article originally appeared on the Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch
