Gov. Murphy's New Coronavirus Advice To NJ: Don't Travel
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NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy has simple advice now that the coronavirus crisis has gotten worse in New Jersey and elsewhere lately.
Just don't travel.
Murphy gave the advice as he addressed the coronavirus crisis during a news conference Monday, saying New Jersey's daily cases topped 1,000 for the second day in a row.
It's the first time that's happened since May.
New Jersey expanded its travel advisory list to its biggest ever last week, strongly recommending that anyone traveling to 38 states and territories should quarantine for up to 14 days. Read more: NJ Expands Coronavirus Travel Quarantine List To Biggest Ever
But now it looks as if it may not be that safe to travel even in New Jersey, too.
State health officials say the rise in cases shows that "community spread" is back in the Garden State, so no county is safe from the virus. Read more: NJ Tops 1K Daily COVID-19 Cases Again But No Reopening 'Reversal'
And, yes, the Garden State would qualify for its own travel advisory based on New Jersey's metrics.
States on New Jersey's own travel advisory list have either shown:
An average daily number of cases higher than 10 per 100,000 over a seven-day period.
A positivity rate of 10 percent or higher over seven days.
Indeed, with the holidays approaching, two states put New Jersey on their travel quarantine lists.
Advisories for Massachusetts and New Hampshire now include New Jersey, which reported 1,192 new coronavirus cases at Monday's conference. Massachusetts and New Hampshire advise travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days when visiting or returning from states on the list.
In Massachusetts, that's not a recommendation. Quarantine violators in the Bay State face fines up to $500.
New Jersey coordinates its travel advisory with New York and Connecticut, and announces updates each Tuesday. It was not immediately clear how recent developments may affect the advisory.
"We’re still actively coordinating with New York and Connecticut on a whole range of things," Murphy said.
"My takeaway is a simple two-part takeaway. No. 1, my advice is not to travel, frankly, regardless of where you’re going," he added. "And No. 2, we’re going to focus on getting our numbers down."
Previously, the Garden State hadn't reported three straight days of 900 new cases or more since late May. But New Jersey has exceeded 900 cases six of the past seven days.
Murphy said last week that now is the time to think about Thanksgiving travel and the holiday season.
"We do not want a Thanksgiving dinner to turn tragic because someone unwittingly exposed a large number of their family members to the coronavirus," Murphy said.
State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli added additional guidance:
Host activities with only people from your local area.
Limit the number of attendees as much as possible.
Host outdoor gatherings as much as possible.
Stay at least 6 feet apart, wear masks and practice frequent hand-washing.
Provide or encourage other attendees to bring supplies such as extra masks or hand sanitizer.
Read more: Start Planning For Small Holiday Gatherings, Murphy Says
This article originally appeared on the Ocean City Patch
