TRENTON, NJ – Governor Phil Murphy today apparently saw his shadow today, which means the New Jersey COVID-19 lockdown will continue for at least another 30 days with no clear plan for residents or small business owners who will remain out of work during that time.
“I’m signing an EO to extend our public health emergency by 30 days,” Murphy said today. “To be clear: this does not mean we’re seeing anything in the data which would pause our path forward. These declarations, unless extended, expire after 30 days. We’re still in a public health emergency. If this extension signals one thing, it is this – we can’t give up one bit on the one thing that we know is working in this fight: social distancing. Remember, in the absence of a vaccine, or even proven therapeutics for #COVID19, our only cure is social distancing.”
So that means, for many, 30 more days without a paycheck, 30 more days without unemployment. For businesses, it means 30 more days without cashflow and 30 more days to pretend they might see some of the economic stimulus money before the end of 2020.
“This will be disastrous for every small business in our State. We must allow for safely reopening segments of our economy. Yes, this virus is serious. Yes, people have gotten very ill and some have died including people I know personally. Unfortunately a large majority of those who have died in Bergen County were our most vulnerable residents in our Veterans homes and Long Term Care Facilities,” said New Jersey Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi.
“The Governor continues to hold daily press conferences but they are very repetitive,” said NJ Republican leader John Bramnick. “It is important that this Governor discuss the details on how to reopen, while we all understand that the process must be carefully done. We all also understand that this is a serious virus and residents are mature enough to act cautiously during a careful reopening. The public needs to hear the details of the plans. Other States have addressed these issues.”