ASBURY PARK, NJ – Governor Phil Murphy today addresses pockets of resistance that are growing against his forced business closures. When asked about what he will do against towns such as Asbury Park, diners, and movie theaters that have reopened against his will, Murphy said those businesses are risking undoing the progress he has made so far.
“The actions of the Asbury Park governing body are inconsistent with my executive order,” Murphy said on Thursday. “We move as one state guided by science…period.”
“We have come too far, folks, to see all the good 9 million New Jerseyans have done undone in haste,” Murphy said.
“We cannot have communities mirroring the cavalier actions in other states,” Murphy said of Asbury Park’s decision to reopen bars and restaurants. “We have lived this already folks. We don’t want to go living it again. We’ve gone through hell. Let’s please not go back through it.”
Earlier this week, Murphy sang a different tune when it came to his own violations of his own executive orders, saying it is up to the local communities to enforce his executive orders, not the state.
Murphy did not say what actions he would take against bars and restaurants in New Jersey that continue to violate his orders to remain closed, but his administration has threatened to revoke business licenses and liquor licenses in the past.