TRENTON, NJ – For weeks, as New Jersey’s COVID-19 positive numbers have crept up, Governor Phil Murphy and his administration were gunshy when it came to labeling the new uptick as the second wave of the pandemic. On Monday, Murphy officially announced New Jersey was now in a ‘second wave’.
“After eight months, I understand, we understand, that we are all suffering from pandemic fatigue but this virus has been waiting for us to get lax in our personal responsibilities so that it can come roaring back,” Murphy said. “And in particular, we’re seeing many of the new cases linked to small gatherings in private homes, where folks are more apt to let their guard down, especially in not social distancing. We urge you — please, folks, I urge you — to get back to that level of vigilance that you showed six months ago so that we could beat back this second wave. And in return, I commit to you, as a state, we are ready for it.”
Murphy went on to say how his administration is preparing for the second wave of COVID-19.
“Our focus has been on building our capabilities in three critical areas: personal protective equipment, testing, and contact tracing. Two months ago, we noted that we have used the past months to secure the vital personal protective equipment our essential workers and first responders need,” he added. “We have been continuing with an aggressive program to source the PPE we will need to have a strong three-month inventory supply in our own State Strategic Stockpile. We knew we would need to have PPE at the ready and capable of being deployed when the second wave arrived. Well, here we are.”