It has been one year since the first positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed in New Jersey. March 4, 2021 was the day the virus officially landed in the Garden State although many New Jerseyans who were sick in January and February feel they may have had COVID-19 during that time.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy marked the first anniversary of COVID-19 with a reflection back to last year.
“March 4th, will mark the one-year anniversary since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in New Jersey,” Murphy said. ” And that was the tweet that we put out. I for one will not easily forget that date. I had only recently come out of the recovery room following surgery earlier that day to have a tumor removed when I read the first text I read informing me of this news.”
Since that date, New Jersey has been arguably been one of the most COVID-19 mismanaged states in America that lead to longer than average lockdowns of people and businesses, some of which even continues today.
One year after COVID-19, many New Jersey businesses are gone for good, DMV is still a mess, most residents can’t get vaccinated, bars remain closed, business remains at 25% capacity, schools are not fully in session and there’s an election in November, which the governor hopes to successfully navigate through the rough waters ahead.
“At that time, I don’t think any of us sitting here today were necessarily surprised that the coronavirus had found its way to New Jersey,” he said. “In fact, the knowledge that our state could be vulnerable, especially given our location, our proximity to New York City and our importance as an international travel and trading hub had set us into action weeks before.”
One year later, New Jersey is coming out from its highest number of COVID-19 patients since the pandemic started and figures this week are on par with the figures experienced during the height of the first wave.
Essentially, the numbers today are in the same place they were last year, despite the vaccine, despite mask-wearing, and despite social distancing. It is unknown where it would be without the safety measures implemented by the state Health Department and the CDC. One in ten New Jersey residents has already had COVID-19 according to state figures. Unofficially it is estimated in a recent report by Yury E. Khudyakov of the CDC, the actual number of people who have already contracted the virus could be three times the official figure.