TRENTON, NJ – One of the advantages New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had during the 2021 election against Jack Ciattarelli was his three times weekly COVID-19 briefings. Those briefings gave Murphy a chance to connect directly with the New Jersey public and allowed him a free, state-sponsored platform to talk about his agenda.
Now, with the 2021 election in the rearview mirror, Murphy announced on Monday, he will scale back his public appearances, including the question and answer period with the media to just once per week.
It’s more political science coming from the governor’s office as the state’s rate of transmission once again creeps over 1.0, nearly double that of Florida where mask and vaccine mandates are now illegal.
“Starting today, we’re going to drop back to having these in-person briefings once a week,” Murphy said on Monday. “Throughout the pandemic, we have altered the number of briefings based on numerous factors. As things are currently progressing, we are confident we can meet once a week.”
Minutes later, Murphy announced the COVID-19 rate of transmission is once again on the rise, passing the benchmark of 1.0 that allows him to continue his pandemic level powers.
“This should remind us this virus is among us as we move back indoors because of the weather,” Murphy said.
Going forward, Murphy will host his press conferences each Monday at 1 p.m.