TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy might be sitting comfortably beside a pool or beach in Central America, but back home, things are not so comfortable. Murphy is spending a weeklong family vacation in Costa Rica and this morning on a call with President Joe Biden and other governors over the latest COVID-19 outbreak, Murphy all was well back in his home state.
“All’s well in New Jersey, I assume, Gov?” Biden asked Murphy during the briefing.
“Amen, Mr. President,” the governor responded.
But all is not well in New Jersey. Shortly after fleeing the latest outbreak in New Jersey for his Central American Christmas Vacation, Murphy’s administration settled a massive lawsuit with family members of hundreds of senior citizens killed in New Jersey’s two veterans’ nursing homes.
Back in New Jersey, far removed from the tropical beaches and elegant resorts in sunny Costa Rica, New Jerseyans are undergoing the worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Case counts are soaring to as many as 20,000 confirmed daily…and that doesn’t include thousands who are unable to test.
Home testing kits remain elusive and those who want to get boosted now have to wait until next year. Even to get tested for the virus, many locations are booked solid until after the new year. In some places, people are waiting up to four hours just to get tested.
Panic has set in across New Jersey, made worse by media reports sensationalizing the omicron variant and President Biden predicting a “winter of death” for America.