Murphy says he won't continue reopening nj unless everyone wears face coverings

Murphy Says He Won’t Continue Reopening NJ Unless Everyone Wears Face Coverings

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1 min read
July 13, 2020

TRENTON, NJ –  New Jersey’s COVID-19 infection rate, transmission rate, hospitalizations, ventilator use, death rate and all other COVID-19 indicators have dropped and flatlined since early June.  Since the height of the pandemic, new hospitalizations dropped by 96%, COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped by 89%, ICU patients dropped 92% and patients on ventilators dropped by 92%.

Still, Governor Murphy continues his pause on stage 2 reopening, negatively affecting tens of thousands of businesses.  Murphy said he will not restart phase two until everyone wears face coverings, social distances and gets tested for COVID-19.

“Right now, we’re paused in Stage 2 of our restart,” Murphy said today. “I want us to be able to reopen more businesses and to get to Stage 3 and beyond. We cannot do that unless we keep up with wearing face coverings, keeping a social distance, and getting tested.”

“Our hospital metrics continue to move in the right direction, but this DOES NOT MEAN we can reopen everything right now,” he added.  We just reported an additional 231 cases. We’re still in the Top 20 nationally in terms of the number of residents per capita in the hospital.”

Many of those patients have been in the hospital since the peak of the pandemic after Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli demanded nursing homes accept COVID-19 positive residents.

Murphy said the state conducts 20,000 COVID-19 tests per day.   Of those 20,000 there were 231 positives reported today.  Just 1% of all people who take the test are now testing positive according to the Governor.

Initially, Governor Murphy’s science advisors told him in March that New Jersey needs to “Soften the Curve” a term not used any longer by the administration, now the metric is “Rate of Transmission” or how many other people get infected by each infected person.  Right now, the rate of transmission in New Jersey is .91.

So for now, things will stay the same, and businesses that are in limbo will remain in limbo until they either go out of business, find a way to succeed under Murphy’s Law, or can withstand the prolonged torture being dished out by Murphy.

 

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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