TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey’s COVID-19 trends are going in the right direction after a rising slightly for about a week, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.
The rate of transmission, which measures how many people one infected person spreads the virus to, fell below 1 to 0.98, down from about 1.5 at the start of last week, Murphy said.
“The decrease in (rate of transmission) is definitely a positive sign, but no one should look at that and think it means that coronavirus is no longer with us, or that you can go ahead and leave your mask and home or join a big crowd waiting to get into a bar with your friends,” Murphy said.
The governor also said there about 250 new positive cases reported since Sunday, putting the total at 185,000.
There were 4 deaths, putting the death toll at 14,025.
Despite the declining transmission rate, Murphy did not announce any new reopenings. The state is in the second of three stages of reopening its economy.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness or death.
A look at other developments:
REOPENING NURSING HOMES
Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the department was issuing four-stage reopening guidelines for long-term care facilities in the state so they could resume normal operations.
The state has allowed outdoor visits and certain, pre-arranged indoor visits - with social distancing and masks - but will begin to move toward reopening for other visitors.
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MORE FUNDING FOR NURSING HOMES
Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson said her department is working on a $130 million program to support nursing home workers and infection control in long-term care facilities.
She said $62 million is coming from state funds, with the rest from the federal government.
Murphy said the funding will increase wages for nursing aides and help facilities meet stringent criteria for reopening.
The governor said 60% of the funding must go directly to nursing home workers, with the remainder only going to facilities after they attest that have met critical benchmark requirements outlined in Persichilli’s guidelines.
The Department of Human Services will recoup funds from facilities that don’t comply, Murphy said.
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