TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - All of New Jersey’s public and private schools, along with colleges and universities, will close indefinitely starting Wednesday in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said, while bars, restaurants and casinos will shutter at 8 p.m. on Monday.
Bars and restaurants can remain open for takeout or delivery only. The governor also said that gatherings of 50 or more people would be prohibited, in line with federal guidelines.
He announced the closings on a call with fellow Democratic Govs. Andrew Cuomo, of New York, and Ned Lamont, of Connecticut, who are calling for similar closures in their states as part of a regional response to the virus.
Murphy told residents to take the threat from the virus seriously - calling out people over the weekend who frequented bars and pubs to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. He also added that people should not panic.
“This is not a time for selfishness. This is a time to think of those around you,” he said. “There are some people out there who think this is fake news. This is not fake news. This is real.”
Murphy also said he’s mobilizing the National Guard, though he characterized the step as preparatory at this point. He said guardsmen and women could be used to help pass out meals, for example.
Murphy also reported that there were 80 new positive cases since Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 178. The new positive cases ranged from 5 years old to 93 years old, according to Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
The vast majority of people recover. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
A closer look at developments:
SCHOOL AND REGIONAL CLOSINGS
Murphy said the school closures affect all public and private facilities from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, along with colleges and universities. Most of the state’s more than 600 school districts had closed already, but Murphy said Monday they’ll remain shuttered until public health officials deem it safe to reopen.
The regional closures of bars, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and casinos come in response to the federal government’s failure to issue uniform guidelines to the states, the states’ governors said. The Centers for Disease Control and Protection did recommend on Sunday that all gatherings of 50 people or more be canceled.
Murphy also said he’s discouraging all nonessential travel throughout the state.
Groceries, pharmacies and gas stations will remain open, he said.
He added that nonessential retail businesses will also be closed at 8 p.m., but may open during daytime hours, as long as there are fewer than 50 people inside the businesses
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TESTING CENTERS
Murphy and state police superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said there will be two drive-through testing centers soon set up at Bergen County Community College and in Monmouth County at the PNC Bank Arts Center.
The facilities, described as “pods” by Callahan, will be set up through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It’s unclear exactly when the facilities will be open.
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PENDING LEGISLATION
New Jersey’s Assembly on Monday passed more than two dozen measures aimed at confronting the coronavirus pandemic.
The Democratic-led chamber passed bills including one that sets aside $20 million for the Education Department for cleaning schools and one that requires districts to offer meals or meal vouchers to students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals during school.
The Assembly is meeting despite the CDC’s recommendation.
The measures that passed include bills that:
- Give county officials more time to mail ballots for the primary election June 2.
- Let virtual or remote instruction meet the 180-day school year requirement.
- Extend by one month the filing deadline for income and business taxes.
- Create a Temporary Lost Wage Unemployment Program to allow people to claim pay they lost during the outbreak.
- Establish a COVID-19 Emergency Food Distribution Fund and set aside $10 million.
- Authorize licensed health care facilities and laboratories to develop and administer coronavirus tests.
It’s unclear whether the Democratic-led state Senate will take up the bills, but Senate President Steve Sweeney said in a statement Monday that he applauded the Assembly for taking up the legislation and promised to review it.
The Senate isn’t scheduled to meet again until Monday.
Murphy said he hasn’t reviewed them all, but said they seemed to be on the right path. He said what is definitely needed is federal relief.
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CURFEWS AND CLOSURES
The chief justice of New Jersey’s court system announced over the weekend a two-week suspension of municipal court sessions to mitigate public exposure to the coronavirus.
Teaneck, Bergen County, has been a hotspot, and the mayor has asked residents to self-quarantine. Hoboken has instituted a citywide curfew that begins Monday and will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. It requires all residents to remain in their homes, barring emergencies. People who are required to report to work are exempted, the statement released late Saturday said.
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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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