TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday unveiled what he called a three-stage blueprint to reopening the economy from the COVID-19 shutdown, saying he was signing an order letting batting cages, golf driving ranges and some other businesses open up.
The approach goes from more restrictive practices in stage 1 to what the first-term Democrat called the “new normal” after stage 3.
If the state’s coronavirus trend lines continue in the right direction, Murphy said, the state would move next to letting retail expand its operations, along with outdoor dining and reduced-capacity indoor dining. Murphy gave no timeline on when stages would advance, but said moving from stage 1 to stage 2 would be a “matter of weeks.”
“The hardest nut to crack will be indoors, no ventilation, sedentary realities,” he said.
Along with batting cages and driving ranges, Murphy said horseback riding, private tennis clubs, shooting ranges and and community gardens can reopen on Friday.
The state saw about 1,700 new positive cases overnight, bringing the total to 148,000. There were 83 new deaths, putting the death toll at 10,435, Murphy said.
The three-part blueprint follows an earlier six-part plan Murphy unveiled. That plan called for increased testing, more contact tracing, positive trend lines, along with capacity for people to shelter in place, and then restarting. Finally, he said he called for building up resilience to the virus.
Monday’s plan differed by providing specific examples of the kinds of activities that would permitted at each of the three stages.
A look at other developments:
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CASINO GROCERY GIVEAWAY
Atlantic City’s Hard Rock casino is planning another round of grocery card giveaways to its employees who are out of work due to the pandemic. When the second round of distribution is completed on Thursday, the casino will have spent $600,000 on groceries for its workers. The $100 cards will go to all hourly workers who make less than $50,000 a year. No date has yet been set for Atlantic City’s casinos to reopen.
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DECENT WEEKEND
Murphy said it was “generally OK” at the state’s beaches over the weekend, the first since he said they would be open for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. He attributed that to the cool weather and did not indicate he would revoke approval for towns along the coast to open up.
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GYM REOPENS DESPITE ORDER
A gym in New Jersey reopened for business early Monday, defying a state order that shut down nonessential businesses to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.
People began gathering outside the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr several hours before it reopened at 8 a.m. The owners have said the decision to resume operations at the members-only facility was not about financial gain, but rather a question of constitutional rights.
Murphy suggested the state might take action if the defiance continues.
“I’m not concerned it will spiral out of control, and we will take action,” Murphy said. “If you show up at that gym again tomorrow, there’s going to be a different reality than showing up today. These aren’t just words. We’ve got to enforce this, but I also don’t want to start World War III.”
State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said the gym’s owners were issued a court summons over the violation of the governor’s shut-down executive order and clients were given a warning.
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