The new lower figures are at a milestone not seen since November 2020, however, whether they are real or a result of lab reporting issues remains to be seen.

The president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce discusses the planning for next year's Walk to Washington, how the organization has been serving its members and what he thinks about the state's response to the pandemic.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said the measure will move swiftly through the Legislature, passing out of both chambers on Feb. 18 and onto the governor's desk.

Under an extension of the COVID-19 relief package that then-President Donald Trump signed just before the new year, several relief programs will end sometime between March 14 and April 11.

Senate President Steve Sweeney said the funds will will "speed up our economic recovery from the pandemic, prevent more businesses and nonprofits from closing, and create jobs for workers who have been on the unemployment rolls for almost a year."

The program was capped at $25 million last year but was expanded to $35 million for 2021 under a $14.5 billion landmark economic incentive package Gov. Phil Murphy approved in early January.

The move comes largely in response to the increasing costs of power transmission, which are controlled by the federal government and not state regulators.

Proponents of the redevelopment contend it could be just what the Passaic County seat needs to emerge from the pandemic-induced recession.

Although he tested negative, the governor will nonetheless opt to self-isolate “out of an abundance of caution and in line with the highest levels of commitment to protecting public health,” his office said in a statement.

This is one of the first regulatory moves by the NJEDA as the state agency implements the New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020, a massive $14.5 billion economic incentive package.

The move is meant to help cash-strapped businesses and follows a similar move by federal officials.

Between Nov. 1, 2020 and Jan. 31, 2021,  a total of 269,560 state residents signed up for health insurance under Get Covered New Jersey.