Connecticut is slated to lift numerous COVID-19 business restrictions on May 1, save for the mask requirement, and Gov. Phil Murphy said that New Jersey will very likely head in that direction if the state can get the pandemic more under control.
“Things are starting to go in the right direction,” he told Pix11 during a morning interview on April 20.
“We’re going to definitely continue to open up, there’s no question about it. We had a long meeting last night,” he said of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a fellow Democrat.
In Connecticut, outdoor restrictions will be lifted on May 1, and business restrictions will be phased out through May 19, under Lamont’s new order.
Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy receive the first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine on April 9, 2021 – EDWIN J. TORRES/GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
“I think without question we’ll be able to open up further if the numbers continue to improve. But I think we’ll do it step by step,” the governor added.
Amid this latest surge, driven by the new variants, Murphy warned that he would pause any further business reopenings. Indoor dining, retail, gyms, salons, casinos and other indoor businesses are capped at 50% capacity following a slew of reopenings in February and early March. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 200 people and indoor gatherings to 25 people.
Venues with more than 2,500 people can open to 20% indoors and 30% outdoors starting late last month, up from 10% and 15% respectively.
Murphy did not indicate on Tuesday what restrictions would be the next to loosen, but business owners in the summer shore industry are anxiously eyeing what COVID-19 restrictions will look like for the spring, summer and early fall.
More than 2.5 million people have been fully vaccinated out of the goal of 4.7 million New Jersey adults by June 30, an objective Murphy said is attainable even with the absence of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose COVID-19 shot.
The state’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases is 3,096, which is down 2% from last week and 5% from last month. Hospitalizations have dropped for the sixth day in a row, with 2,062 patients as of April 18.
April 19 was the first day since mid-February meanwhile, that the state logged less than 2,000 new positive cases.
