With N.J. COVID cases rising again, don't expect more restrictions to be lifted soon, Murphy says
The recent spike in new cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey likely means there wont be any additional announcements in the near future about loosening restrictions, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday morning.
My guess is we wont be opening up further capacities for some time now
because of the caseload, Murphy said during a TV interview on CNN.
The states seven-day average of new cases was 3,329 cases as of Sunday, up 8% from a week ago and 29% from a month ago. Hospitalizations have also risen in recent weeks and currently hover between 1,900 and 2,000 patients after hitting a low of 1,785 earlier this month.
Murphy continued to express concern about the spread of more contagious COVID-19 variants as the state pushes forward with its effort vaccinate 70% of the population by May. As of Monday morning, 3.45 million vaccine doses have been administered. More than 1.2 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Murphys comments come only days after he loosened indoor capacity limits at businesses like restaurants and gyms. The increase from 35% to 50% for those businesses and others, like casinos, personal care services and amusement venues took effect at 6 a.m. Friday.
https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2021/03/with-nj-covid-cases-rising-again-dont-expect-more-restrictions-to-be-lifted-soon-murphy-says.html