Gov. Murphy Touts Support From NJ Voters On COVID-19 Response

NEW JERSEY — It has been more than 40 years since an incumbent Democratic governor served back-to-back terms in New Jersey, but Phil Murphy looks poised to break that trend.

He holds wide leads against Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli in recent polls of potential voters, and much of that lead can be attributed to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Voters in a recent Stockton poll favor Murphy, 50 percent to 34 percent, when it comes to whom they feel can better handle the pandemic. Murphy’s lead over Ciattarelli related to the pandemic in a recent Monmouth poll was 50 percent to 23 percent.

These numbers are high, even as Ciattarelli and his running mate, Diane Allen, have been critical of the administration for the 8,000 coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes.

“New Jersey was not unique,” Murphy said in the first gubernatorial debate between the candidates on Sept. 28. “We were crystal clear about the way in which these residents would return to their home. They needed to be separated by floor, by wing, by building, and the staff that served them had to be separated.”

Nursing homes that didn’t follow the guidelines were inspected and fined, Murphy said.
Throughout the pandemic, Murphy has said the decisions he’s made have been based on data and facts. Early on, New Jersey launched statewide contact tracing, built a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and set up more than 400 testing sites across the state.

Non-essential businesses across the state closed temporarily in an effort to slow the spread of the disease. Many of the closures lasted throughout the summer, resulting in outdoor dining at restaurants where it didn’t previously exist. Many Jersey Shore business owners were unhappy with the long-term closures.

And while many small businesses never reopened, Murphy took the following steps to help New Jersey residents financially:

• The state provided $240 million in relief to 55,000 hard-hit small businesses across New Jersey;
• The state provided $2 billion in federal funding to support small businesses, rental assistance, food assistance, and child care providers; and
• The state provided $23 billion for pandemic-related jobless relief benefits.

The state’s return and earn program is designed to help businesses that are looking for employees and employees who need training and support, such as child care, to return to the workforce.

New Jersey also invested $150 million to close the digital divide some students faced when they were suddenly sent home to learn remotely in March 2020.

Schools were permitted to have hybrid and full-remote learning options for the 2020-21 school year, but Murphy said districts must implement full in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year.

Students must wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines in the classroom, and teachers have until Oct. 18 to get fully vaccinated or face routine testing.

Similar guidelines are in place for daycare centers, and they aren’t the only ones who face vaccine mandates. State employees and employees in hospitals, correctional facilities, long-term care and assisted living facilities, specialty hospitals, in-patient rehab facilities and more are required to be fully vaccinated or undergo testing at least once or twice a week.

Schools are also required to report data to the state department of health on a weekly basis.

“You can’t look for wiggle room on vaccines,” Murphy said. “You can’t ignore the science as it relates to masking. It is crystal clear. A year and a half ago, we didn’t have a playbook. We have a playbook now, and we know what works.”

When New Jersey got its shipment of vaccines, the state set up six COVID-19 vaccination megasites across the state, and vaccinations available at nearly 800 locations statewide, including community-based vaccination partnerships to reach vulnerable communities.

As more residents became vaccinated, those sites closed, and New Jersey moved to a more local effort to vaccinate residents.

More than 5 million New Jersey residents have been vaccinated, and more than 150,000 have received an additional dose or a booster shot. There have been about 25,000 coronavirus-related deaths in New Jersey.

“We are among the most vaccinated states in the country,” Murphy said. “We have the lowest percentage of ICU beds with COVID patients in the entire country. As tough as it continues to be, I wouldn’t trade our hand with any other state.”

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