Gov. Murphy Looks To Reopen Gyms, Indoor Dining In NJ

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a news conference on Friday, signaled that he'll soon be ready to finally reopen gyms and indoor dining to the public. Murphy made the statement while announcing that New Jersey has 585 new coronavirus cases and 10 more deaths (you can watch it here, below).

The update comes as the number of cases rose to 187,164 in New Jersey, and 14,064 confirmed deaths have been reported. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, School Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Murphy told CNBC early Friday that he hopes to open indoor dining "sooner than later" and "I hope that we will. I almost can say that I expect that we will."

During his news conference, Murphy said his team had a meeting with gym owners on Friday and "we are trying to find a way to get to indoor dining and get gyms open."

"We're gong to continue to need to see good numbers and there will be significant parameters especially around capacity numbers," he said.

His statements came after NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo said bowling alleys in his state will open as early as Monday, and gyms also will soon receive guidance from the state on reopening. New Jersey typically follows what New York does. Read more: New York Bowling Alleys Can Reopen; Gym Guidance Coming Soon

Murphy also told CNBC that he's not sure about movie theaters, citing issues with ventilation and "people being sedentary."

"Indoor theaters are hard," he told CNBC. "You can social distance. You can mandate face coverings, but you're sedentary. You're subject to the ventilation of that particular movie theater."

Murphy has been resistant to the idea of reopening gyms, despite getting strong backlash from owners who have even violated New Jersey's rules and reopened.

One of them, Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, had a very public fight with Murphy, opening and closing their doors repeatedly until their license was revoked this past week. Read more: NJ Town Rescinds License Of Gym That Defied Murphy's Order

Right before the July 4th holiday weekend, meanwhile, restaurants were set to throw open their doors and finally return to some semblance of normal by reopening indoor dining.

But just before the tourists were set to enjoy the posh restaurants of Asbury Park, or the family diners in North and Central Jersey, Murphy made his biggest course-correction yet since the coronavirus outbreak started in March.

The governor canceled the reopening indoor dining. And for more than a month, Murphy never provided an explanation, nor did he offer even the slightest bit of hope that anything would be normal in the restaurant business again.

Then, this past Monday, Murphy offered some idea as to why he pulled the rug out from under the dining room tables while trying to offer some hope that he'll change course once again.

Murphy cited a study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases that looked at a restaurant in southern China in January, when the coronavirus was plaguing the country.

The study shows how one infected diner at middle table passed coronavirus to nine others seated nearby – including some who were seated 14 feet away.

They were infected not because they were failing to social distance, nor because they weren't wearing masks. They were merely seated in a straight line from an air conditioner, Murphy said.

The finding shows that preventing outbreaks caused by indoor dining will be a lot more complicated than originally thought, Murphy said. And every restaurant may need to follow their own sets of requirements to stay safe.

"I think any of us can name any number of restaurants we go to which have a seating arrangement and an air conditioner not unlike this restaurant half-way around the globe," Murphy said.

Here is animation from the study that shows people getting infected, and how it happened:

Murphy said airflow is a constant concern, and it's why he hasn't pilled the trigger to bring indoor dining back into the fold just yet.

"Allowing diners to sit maskless for an extended period of time in a restaurant where the air conditioning unit is silently spreading coronavirus is a risk we cannot take," he said.

Watch Murphy here:

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