Gov. Murphy: NJ Indoor Dining To Resume Amid Coronavirus Crisis

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday that indoor dining can finally resume, starting on Friday.

Murphy announced that restaurants across the state will be able to open for indoor dining beginning at 6 a.m. this Friday, Sept. 4, at 25 percent capacity and with social distancing between tables (see the list of rules below).

"Reopening responsibly will help us restore one of our state’s key industries while continuing to make progress against #COVID19," Murphy announced on Twitter.

Murphy also announced on Monday that movie theaters and indoor performance venues may reopen, and he raised the indoor capacity limit. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Movie Theaters To Resume Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Murphy sidestepped a question during a Monday news conference that asked whether the state will reimburse restaurants who suffered a financial blow after he initially planned – and then reversed – the reopening of indoor dining on July 2.

The state Legislature unanimously has passed a pair of bills that would funnel money to restaurants, bars and caterers who spent money on supplies in preparation for the return of indoor dining in July, only to have that authorization rescinded. Read more: Bills To Reimburse NJ Restaurants Pass Unanimously

Some lawmakers were already balking at the restrictions Murphy is placing on indoor dining:

Here is the list of rules for indoor dining:

• Restaurants can only open indoors at 25 percent capacity.
• Parties must capped at eight people, and tables must be 6 feet apart.
• Staff must wear masks all times.
• Diners must wear masks when not in their seats.
• Food and beverages can only be consumed while seated.
• Diners must keep masks on while waiting for food and once they're eating and drinking is finished. "Walking around with a drink indoors will not be tolerated," Murphy said.
• You can only order food while seated at your table and only staff can bring you food and beverages.
• You can dine at the bar but you must be properly socially distanced.
• Groups seated at the bar must be capped at 4 people
• Air conditioner units must be turned for outdoor air to flow into dining areas.
• Windows must be open for air flow into dining areas
• Restaurants must post signage saying that no one with a fever can enter the establishment.
• Restaurants are encouraged to take reservations
• Customers should wait in their cars if they have to wait for a table, and if social distancing can't be maintained in outdoor waiting areas.
• Buffets and salad bars are prohibited.
• Restaurants should disinfect all commonly touched areas, such as menus.
• Physical barriers should be posted at cash registers.
• Employers must do daily health screenings of their staff.
• Restaurants should ensure ventilation, heating and air conditioning units are working properly.
• Air conditioning and heating units must be run two hours before and two hours after the facility is occupied.

Some lawmakers were already complaining about the restrictions.

The announcements come a day before New Jersey will reopen gyms and indoor amusements across the state. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Gyms, Indoor Amusements Can Reopen Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Murphy has said the plans remain "fluid" and that he's impressed with what New Jersey has done so far to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the schools. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Murphy has been facing mounting criticism, however, for taking a cautious approach with restaurants. He initially planned to reopen them in early July, but withdrew the plan when coronavirus cases began to spike across the United States.

He did allow them to open their interiors on a limited basis as long as they had walls that could open to the outside. He also allowed outdoor dining beginning in mid-June.

Murphy said he reversed his position on indoor dining because of "sustained" improvements lately in New Jersey's coronavirus numbers.

Murphy cited the fact that New Jersey's rate of transmission has been below the dangerous 1.0 level for more than a week, the positivity rate being among "the lowest in the nation" and the dropping number of new daily hospitalizations as reasons for his reversal.

"Every day, it's the sustained levels of the numbers we care mostly about," he said.

Michele Siekerka, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association's president and CEO, said Murphy's "strong call" to reopen indoor dining with limited capacity before the holiday weekend is "appreciated, but unfortunately long overdue."

“The fact is most restaurant owners were able to reopen their doors in a safe and responsible manner when they were originally permitted to do so with limited capacity on July 2," she said. "New Jersey essentially saw more than eight weeks of prime summer season go by the wayside, while our restaurant patrons went across the river to dine in Pennsylvania and Delaware. At the same time, any increase in transmission rates was ascribed to large outdoor parties."

Siekerka said that, for those restaurants at the Jersey Shore and in urban areas, as well as any eatery that was not able to accommodate outdoor dining, "this unnecessary loss of their peak season will be more damaging, as many rely on that business to survive for the year."

“Once again, the odds are still long for restaurants to thrive with limited indoor capacity, particularly as we steer toward colder weather in the coming months when outdoor dining will not be as feasible," she said. "We are pleased that restaurants are finally getting their rightful opportunity to reopen indoor dining. But, for some, we hope it’s not too little, too late.”

Two weeks ago, Murphy nixed demands that New Jersey reopen businesses in the same way he's reopening schools, saying that education is not practiced in a "one-size-fits all" statewide fashion and "not every family is configured or looks the same and has the same degree of freedom as others."

Murphy appeared to be responding to a joint letter from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce, which said: "It appears that deferring to industry experts and local officials for COVID-19 reopening decisions is the proper process, except when it comes to the reopening of our businesses."

"The New Jersey Business Coalition has repeatedly called for a regional approach to the reopening of New Jersey's economy. In doing so, the coalition noted the DOH's current reporting of COVID-19 cases on a county-by-county basis," the statement read. "It recommended that a grid of 'safe' vs. 'cautious' counties can easily be developed."

The New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association also put out a statement saying the organization repeatedly had asked for a meeting with Murphy to discuss reopening indoor dining and was rejected. They eventually did speak.

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