Gov. Murphy: NJ Recovery May Be Years As COVID Vaccines To Arrive

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy says New Jersey's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic could take years, even as the first vaccines are expected to arrive in a week. Murphy's words came as a leading industry group said nearly 4 in 10 hospitality businesses could shut down for good without federal help.

Murphy, speaking on "SALT Talks" led by former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci, said he expects to see a significant initial economic "bounce" once all of New Jersey has access to the vaccines, which will likely happen by April (watch video below).

The governor is expected to address the situation during a Wednesday news conference. Read more: WATCH LIVE Gov. Murphy NJ Coronavirus, Closures Update

Murphy expects that "bounce" will likely happen during the second and third quarters of 2021, or April through September, "if the public health trajectory goes as we're talking about."

Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ May Get First Coronavirus Vaccines By Christmas

The governor said he expects New Jersey's economy will "probably then stabilize at some level" and then need a couple years, at least, "to get back completely on our feet."

Murphy does believe the next couple months "are going to be lousy" but, from a public health standpoint, New Jersey should be "light years in a difference place in the spring."

Murphy words came as Marilou Halvorsen, the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association’s president and chief executive officer, said during a virtual event Tuesday with congressional members that 36 percent of hospitality businesses do not expect to survive next year without federal help.

She said 78 percent of business owners expect to lay off more employees.

Halvorsen implored members of Congress during the event to get a deal done with the Trump administration even if it means settling for less money than they wanted.

"Please do not let perfect stand in the way of getting something done before the new year," she said.

Murphy has also implored Congress to reach a deal on a stimulus bill, saying it would give the state much more flexibility in taking additional action to protect public health. He has taken the Republican Senate to task for not taking any action for months.

"History will not be unkind if we overshoot the stimulus," he said.

The governor said he's been hesitant to shut down New Jersey's economy because it could be the death knell for many small businesses. He also doesn't see the need to repeat what New Jersey did in the spring — yet.

"In the spring, we had no choice," he said. "We were on the edge of the abyss. We didn't know if we were going to run out of hospital beds or ventilators."

Instead, Murphy said, New Jersey's approach has been more "surgical." When there were outbreaks connected to indoor dining and bars, he said, New Jersey banned at-the-bar seating and shut those businesses down at 10 p.m.

The announcement comes as New Jersey reported nearly 15,000 new cases within the past few days, the highest three-day number ever. The positivity rate reached 11.4 percent, the highest since spring, and the statewide rate of transmission was 1.05 based on a seven-day rolling average. Hospitalizations have also reached their highest point since May.

Read more: NJ: Outdoor Gatherings Drop To 25 As COVID Metrics 'Way Too High'

This past weekend also marked an "all-time high" in reports of new COVID-19 virus cases, with more than 5,300 new positive cases on Friday, Saturday and Sunday — believed to be "directly related to the Thanksgiving holiday," according to New Jersey Department of Health Medical Director Dr. Edward Lifshitz. Read more: NJ Tops 6K New Cases For 1st Time, Clarifies Entertainment Rules

On Sunday, 269 hospital COVID-19 patients were discharged, while 417 were admitted. Sunday also saw 55 in-hospital patient deaths and over 6,000 reported new cases.

"Through [contact tracers'] commitments, we are beating our benchmarks," Murphy added. "We are holding up our end of this battle. We urge you folks to please work with us."

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