Will Casinos, Pools, Gyms Open? Gov. Murphy Says It's Complicated

NEW JERSEY – Over and over, Gov. Phil Murphy has said that he's nearly ready provide more guidance on reopening parts of the economy that many expected to be ready for the summer: malls, casinos, pools, gyms and the Motor Vehicle Commission.

But Murphy, speaking during a Thursday news conference, signaled that actually he's still not ready to say when some of these important parts of the state's business and tourism industries will be ready to go (see below).

On Friday and Monday, Murphy slightly changed course, saying he's ready to reopen pools on June 22nd and he will reopen the MVC later in June. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Pools To Reopen Amid Coronavirus: Here's When

He made these statements as he said that the coronavirus outbreak continues to decline in New Jersey, announcing 603 new cases on Thursday, June 4th and 92 more deaths (you can watch it below).

The update comes as the number of cases rose to 162,530 and 11,970 in New Jersey. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

During the Thursday news conference and in prior meetings with the press over the past week, Murphy has acknowledged that trying to deal with safeguarding the public in either a group or indoor setting has proven to be more "complicated" than expected.

One huge stumbling block, Murphy said, is that the the virus is 1/19 as effective outdoors as it is inside. "You've got data points that are hostile to good health and advantageous to the virus," Murphy said.

Murphy has provided a schedule for reopening some parts of the economy. But the governor has said businesses that haven't gotten a specific date should expect to open "sooner rather than later," even as some of those merchants continue to demand action. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Reopenings: What's Open Now, What's Opening Next

Here's what Murphy said about pools, malls, the MVC, casinos and other parts of the economy that are awaiting a reopening:

• Malls: Murphy said unless the shopping center has "an outdoor inlet," the state is "not there yet on malls." He has said that he hopes to raise the current limit on gatherings by July 6, when in-person graduations will be allowed to resume, so that change could, perhaps, impact the fate of malls.
• MVC: Murphy said his administration developed a strategy that will "reimagine the MVC experience," a plan that looks "awfully attractive." Read more: NJ's In-Person Driver's License, MVC To Restart Amid Coronavirus.
• Pools: Murphy appeared to be very close to announcing guidelines for pools over the past two weeks, and he even indicated that he was ready to make an announcement. But Murphy acknowledged this week that pools have become "too complicated" to figure out. Finally, on June 8th, Murphy said he will reopen pools on June 22nd. "We know a lot of people have been waiting for their ability to get back into the water. We don't blame them," he said.
• Casinos: Murphy said on Sunday that he hopes to open casinos by July 4, but he has curiously left them out of any reopening announcement since then. Murphy said the casinos' large indoor settings would allow for more social distancing and, as a result, make it easier for them to reopen. But here's the rub, he said: They're still inside, and containing the virus in an indoor setting, no matter what the size, is still difficult.
• Gyms and fitness: Gym owners have been perhaps the most vocal opponents to Murphy's stay-at-home plans, but Murphy continues to avoid providing a specific date. He said he hopes to open them "sooner rather than later," but he seemed to imply – during a recent press conference – that they won't open until after in-person retail restarts on June 15th, at the earliest. The "sweat" and close proximity of gym customers, he said, could be troubling.
• Indoor dining: Murphy also has expressed concern about opening the indoor seating areas of bars and restaurants, but he hopes to open them "sooner rather than later."
• Museums: They were supposed to be open in stage two of the reopening plan, which the state has entered, but Murphy hasn't given a date.

New Jersey did issue new rules and guidance for outdoor dining at bars and restaurants. Read more: Here's What You'll Do At NJ Bars, Restaurants Under Coronavirus Rules

Watch Murphy here:

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