Gov. Murphy: Here's What Will Reopen Next Amid NJ Coronavirus

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy has outlined what businesses and activities are destined to open next as New Jersey continues to make progress amid the coronavirus outbreak.

After allowing beaches to reopen and retail to provide curbside pickup, Murphy provided a plan on Tuesday, May 19th that outlined the next businesses on the list that will be allowed to restart.

Murphy provided the "blueprint" as he signed an executive order allowing in-person sales at automobile and motorcycle dealerships to resume at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20th.

Murphy said the "blueprint" provides for reopening businesses and activities based on the level of disease transmission risk and essential classification.

Murphy said he would not provide dates or case markers for when New Jersey can advance to the next stages, saying he didn't want to give people "false hope."

But he did say, later in the Tuesday news conference, that outdoor dining and indoor shopping could reopen within a matter of weeks (see news conference below).

“Our multi-stage approach uses science, data and facts to determine which businesses and activities can reopen according to their risk level and challenges they face to safeguard public health," Murphy said.

Here is the blueprint (story continues below the graphic):

Murphy said New Jersey was ready to move to "stage two," which will allow restrictions to be relaxed on additional activities "that can be easily safeguarded."

Those businesses and activities would include:

• Expanded retail
• Safeguarded restaurants with outdoor seating
• Limited personal care
• Possible indoor dining with significantly reduced capacity
• Museums with significantly reduced capacity
• Libraries with significantly reduced capacity

Once more progress is made, Murphy said New Jersey will move to "stage three," meaning restrictions are relaxed on most activities with significant safeguarding.

Those activities and businesses include:

• In-person meetings
• Expanded dining
• Critical in-office work
• Limited entertainment
• Expanded personal care
• Bars with limited capacity.
• Personal care services may be provided on a more extended basis.

All residents and businesses should follow state and federal safeguarding guidelines:

• No mass gatherings
• Minimize gatherings
• Disinfect workplace and businesses
• Minimize gatherings
• Respect social distancing
• Wear masks in public
• Wash hands

New Jersey will move toward subsequent stages based on data that demonstrates improvements in public health and the capacity to safeguard the public, including:

• Sustained improvements in public health indicators, including new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, individuals in intensive care, and ventilator use.
• Substantial increase in testing and contact tracing capacity.
• Sufficient resilience in New Jersey’s health care system to include adequate bed capacity, ventilators, personal protective equipment and workforce.
• Widespread safeguarding of workplaces.
• Widespread safeguarding and capacity of child care, schools, and transit.
• Continued public compliance.

"We will be guided by our ability to protect against a new COVID-19 outbreak with expanded testing and contact tracing and clear social distancing safeguards in place," Murphy said. "We are currently in stage one, and we will aim to move through each stage quickly, but also judiciously, with the public health of our communities and all New Jerseyans in mind.

"We are also counting on all New Jerseyans to continue keeping themselves and their neighbors safe by wearing face coverings, washing hands frequently, and limiting gatherings.”

If public health indicators, safeguarding, or compliance worsen on a sustained basis, New Jersey will be prepared to move back to more restrictive stages as well, he said.

Watch Murphy here:

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