New Jerseyans may soon be required to put on facial covers every time they venture out to the public, indoors or out.
Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday the state is considering ordering residents to wear masks in public spaces outdoors, not just indoors, as the virus transmission rate has passed the key mark of 1 for the first time in 10 weeks.
“We are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating the variety of notices and recommendations we have,” said Murphy during his last coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “We are seeing the outer masking as we speak.”
“The virus is much less lethal in the open air, but that does not mean it is not lethal,” he added. “It doesn’t mean it can’t be broadcast yet.”
The comments come a day after the governor said in a television interview Sunday that there should be a national mandate to wear masks whenever someone is in public.
But while Murphy has required residents to wear masks in indoor public spaces, he has only recommended that they do so when they are outside.
When asked Monday what it would take to change that, Murphy said it is “something we are seeing in real time,” although he emphasized that the “obvious challenge” is whether officials will be able to enforce it.
“You want to put something in place that you think has a high probability of being able to enforce,” he said. “This one is more challenging than others. Please be patient with us in masking.
Masks have been at the center of a culture war across the country as the pandemic continues to spread in the United States, and many states have seen an increase in cases in recent days. Some residents refuse to wear masks, saying they do not believe they are useful or infringe on their freedom.
Murphy said it would be helpful for the federal government to give “national parameters that everyone adheres to.”
“We are now as strong as a nation as the weakest link,” he added.
President Donald Trump has made wearing masks voluntary, but he has been pushing for it to be a requirement.
Meanwhile, Murphy said Monday that New Jersey is pushing breaks by gradually lifting blocking restrictions with increasing transmission rates. He did not say he would rescind the steps that have already taken place, but said “we are not going to jump the gun into many more opening steps at this time.”
The rate measures the number of people to whom an infected resident passes COVID-19. After surpassing 5 in March, the New Jersey rate had dropped to 0.62 on June 11. But it was 1.03 in the past two days, which means that each infected resident was transmitting the virus to more than one person.
“This is an early warning sign that, frankly, we have to do more,” Murphy said.
New Jersey, once a coronavirus hot spot, has seen its daily numbers (new deaths, new cases, and hospitalizations) drop significantly in recent weeks.
But authorities said Monday the reason for the increased transmission rate is a mix of more indoor businesses reopening during Stage 2, as well as residents recovering from the virus after visiting other states and seeing spikes in new ones. cases.
Murphy, who marched in a pair of Black Lives Matter protests last month, also said there is no evidence that massive outdoor activity at beaches, parks or protests has caused major spikes in the cases.
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The governor asked residents to continue wearing masks to help reduce the rate, even in hot weather outside.
“COVID-19 doesn’t care about the weather,” said Murphy. “She only cares about finding another person to infect. Don’t be a willing host.
New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, has reported 15,229 known deaths attributed to COVID-19 – 13,373 laboratory-confirmed and 1,856 probable – with 173,611 known cases in just over four months since the first case of the been in March 4)
Authorities on Monday reported 20 new deaths related to the virus and 216 new cases.
About 1.3 million Garden State residents have applied for unemployment benefits as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy. But the number of workers who filed last week fell by 15%.
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Brent johnson can be reached in [email protected].
