More than two months into sweeping statewide lockdowns to combat the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that outdoor dining and nonessential retail stores in New Jersey will be allowed to reopen with restrictions on June 15 as the state prepares to enter “Stage 2” of its recovery from the pandemic in two weeks.
Hair salons and barbershops will follow a week later, on June 22, Murphy said. Other personal care services, such as nail salons and tattoo parlors, are not included in that date, but those could reopen later in the stage, the governor’s office said.
Gyms, libraries, museums, and some government offices — such as motor vehicle services — will also be permitted to operate again during this stage, though Murphy did not provide specific dates for when.
“The next big step in our restart and recovery is just two weeks away,” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “We’re ready to begin moving forward. We are ready because this progress is being seen across the state. I firmly believe we are going to stay on track."
The governor stressed that a resurgence in coronavirus cases could alter the timetable or cause him to re-install shutdowns in the future.
Murphy said officials would have more guidance on restrictions and safety protocols later this week, but they will likely include limited capacity, social distancing requirements, markers on the ground, and plexiglass dividers.
The governor did not say what capacity will be for nonessential retail stores, which are currently allowed to offer curbside pickup.
Outdoor dining, he said, will likely include distance between tables, temperature checks before patrons can enter, employees with masks and gloves, and paper menus. Indoor dining with remain closed indefinitely.
The announcement comes as the Garden State — home to the second-most COVID-19 deaths and cases — has seen its outbreak slow dramatically in recent weeks and as its economy suffers widespread unemployment and business losses.
Asked what specific data he used to make the decision, Murphy pointed broadly to a “continued reduction in the data” — including how new coronavirus hospitalizations in the state have fallen 84% since their peak.
“Entering Stage 2 does not mean we flick a switch,” he said. “This will continue to be a phased-in restart, based upon a careful analysis of inherent risks and the ability to safeguard public health."
Murphy stressed that people should continue to wear face coverings and practicing social distancing when out.
“Don’t be a knucklehead,” he said. “When each of us is responsible, all of us do better.”
With the state’s economy cratering, numerous lawmakers, businesses, and residents have called on Murphy to move more swiftly on reopening the state or to at least provide more concrete dates and details. A South Jersey gym has drawn national attention for defying Murphy’s orders — and getting repeatedly shut down by authorities.
Even after Monday’s announcement, a pair of Monmouth County Republican lawmakers — state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso — complained that restaurants should be allowed to open sooner to be more in line with other states in the region.
“It is devastating for these business owners," O’Scanlon said. "I hear from them every day. Grown men in tears. It is totally unnecessary. There is no scientific basis for New Jersey to be this far behind other states reopening safely.”
Murphy brushed off the criticism.
“Some people think we’re going too slow, and there’s another group that thinks we’re going too fast,” the governor said. “We’re trying both to get the economy on its feet and to keep people alive.”
Meanwhile, a group of anonymous state Department of Health employees sent a letter to lawmakers Monday charging that New Jersey’s handling of the virus inside nursing homes was “an unmitigated failure” that led to “preventable deaths" and questioning whether Murphy’s administration is "making things up as they proceed” in order to reopen the economy.
Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna declined to comment, adding: “We’re not going to dignify anonymous allegations with a response.”
New Jersey has been under various lockdown orders since mid-March, though Murphy has gradually been peeling back restrictions in recent weeks.
Monday’s announcement comes exactly two weeks since the governor unveiled his multi-stage reopening plan and announced that the state was in Stage 1.
Murphy said Stage 2 is possible because hospitals are no loner in fear of running out of beds and the state has ramped up testing enough to test at least 20,000 residents a day. He also said the state has deployed 900 contact tracers, and that number will increase in the coming days.
Dr. Edward Lifshitz, the state Department of Health’s communicable disease service medical director, said having more robust testing and tracing will help the state snuff out future coronavirus spikes.
“The hope is that as these spikes happen, we can react faster, we can do better testing, we can do that contact tracing around it, and you can prevent those spikes from becoming those huge forest fires that envelop the whole state,” Lifshitz said.
Still, Murphy insisted Monday’s announcement “doesn’t mean that everyone should just go back to what they were doing pre-COVID.” The governor said businesses whose workers can work from home should still allow employees to do so and that high-risk residents — those who have pre-existing conditions and are older — should remain cautious.
“Let’s use common sense for the common good,” he said. “Only a successful Stage 2 can get us to Stage 3.”
The stages of New Jersey's coronavirus reopening plan.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million people, has reported 11,721 known deaths attributed to the coronavirus, with at least 160,918 cases, since the outbreak began March 4. Only New York has more deaths and cases among U.S. states.
Officials on Monday announced 27 new deaths and 509 new positive tests in New Jersey.
Murphy has already allowed parks, beaches, boardwalks, and lakes to reopen. He increased the limit on outdoor gatherings to 25. (Indoor gatherings remain capped at 10.)
And the governor announced Friday that child daycare centers in New Jersey can reopen June 15, outdoor, non-contact organized sports can resume June 22, and youth day camps can operate beginning July 6, all with restrictions. The governor also said live horse racing can return, without fans, as early as this weekend. And he said the state is hoping to allow larger indoor gatherings, including those at churches and other houses of worship, by the weekend of June 12
More than 1.1 million New Jersey residents have filed for unemployment since aggressive social distancing started in mid-March, causing the state’s unemployment rate to surge to 15.3%, though the number of new claims has fallen in recent weeks. Many say they’ve been waiting for weeks to get paid and have struggled with the state’s busy phone and online systems.
Murphy’s administration has said it plans to cut $1.3 billion in state spending thanks to plummeting tax revenue. The governor has warned of up to 200,000 public-worker layoffs if the federal government doesn’t provide more direct aid to states.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
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