TRENTON, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- New Jerseyans who plan to trick-or-treat and celebrate Halloween this year should follow state health department guidelines to ensure their health and safety, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.
The New Jersey Department of Health will release Halloween-related safety guidelines by the end of the day on Monday, Murphy said at a news briefing.
The department is "strongly encouraging" residents to take the following precautions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he said:
• Trick-or-treaters should wear masks that cover both their mouths and noses. "A costume mask does not count, as it does not provide the necessary level of protection," Murphy said
• Candy and other treats should be "arranged in such a way that they can be quickly and safely accessed without multiple pieces being touched," rather than being placed directly into trick-or-treaters' bags or being doled out in communal bowls "that multiple hands will reach into"
• All Halloween activities should be outdoors, "as we know that the biggest threats for viral spread exist indoors," Murphy said
• All Halloween parties are subject to indoor and outdoor gathering size limits
"You may wish to dress as a knucklehead this Halloween, but we don't want anyone to act like one," Murphy said at his briefing. "We want to ensure that everyone has the chance to enjoy Halloween, but we also want to ensure that everyone does that safely and responsibly."
New Jersey reported 522 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, 119 of which were reported in Ocean County and 48 of which were reported in Monmouth County — the two counties that have seen COVID-19 surges in recent weeks.
Eighty-six of the 119 cases reported in Ocean County were reported in Lakewood, Murphy said. The governor last week said the state had started ramping up testing and contact tracing in the two counties.
As of Sunday, 507 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, 102 of whom were in intensive care and 34 of whom were on ventilators.
The state reported two new COVID-19 deaths, bringing its statewide death toll to 14,351.
Murphy on Monday also announced that the New Jersey Department of Children and Families would create "emergency regulations" to allow centers including dance studios, martial arts studios and churches that have been operating as makeshift child-care centers to operate legally for the duration of the pandemic, or until the end of the school year.
In addition, the state has increased the income threshold for families seeking child care tuition assistance during remote-learning school hours, from $75,000 to $150,000, he said.
