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UPDATED: 3:25 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey's Supreme Court has ordered that some county jail inmates be released in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner signed an order late Sunday that allows hundreds of inmates serving in county jails to be released this week.
"Jails can be incubators for disease, so we have to take bold and drastic steps," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Monday.
For Grewal and other state officials, one of those steps is releasing low-level offenders from those jails.
BREAKING: As @NewJerseyOAG has announced, certain low-level offenders will be released from county jails to prevent the spread of #COVID19 within our corrections system.This is a prudent measure, and all efforts have been made to ensure public safety.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 23, 2020Rabner's order came after the state public defender's office petitioned the court, arguing that keeping inmates detained posed a public health threat. Officials in Hudson County said Sunday that two inmates had tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting a modified lockdown of the facility.
"These are individuals, typically, who have been sentenced to county jail as a condition of probation," Grewal said of the inmates affected by the order. "Or they've been sentenced there because of municipal court convictions. Or are serving time for fourth-degree offenses, or disorderly persons offenses."
After they are released, the attorney general said the inmates have to follow the same rules as everyone else.
"All these individuals will have to comply with the same stay-at-home orders that are in effect right now. And they'll have to complete their sentences when our public health emergency concludes," he said.
Prosecutors can file objections to the release of specific inmates, and a judge will hold a hearing.
The order doesn't apply to inmates serving in state prison on more serious crimes.
Outstanding warrants for inmates currently serving in county jails will be suspended during the current health emergency, according to the order.
Inmates who have already tested positive for COVID-19 won't be released until a plan for isolation or mandatory self-quarantine is approved.
Dramatic jump in NJ cases
In his daily briefing, Gov. Phil Murphy said the increase was expected, attributing the spike to additional test availability and community spread. He announced 935 additional cases, bringing the statewide total to 2,844.
There have been seven more deaths in the state: five men and two women, aged 57 to 91. Two of the individuals who died had pre-existing conditions. There have been 27 fatalities in all.
UPDATE: We've received 935 new positive #COVID19 test results since yesterday, bringing our total to 2,844.
This increase is not a surprise – as we begin a more rigorous collection statewide, we're getting a clearer and better sense of how far coronavirus has already spread.— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 23, 2020
He said what the state is desperate for is federal cash.
"We need to continue to do our job. And in order to do so, we need the federal government to come in with a big bucket of money to allow us to continue to do that," he said.
It's a bucket that would hold $100 billion for the New Jersey-New York-Pennsylvania-Connecticut region, he said.
Murphy said he talked with President Donald Trump Monday morning.
"I asked him for his support for four pop-up field hospitals that FEMA region 2 would be the primary federal interface with. The president, to his credit, said he would support that," Murphy said.
Murphy also said he had signed an executive order banning elective surgeries and invasive dental procedures that can be safely delayed, to preserve the use of protective medical gear.
I just signed an Executive Order suspending ALL elective surgeries and invasive procedures for adults – both medical and dental – effective 5:00 PM on 3/27.This applies to all operations that can be safely delayed, as determined by the patient's doctor or dentist.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 23, 2020"We have to lessen the burden on our health care system. And to preserve, especially, the personal protective gear that our medical responders need," he added.
Murphy said schools would be closed for a "long and extended period of time," but he couldn't say how long. He also repeated his call for social distancing, imploring residents to just stay home.
More testing, more cases
New drive-through testing centers opened Monday at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus and at Kean University in Union.
The Hudson location is performing tests by appointment only for people who are exhibiting symptoms, by calling 201-388-1097.
The state's first drive-through center opened Friday at Bergen Community College in Paramus and was quickly overwhelmed and had to shut down for the day after a few hours, a scenario that was repeated on Saturday and Sunday. The center will continue to accept visitors this week.
On Monday morning, the Holmdel site reached capacity within an hour of opening and had to tell people to return Tuesday.
For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.
State health officials have recommended calling your health care provider if you have symptoms, including fever and shortness of breath. Officials also point people to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, which recommends people stay home except to get medical care.
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KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo and Andrew Kramer contributed to this report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
