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Murphy said the state's goal is to do 20,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month.
This is in addition to his announcement Tuesday that 50 CVS Pharmacies in New Jersey will begin offering self-swab tests by the end of May, and about 18,000 licensed pharmacists throughout the state will begin offering tests to customers without prescriptions.
People will have greater peace of mind if they know their status, he reasoned. And more transmission data will allow the state to continue moving forward through the pandemic.
The state is also warning of a contact tracing scam by text.
Homeland Security chief Jared Maples said thousands of residents have received texts telling them they've been infected.
"They're asking you to reach out and connect the link to an actual contact tracer, an interviewer. That's been more recent. That's been over the last week,” he said.
State Health Commissioner Judy Persichelli said actual contact tracers will never ask you for your Social Security number or bank account information.
Murphy said that state health officials have confirmed since Tuesday an additional 1,670 cases of COVID-19, for a statewide total of 150,399, and an additional 168 deaths from the illness, for a statewide total of 10,747.
Despite the increases, Murphy said, the curve continues to move in the right direction overall.
“We can’t move forward unless we’re confident that doing so won’t move us backward,” he said.
He cited hospitals in the state, currently treating 3,405 for COVID-19 — which is well less than half of what it was four weeks ago.
As the state makes moves to restart sectors of the economy, piece by piece, he stressed the importance of social distancing and strict hygienic practices in keeping those numbers moving in the right direction.
In doing so, Murphy referred to the Bellmawr gym that made waves this week by opening up shop against the governor’s orders.
“I know the news likes to highlight those who want to be examples of defiance,” he tweeted, “but we know the overwhelming majority of you understand this battle we’re waging.”
As the governor promised on Tuesday, in-person sales resumed at New Jersey car and motorcycle dealerships and bike shops. Some bike shop owners said Wednesday that the move caught them off guard.
Two shop owners said it’s exciting to have in-person sales again, and they are working on plans to do so safely, but neither shop is letting customers inside just yet.
Curbside sales and repairs have been allowed under the governor’s orders. Most bikes under $500 are out of stock at retailers everywhere, so many people have been bringing in their old, dusty rides for repairs.
Chris Foster owns Peddler’s Shop in Deptford, and he says they made some changes that will probably stick around for good.
“Actually, the system we have in place, which is back-door drive-up, seems to work very well,” he said. “We will probably in the future leave that for the service department. It works much better.”
It’s a similar story at Wheelie’s in Medford. Owner Larry MacDonald says demand for sales and repairs is unprecedented, and he’s trying to keep customers happy with a very limited staff.
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