PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Downtowns and main streets will come back to life on June 15, said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, when non-essential retail business will be permitted to reopen and resume in-person sales.
However, the governor sternly warned that a certain baseline of public health protections must remain in place.
On 6/15, non-essential in-person retail can RESTART:☑️Number of customers in stores must be limited to 50% of approved capacity☑️Customers and employees must wear face coverings☑️Areas used by employees must be regularly sanitized‼️ONE SET OF RULES FOR EVERYONE‼️ pic.twitter.com/38y8H2JvYB
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy)
June 4, 2020 The number of customers in a store at any time must not exceed 50% of maximum-approved capacity. All customers and employees are required to wear face coverings, and areas used by employees must be regularly sanitized.
“Social distancing must remain our routine,” Murphy said, reporting that 603 new positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed since his last coronavirus briefing.
The total number of infections statewide is at least 162,530.
Stores also must set aside special hours for people who are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 or immuno-compromised.
“We want them to erect physical barriers between customers and cashiers or baggers, where practicable, and regularly sanitize areas used by their employees, among other requirements,” Murphy continued.
Murphy also reported that 92 more residents had died from the disease in the same amount of time, bringing the statewide death count to at least 11,970 people.
NEW: We’ve received 603 new positive #COVID19 test results, bringing our statewide total to 162,530.The rate of spread for each new case remains below ONE.The spot positivity rate for tests from May 31st was 4.2% – from roughly 20,000 recorded samples. pic.twitter.com/vrFxm2DjW5
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy)
June 4, 2020 The rate of spread has gotten extraordinarily low for the general population, Murphy added, but for residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, it continues to be a problem.
The number of deaths associated with those facilities is far below the peak, but the strain of the coronavirus is disproportionately high there still.
At the same time, the governor said, far more people left hospitals on Wednesday than entered them. Hospitals in the state report fewer than 2,000 patients still being treated for COVID-19 — a milestone, said Murphy.
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KYW Newsradio's Eric Walter contributed to this report.
