UPDATED: 5:38 p.m.
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The spike comes as the number of new cases has been leveling off, the first-term Democrat said at a news conference.
New Jersey has had 4,753 deaths from the virus and more than 92,000 cases, up from about 89,000.
He’s heard consistent complaints from some — namely, reopen the parks and schools. Given that the infection curve is flattening, Murphy assured he’s not about to bow to pressure.
Nursing home cases and fatalities in particular are a growing concern. According to the state Department of Health, about 40% of the deaths came from long-term care facilities statewide, but only about 6% in South Jersey. That’s giving them time to develop a plan to keep the death rate lower in southern nursing homes, if they can.
Murphy tours shore hospital
Murphy toured the state's third and newest field hospital to open during the COVID-19 outbreak on Tuesday.
Murphy also took a brief look at the Wildwood boardwalk after last week’s storm damage and promised to help in any way possible.
“This is something that’s going to have to be done in stages,” Byron said, “but we need to identify that money and we need to do it sooner versus later.”
He said that may come at the cost of $70 million, though the idea is hardly new. Byron’s predecessor, Ernie Troiano, pushed for a similar plan. It got nowhere in the Legislature.
Lawmaker suggests government furloughs
As states scramble for ways to make ends meet, one South Jersey politician is suggesting a way to make do in the short term: Use federal money to place up to 100,000 government workers on a three-month furlough.
State Senate President Steve Sweeney looks at the recently passed CARES Act and believes New Jersey could tap into it — up to $750 million.
“If we furloughed 25% of our workers, the workers wouldn’t lose a penny. In fact, some would make more,” Sweeney (D-West Deptford) said. “They would keep their health insurance. They’d keep their pension payments going in, and they’d work, like, two days a week.”
The state, county and municipal workers would, in effect, be filing for partial unemployment during the furlough period. Only a few states that have approved job sharing programs, like New Jersey, can pull this off.
“A furlough means you’re just off for now. You’re coming back to your job,” Sweeney added. “When you’re laid off, there’s no guarantee of a job coming back. So we just think that this is better all the way around. We’ll be able to access funds from the federal government, and workers are not going to be harmed. They’re going to be made whole.”
Sweeney has run the idea past attorneys and labor leaders. He’s seeking support from the governor and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. He’d need them, given the plan would require a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.
Murphy has warned of drastic budget cuts if federal aid is not given directly to states.
Potential peak in South Jersey
Officials in South Jersey think the peak of coronavirus cases may be behind us in some places — as long as we remain vigilant about social distancing.
Hospital beds and staff are ready, should there be a surge in Camden County.
“The demand for medical care in our hospitals has come to a steady flow. There’s not a tremendous spike happening as we thought may happen this week,” said Freeholder Lou Cappelli.
He’s proud to see how people have stepped up to respond to the crisis.
“We’re cautiously optimistic, but we have to remind our residents to keep at it,” he noted.
He said the region is constanting working to find personal protective equipment (PPE), just like the rest of the world.
So far, the county has received a small fraction of the supplies that were ordered.
Murphy approval soars
A new poll from Monmouth University out Tuesday showed the governor's approval rating climbing by 30 points.
The governor's job approval rating climbed to 71% up from 41% in September. Murphy's disapproval rating also shrank, from 38% in September to 21% in the latest survey.
The poll was conducted by telephone from April 16 to 19 with 704 New Jersey adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
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