Gov. Phil Murphy joined his fellow governors in New York and Connecticut in announcing travel restrictions for those entering the tri-state region.
Murphy, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced a joint incoming travel advisory June 24 that all individuals traveling from states with significant community spread of COVID-19 quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state.
Going into effect June 25, the quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
Quarantine States
“Over the course of the past few months, our states have taken aggressive action to flatten the curve and beat back the coronavirus,” Murphy said. “As a result of our collective efforts, we have low infection rates, falling hospitalizations, and have steadily been reopening our economies. Unfortunately many states continue to have high transmission rates.”
Murphy said the advisory applies to those traveling to the state as well as those residents returning from a state. The list of states currently includes Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington.
“We’ve been clobbered by this virus. No region in this country has paid a bigger price,” Murphy stated. “This is a smart thing to do.”
Personal Responsibility
The tri-state measure will focus on personal responsibility, using uniform parameters and messaging on highways, airports, websites and social media across the three states. The three states will ask hotels to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests who have traveled from one of the impacted states.
“Constitutionally, we’re not able to put up border checks around New Jersey,” Murphy said. “We’re asking folks to take on a big amount of personal responsibility here. Do the right thing among themselves.”
New Jersey, New York and Connecticut will continually update and publish on their respective websites a list of states to which the new advisory applies.
While New York and New Jersey have seen new cases steadily decrease, surges worsened in several states, with Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas setting single-day records for new coronavirus cases.
Reopening List Expands
The advisory came on the same day New Jersey announced more July 2 openings. Museums, aquariums, libraries, indoor recreation and individualized gym workouts can open their doors to the public just in time for the 4th of July weekend.
While further guidance from the health department is still to come, capacity limitations will be placed on those indoors with staff and patrons mandated to wear face masks at all times, according to Murphy.
The new openings join a list on July 2 that includes casinos, indoor dining, race tracks, outdoor amusement parks, water parks, boardwalk rides and playgrounds.
Daily Data
As of June 23, the cumulative number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey reached 169,892 with 317 new cases and 48 new deaths, bringing that total to 12,995.
Of the total deaths in North Jersey, Essex County has the most with 1,764, followed by Bergen at 1,714, Hudson with 1,272, Passaic at 1,025, Morris at 644, Sussex at 153 and Warren with 144.
State Testing
The daily rate of infections from those tested as of June 20 registered at 2.8%. The state is no longer using serology tests as health officials explained those results show a past presence of the disease as well as a current one. By region, the north tested at 3.0%, the central at 1.8% and the south 3.9%. The rate of transmission was 0.81.
Officials reported 1,196 patients are hospitalized with coronavirus—which included 77 new hospitalizations—while 110 patients were discharged. The north tier had 526 patients hospitalized, the central 390 and the south 280.
The daily discharge and new hospitalizations by tier for June 23 was the north charting 37 hospitalizations and 43 discharges, the central having 21 hospitalizations and 30 discharges, and the south reporting 19 hospitalizations and 37 discharges.
Of those hospitalized, 275 are in intensive care units and 214 on ventilators.
Bergen Tops County Count
Bergen has the most cumulative cases in the state with 19,097, followed by Hudson at 18,771, Essex at 18,617, Passaic at 16,788, Middlesex at 16,640, Union at 16,330, Ocean at 9,486, Monmouth at 9,008, Mercer at 7,572, Camden at 7,185, Morris at 6,724, Burlington at 5,068, Somerset at 4,819, Cumberland at 2,908, Atlantic at 2,771, Gloucester at 2,497, Warren at 1,222, Sussex at 1,180, Hunterdon at 1,064, Salem at 750 and Cape May at 697.
Another 697 cases are still under investigation to determine where the person resides.
Demographic Breakdown
The racial breakdown of the record deaths was 54% White, 20% Hispanic, 18% Black, 6% Asian and 2% another race. Murphy has noted the rates in the black and Hispanic communities are running about 50% more than their population in the state.
In regards to the underlying disease of those who have passed, 56% had cardiovascular disease, 45% diabetes, 31% other chronic diseases, 18% neurological conditions, 17% lung diseases, 15% chronic renal disease, 10% cancer and 14% other.
A census of ages for 9,941 confirmed deaths shows 47% of deaths are of those 80 year old and up, 33% in the range of 65-80, 16% between 50-65 and 5% under the age of 49.
State officials are tracking cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children who in turn test positive for COVID-19. No new cases were reported June 24, the total remaining at 44 for children ranging in age from 1-18. All have tested positive for COVID-19 or have antibodies in their blood. Six are currently hospitalized. No deaths have been reported from the disease.
Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli stated “Black and Hispanic children account for a disproportionately high number” on a national scale. While only a small sample, Persichilli reported the racial breakdown in New Jersey was 36% Hispanic, 33% Black, 19% White, 8% Asian and 3% other.
Long-term Care Facilities
Health officials noted 557 long-term care facilities are reporting at least one case of COVID-19 and accounted for 36,202 of the cases, 202 new, broken down between 24,000 residents and 12,202 staff. The state’s official death total will now be reported as those that are lab confirmed, rising by 40 to 6,288 on June 22. The facilities are reporting to the state 6,438 residents deaths and 133 staff deaths.
In a by-county breakdown:
Bergen County
- 63 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 3265 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 1716 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 917 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 11 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
Essex County
- 46 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 2175 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 1027 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 567 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 20 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
Morris County
- 42 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 1409 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 703 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 472 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 3 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
Passaic County
- 25 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 1272 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 758 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 381 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 15 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
Hudson County
- 15 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 999 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 550 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 248 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 8 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
Sussex County
- 7 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 259 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 147 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 108 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 7 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
Warren County
- 7 Facilities with Outbreaks
- 408 Total Resident Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 135 Total Staff Cases at Long Term Care Facilities
- 118 Resident Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
- 1 Staff Deaths reported by Long Term Care Facilities
