Murphy orders N.J. residents to stay home, closes non-essential retail businesses in state lockdown to fight coronavirus

Gov. Phil Murphy on Saturday announced he’s putting New Jersey into near-lockdown mode to combat the spread of the coronavirus, ordering nearly all of the state’s 9 million residents to stay at home and mandating that non-essential retail businesses be closed until further notice.

The executive order allows other industries, such as manufacturing, trucking, construction, transportation, and health care, to stay open — though it calls for businesses to allow employees to work from home whenever possible.

The order also bans all social gatherings of any size in the state and seeks to keep most New Jersey residents off the roads at all times.

The measures will go into effect at 9 p.m. Saturday, Murphy said while announcing that the state now has 1,327 confirmed cases of the virus that has infected hundreds of thousands across the globe. There have now been 16 known deaths from the virus in New Jersey.

The governor said the actions are needed to limit human interaction in an effort to help slow the spread of the virus, which causes the illness COVID-19, and make sure hospitals have enough resources to care for patients.

“We can no longer maintain a sense of business as usual during this emergency,” Murphy said at Rutgers-Newark during daily coronavirus press briefing. “Just as it is no time to panic, it is time to be smart, proactive, transparent, aggressive.”

“We need you to just stay home,” he added. “We have to change our behaviors.”

There are exceptions. You can still go outdoors for exercise and travel for necessary things, such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking medical attention, visiting family or others you have a “close personal relationship” with (such as “a caretaker or romantic partner”), or reporting to work for a business that is allowed to be open, according to the governor’s order.

But gatherings of any size — such as parties — are not allowed. And when in public, people must practice social distancing by staying at least six feet apart from others, except “immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners,” the order says.

A number of retail businesses are allowed to remain open — including grocery stores, food banks, pharmacies, medical marijuana dispensaries, gas stations, auto mechanics and repair services, convenience stores, banks, hardware and home improvement stores, laundromats, dry cleaners, printing and office supply shops, pet stores, stores that sell supplies for young children, and mail and delivering shops.

Restaurants, bars, and liquor stores can remain open but are limited to offering takeout and delivery.

The governor’s office also said landscaping businesses and hotels are also allowed to stay open.

But Murphy said people can assume most retail is non-essential and thus will be closed. “And we mean it,” he said.

The following essential workers are still permitted to travel: emergency responders, health-care and medical employees; media members; certain federal officials; those who work at places that serve low-income residents, such as food banks; and people who need to get to work for a business that is still open.

Other businesses should put policies in place to allow as many people work from home as possible, the governor said. If that’s not possible, they should keep staffing to a minimum.

MORE: What is an essential retail business in N.J.? A list of places that can stay open in coronavirus shutdown.

The state’s website said manufacturing, industrial, logistics, ports, heavy construction, shipping, food production, food delivery, and other commercial operations may continue operating, but stressed they must keep staff at a minimal level on site to make sure “essential operations can continue.”

Medical facilities also may continue to operate, including any one “where a sick or injured person is given care or treatment, such as: doctor’s offices, hospitals, dentist offices, long-term care facilities, and other medical offices.”

Plus, veterinarians are allowed to keep operating, the governor’s office said.

Children day care centers are permitted to stay open, too. Murphy has said that’s because many emergency and essential workers need a place to watch their kids.

The governor’s office said garbage and recycling collection will continue, as well. As will public transportation, though on modified schedules.

Murphy said his ban of gatherings means no “weddings, in-person services, or even parties.”

”This decision is not an easy one and it pains me that important life moments will not be celebrated in the way we are accustomed to," the governor said. “And I know this will be disappointing to many residents. But my singular goal — our singular goal, not to mention, frankly, my job — is to make sure we get through this emergency so that you can safely gather with family and friends later and enjoy many more birthdays and weddings in the years to come.”

Murphy said he wants people off the roads for non-essential travel 24 hours a day.

“We don’t want you out there. Period,” he said.

On those who may violate his orders, Murphy said: “If folks are monkeying around, we will take action.”

The governor didn’t provide specifics on what the penalties would be. But officials say any residents or businesses that don’t comply will be prosecuted for a disorderly person’s offense at the local level.

MORE: New Jersey lockdown rules: What residents need to know about stay-at-home order

Murphy also said people should not go to part-time residences at the Jersey Shore. Those whose primary residence is at the Shore can remain.

”The local infrastructure, especially the health-care infrastructure and especially in the offseason is not prepared for the influx of part-time residents," he said. "So there’s absolutely no excuse for a party on the beach. Please stay at your primary residences.”

When asked how long he expected his orders to remain in place Murphy said: “It’s somewhere measured in weeks to months. ... This is not next week. I wish it were.”

Murphy’s move follows similar stay-at-home orders in recent days by the governors of California, New York, and Connecticut.

Murphy had already indefinitely closed public schools, indoor malls, movie theaters, casinos, gyms, barbershops, salons, libraries and more across the state. He banned dine-in areas of restaurants and previously limited public gatherings to fewer than 50 people. Plus, he has strongly suggested that people refrain from non-essential travel in New Jersey between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

But Murphy had allowed other retail businesses to remain open in recent days, as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines and closed by 8 p.m.

That’s set to change Saturday night.

“Social distancing is the key to stopping this," state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. "There’s nothing more sophisticated about it. We don’t have a vaccine.”

Murphy also signed a separate executive order clarifying that his new moves supersedes a swath of local orders that some municipalities have put in place in recent days to close businesses and restrict residents.

“We cannot have a patchwork of regulations that change from one town or one county to another,” Murphy said. “Folks’ hearts are in the right place. That’s not the question. But we have got to run this state with one set of rules.”

Meanwhile, the governor said he believes state officials acted as quickly as they could while also being responsible.

“Could we have done this yesterday? Yeah, we probably could have," he said. "But the fact of the matter is: I think we landed in a really good place of what we’re deeming essential and non-essential."

Murphy said the state reserves the right to make addition moves, though he said: “There’s not a whole lot more we can do, to be honest with you.”

The rash of closings is causing a string of lost jobs for workers and lost revenue for businesses across the state. Murphy said he and nearby states are asking the federal government for more than $100 billion in stimulus money to cover the costs.

“We have no choice,” Murphy said. “That economic impact will be overwhelming one way or the other. I’d prefer to take it now and I’d prefer to take it in concert with keeping deaths and sicknesses as low as possible.”

Officials expect the number of positive coronavirus tests in New Jersey to increase significantly in the coming days as testing expands and there is more evidence of “community spread.”

State officials have not released how many negative tests have come back or how many people have recovered from the virus.

The state also announced a new website for information and answers about the response to the virus: covid19.nj.gov/.

And read Murphy’s full 13-page order here.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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