N.J. Gov. Murphy further tightens restrictions on day of highest-ever coronavirus deaths

<p>Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday he’s extending New Jersey's coronavirus public-health emergency by 30 days.</p><p>Murphy, speaking at a daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, said that he ordered all state and county parks closed and extended the closure of all public schools “indefinitely.”</p><p>“We want to make sure this continues our current footing,” Murphy said.</p><p>New Jersey — a state of 9 million residents — now has at least 44,416 cases and at least 1,232 deaths, Murphy announced.</p><p>New Jersey has the second highest COVID-19 cases, after New York and more than all but eight countries. Federal officials have identified New Jersey as a coronavirus “hotspot” in America.</p>