N.J. has a 6-point coronavirus plan to reopen

<p>New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy detailed a 6-point plan to reopen the state, but stated that the stay-at-home mandate will remain in effect in its entirety until further notice.</p><p>He warned that social distancing and business closure orders will remain “in its entirety until further notice."</p><p>“This virus is now among us and our task will be to contain it," Murphy said during an afternoon briefing in Trenton. "You should not fear heading back to work or elsewhere. Public health creates economic health.”</p><p>He also said a newly created Governor's Restart and Recovery Commission will come up with a clear standard of essential and safe, beginning with businesses.</p><p>The six points Murphy presented Monday are:</p><p>-Sustained reductions in new cases: The governor said state officials will look for a 14-day trend showing sustained drops in new cases, hospitalizations and other metrics.</p><p>-Expand testing in the state: Murphy said he wants to at least double testing in the state. Health care workers and first responders will still be prioritized, but the governor wants the ability for all residents to be tested.</p><p>-Robust contact tracing: The governor said he wants an “army” of people to perform contact tracing so new cases or outbreaks could be immediately tracked and mitigated.</p><p>-Safe places for isolation: People who test positive need to have proper contacts with officials so they can get needed support service so they can remain in quarantine.</p><p>-An economic restart: Murphy announced he created a commission to advise on the process of reopening.</p><p>-Resiliency: Officials need to prepare for the possibility of a resurgence.</p><p>“That’s the order in which we must proceed,” Murphy said. “It means that before we reopen non-essential stores and businesses, before we can reopen our parks or before we allow in-person dining in our restaurants – among any host of other activities – people need to know, first and foremost, that their health will be safeguarded from COVID-19."</p>