New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced a complete shutdown of all non-essential businesses this afternoon.
The executive order Murphy signed takes effect at 9 p.m. tonight. A second executive order he signed affirms that his shutdown order supersedes any directives issued by local or county officials.
“We know that flattening the curve will take the pressure off the health care system, we just can’t know the exact timing of that,” Murphy said of his new order, adding that his administration is working on the assumption that it will “need every critical care” bed in the state to address the surge.
The shutdown order deems the following businesses essential: Grocery stores, farmers markets and farms that sell food directly to customers; pharmacies and medical marijuana dispensaries; medical supply stores; gas stations; convenience stores; ancillary stores within healthcare facilities; hardware and home improvement stores; banks and other financial institutions; laundromats and dry-cleaning services; stores that principally sell supplies for children under five years; pet stores; liquor stores; auto mechanics and car servicing shops housed within dealerships; printing and office supply shops; mail and delivery stores.
“We don’t take these measures lightly, nor do we take this easily,” Murphy said. “We wanted to make sure we got this right at the first go.”
Murphy’s orders arrived as the state announced
So far, 1,327 people have tested positive for coronavirus in New Jersey, 442 of whom had their test results reported to the state Department of Health in the last 24 hours. Five more deaths have been linked to Covid-19 in New Jersey, bringing the total to 16.