(Bloomberg) -- Governor Phil Murphy said he will reopen state and county parks and golf courses, effective May 2, to bring New Jersey’s recreational policies in line with neighboring states.
The governor said he made the decision based on “data, science, fact,” and not because of protests from some residents and opposition from some lawmakers. New Jersey has seen consistent reductions in some key data, including hospitalizations, Murphy said. While infections and deaths from the new coronavirus continue to increase, they do so at a slower pace than a few weeks ago. The positivity rate of people tested also is declining, he said.
In addition, the rate of doubling of new cases is slowing in most counties, Murphy said. Still, he warned that the state is seeing hospitalization increases in southern Jersey amid declines in the northern and central regions. Social distancing must continue statewide, or else the park order will be reversed, the governor said Wednesday at his press briefing.
“Please enjoy the parks, but stay away from each other,” Murphy said at his Wednesday press briefing.
Playgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms and visitor centers will remain closed, while running, hiking, biking, fishing, horseback riding and kayaking will be allowed, he said. He said there was “a strong recommendation,” but not an order, that park users cover their faces.
Murphy’s April 7 park-closing order came after some recreational staff had observed a lack of social distancing and an influx of visitors in cars with out-of-state license plates. County parks, also closed by Murphy’s order, have the option of reopening, he said.
The governor had let municipalities decide if they should close their own parks. Jersey City, the second most-populous city in densely populated New Jersey, began reopening its five large parks this week.
New Jersey trails only New York in terms of the number of cases and deaths from Covid-19. On Wednesday, both states reported about the same number of additional fatalities. New York now has lost 17,968 residents. New Jersey has lost 6,770, which Murphy said is more than the total fatalities from World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, both Gulf Wars, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hurricane Sandy and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Residents have been under lockdown since a March 21 stay-at-home order from Murphy. The governor said on April 28 that the state is “a number of weeks away” from reopening.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
POPULAR