Murphy Orders All Indoor N.J. Malls, Amusement Spots Closed
Murphy Orders All Indoor N.J. Malls, Amusement Centers to Close
(Bloomberg) -- Governor Phil Murphy said all indoor shopping malls and amusement centers must close in New Jersey until the coronavirus emergency ends.
The shutdown takes effect 8 p.m. Tuesday, Murphy told reporters at a press briefing. Restaurants in the malls that have separate entrances may remain open for takeout and delivery, he said.
New Jersey’s positive tests for the new coronavirus jumped by 50% in a day to 267. Three people in the state have died from it. The state reported 178 cases of the new coronavirus on March 16.
The state is studying whether to re-open as many as eight recently closed hospitals, and if so, how they would be staffed and equipped.
“Definitely two, maybe even three should be opened as the critical-care bed need increases,” Judy Persichilli, the state’s health commissioner said in Trenton.
New Jersey has roughly 23,000 acute-care beds and 2,000 intensive-care beds, Persichilli has said.
“Clearly this is an evolving reality,” Murphy told reporters.
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