N.J. School Graduations Can Start On July 6, Governor Says

(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey schools can hold outdoor graduation ceremonies starting July 6, with participants required to follow social-distancing rules, Governor Phil Murphy announced.

He also said professional sports teams may “return to training and even competition -- if their leagues choose to move in that direction.” The National Football League’s New York Jets and New York Giants both practice and play in New Jersey.

New Jersey reported 703 new cases and 54 additional deaths over 24 hours. The holiday weekend probably kept the reports artificially low, he said, but the trend in recent days has been “way down from our peak.” Hospitalizations, at 2,723, were down by about 1,500 over the past two weeks. The 786 intensive-care admissions were about 450 fewer than two weeks ago. Still, 134 people were newly hospitalized even as 131 were discharged.

County and state parks at times were filled to capacity over the Memorial Day weekend, Murphy said. The use of face coverings, highly recommended by his administration, was “going in the right direction,” he said, but more compliance was necessary.

The three-day holiday weekend was a major test of Murphy’s social distancing orders, as boardwalks and beaches typically draw some of their biggest crowds. Hundreds gathered in a Point Pleasant Beach parking lot, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Manhattan, on Monday to protest the continued nonessential business closings.

“I don’t begrudge their right to protest, but they don’t sway me,” Murphy said in a CNN television interview on Monday. He said he wanted to reopen responsibly: “I don’t want to kill anybody.”

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