N.J. Will Enter Second Reopening Stage on June 15, Governor Says

(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey will begin the second of four reopening stages starting June 15, Governor Phil Murphy announced on Thursday, 100 days since the state reported its first case of coronavirus.

New Jersey has one of the slowest Covid-19 transmission rates in the U.S., he said. Deaths from the virus rose 70 to 12,443, while new cases increased 539 to 165,816.

“We have worked as quickly as we can but as safely as we must” to reopen the economy, Murphy said at a Trenton news briefing. Outdoor dining and limited nonessential retail will be allowed to start on June 15, he said.

More than one in nine New Jerseyans have tested negative for the virus. But Murphy has warned that cases will increase as the state reopens. Officials are preparing to contain the spread by deploying 2,500 contact tracers by month’s end. The ranks of those workers, who alert people who may have been exposed to the virus, could grow to 4,000 in August if needed, Murphy said Thursday.

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