New Jersey Reports More Than 2,100 New Cases of Coronavirus

(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey reported more than 2,100 new coronavirus infections, bringing its total to 18,696 as the state ramps up testing. Deaths climbed to 267.

Governor Phil Murphy said three more county-sponsored test sites have opened or will do so, in Camden, Middlesex and Ocean counties.

The number of new infections Tuesday didn’t approach Monday’s spike of more than 3,300. But the death toll was notable, up 35%.

Murphy said at a news conference in Trenton that New Jersey isn’t going to go through the rigors of testing and social isolation only to expose itself again.

“I don’t want anyone coming in from some other part of the country where they had lax policies and lax regulations,” he said, without offering details.

Amid the economic shocks of the pandemic, New Jersey will make a roughly $680 million quarterly pension payment due Tuesday, the governor said.

“The pension payment will be made” on time, he said.

The state’s skipped or shorted payments in the past have preceded downgrades of its credit rating.

Murphy, a Democrat, came to office in January 2018 pledging to restore New Jersey’s fiscal health, with a special focus on pension payments. For the fiscal year that starts on July 1, he has pitched a $4.6 billion infusion -- a record, but still more than $1 billion short of the annual required contribution.

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