Gov. Phil Murphy tightened restrictions on indoor gatherings Monday after raising the alarm over signs of growing spread of the coronavirus in the state.
The limit for indoor gatherings had increased to 25% of a building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people in June. That was up from the previous maximum of 50 people.
But Murphy scaled back indoor limits to 25 people Monday, with exceptions for weddings, funerals and religious and political events.
The governor had pulled the plug on allowing indoor dining in June, shortly before the measure was expected to go into effect. But the reduced indoor gathering limit marks the first time Murphy has reversed course on loosening restrictions since the start of the outbreak.
“Today, we are retightening the restriction on indoor gatherings,” Murphy said during his regular COVID-19 briefing in Trenton.
“We cannot be any clearer that indoor gatherings — especially large, crowded ones, where social distancing isn’t being practiced and face masks aren’t being worn — are not safe,” he said. “To be clear, this tightening caps house parties at 25 people — period.”
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Murphy has blamed the recent increase in positive test results in part on a spike in indoor house parties like the mansion bash last weekend that attracted 700 people.
“This is a reason why we have had to hit pause on expanding the restart of more indoor activities, like dining and health clubs, where people are more likely to be indoors for a longer amount of time, not wearing masks, and more likely to be in one place for a longer amount of time,” he said last week during a regular COVID-19 briefing.
Other events blamed for clusters include a Cape May County graduation party that infected at least 46 people between the ages of 16 and 23, a Father’s Day party in Essex County that is traced to three cases, a party on Long Beach Island that infected 35 lifeguards and a Westfield graduation party that led to 17 cases, according to state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.
She said the number of people between the ages of 18 and 29 who tested positive for COVID-19 has jumped from 12% in April to 22% in June to up to 33% this month.
Murphy has paused the Garden State’s gradual reopening plan in the middle of Stage 2 as its transmission rate has hovered around the critical benchmark of 1. That means gyms, movie theaters, bars and restaurants remain closed.
The state is also calling for travelers from 34 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, that qualify as coronavirus hotspots to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New Jersey, including residents returning home from a trip.
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