TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy sees little or no chance of an easing up on his draconian, slapdash “stay at home” restrictions by Easter, the date by which President Trump said this week he would like to see the U.S. economy begin to reopen.
Murphy made the comments during a Tuesday interview on Cuomo Prime Time:
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New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said he will “stay the course” with coronavirus restrictions if Pres. Trump tries to lift them prematurely.
“We’re in Jersey, so we got a lot of spine,” he said. “Skin is very thick. Lots of attitude. We’ll stand tall.” pic.twitter.com/66YZQCfg6N
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) March 25, 2020
Earlier in the day, Murphy raged on Twitter over alleged violations of his executive order shuttering all “non-essential” businesses in the state.
The Governor not only threatened police action, but he went a step further by encouraging New Jersey to report their fellow citizens’ violations to the authorities:
No one who can do their job from home should be going to work in an office. We must have 100% compliance.
This is about people’s lives, your employees' lives, their families’ lives, and your life.
Inquiries about failures to comply should be directed to 609-963-6817.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 24, 2020
Local law enforcement has already begun to issue criminal citations to individuals holding private social gatherings in violation of Murphy’s executive fiat.
Murphy did amend his list of closure exemptions on Tuesday, permitting certain businesses including mobile phone stores and bicycle shops (for repairs only) to resume on-site business operations.
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