TRENTON, N.J. – We learned that New Jersey’s rate of coronavirus transmission has fallen to .98 on Monday, crossing a key threshold which the Murphy Administration repeatedly cites as key to reopening shuttered businesses. So it’s “good” news.
Or so we were led to believe?
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Also on Monday, Governor Murphy took to Twitter to once again threaten Garden State residents – this time, bar owners and patrons – implying that he could shut them down at any time:
Bars and patrons need to get on the same page. Quickly.
I’m going to give everyone a chance to do the right thing.
But if we have to shut places down to protect public health, then we will.
Consider this your warning before you go out drinking this weekend.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 10, 2020
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New Jersey bars are currently permitted to operate outdoors subject to a slew of regulations.
It’s likely this is not an empty threat (even if the science behind the threat is mystifying).
Murphy threatened new restrictions back at the end of July; a few days later, Murphy reimposed reduced maximum occupancy requirements for indoor gatherings.
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