When New Jersey on Friday marked the two-year anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 case, Gov. Phil Murphy said he would lift the state’s public health emergency, calling for a “more normal lifestyle” in cases of hospitalization and deaths continue to fall. .
The anniversary was a grim reminder of the number of pandemics, as Friday in New Jersey exceeded 30,000 confirmed deaths from COVID. At his administration’s last briefing on the pandemic on Friday, Murphy choked before calling for a minute of silence to remember the dead.
But the mood at the Trenton War Memorial was generally optimistic, as Murphy and Health Commissioner Judy Persikili said the state was moving to a new chapter dealing with a virus that seems to be weakening but still has the ability to grow.
“We are ready to move forward and not live in fear,” Murphy said.
The public health emergency will be lifted Monday, the same day as the state mask mandate in the state ends – one of the last major mitigation measures Murphy has taken.
As of Friday there were 30,014 confirmed deaths from COVID and another 2,968 probable deaths – mostly residents who died from COVID-like symptoms but never tested.
Read more:How will our lives change when in New Jersey COVID goes from pandemic to endemic?
Since the peak of the Omicron option in mid-January, all COVID figures in New Jersey have fallen sharply, including more than 80% drop in hospitalizations, intensive care and patients in need of ventilators, according to state data.
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Despite the fall, the pandemic took unexpected turns. Murphy called for a return to normalization last May, before the delta option jumped last summer and Omicron in December, killing thousands.
“I would like to say that at our last briefing everything is over and it is over. That’s not the case, ”Murphy said.“ We believe we can responsibly live a normal life with COVID. But endemic means he stays with us. ”
James Kai, a 32-year-old assistant therapist in New York with an apartment in Fort Lee, received a positive result on March 4, 2020, after he had symptoms three days earlier and was hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Tsai survived, but the unimaginable losses of the pandemic were just beginning. As of Friday, New Jersey had 1,876,729 confirmed cases.
The first death in the state came days after Kay’s positive case: John Brennan, a 69-year-old horse trainer from Little Ferry.
Soon much of everyday life closed in New Jersey. The state has almost stopped since March 21, when Murphy ordered almost all residents to quarantine their homes and close all insignificant businesses indefinitely.
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Nursing homes will bear the brunt of the pandemic, killing 9,295 residents and staff, including a large number of state veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park.
Although Murphy said he would like to have an independent body to review how his administration handled the pandemic, there was no public indication that he had taken any steps to make it happen. On Friday, he said he was still keen to do so.
The public health emergency has given Murphy tremendous opportunities to fight the pandemic. Initially, this included the execution of orders to stay at home, the closure of businesses and parks, and the issuance of mandates for masks.
The last restriction that remains is masks in government buildings. Murphy said he would seek to repeal it “sooner rather than later.”
Masks are still required in medical centers and on public transportation under federal regulations.
Vaccine mandates and regular vaccinations for health workers and prison guards will remain in place, and deadlines are approaching next month. Republicans have argued that Murphy should abolish these mandates because of falling COVID figures. “No one should be fired because they want to make their own health decisions,” Sen. Anthony Buk, R-Morris, said Friday. Health officials have warned that COVID remains a threat and could mutate into another contagious strain.
Scott Fallon has covered the COVID-19 pandemic since it began in March 2020. To get unlimited access to the latest pandemic news in New Jersey, sign up or activate your digital account today.
Email: fallon@northjersey.com
Twitter: @newsfallon
