NJ needs a scalpel, not a shotgun, when dealing with COVID-19 regulations – New Jersey Globe | New Jersey Politics

OPINION

Effective government requires nuance – a scalpel, not a shotgun. People and industries in different regions need the flexibility to address issues specific to them. That sensible approach has gotten lost in the frantic response to the COVID-19 virus.

Blanket orders to shut down entire “non-essential” business sectors, or severely impair their ability to operate have been issued by executive decrees throughout the nation – none more so than in New Jersey. From the inception of the state’s blanket  executive orders, I have been arguing that closing restaurants, gyms, hair and nail salons – and impeding other businesses  – have caused incalculable personal and economic harm that will last long after the virus is brought under control. The government officials who have wielded the shotgun approach have done so with little empirical data that supports the need for, or benefit of, universal lockdowns; or severe restrictions on business operations or personal liberty.

Does the evidence show that finishing a meal at a restaurant at 11 p.m. greatly increases your chance of virus infection than if you stopped dining at 10 p.m.? Does getting your hair or nails done at a salon in Hunterdon County pose the same risk as getting the same treatments in high density Fort Lee? I haven’t seen that data.  Did padlocking gyms and depriving people of the exercise they need for physical and mental well-being make medical sense? I have yet to hear a good argument for that. What can be verified is that New Jersey is among the top 10 states in job losses last year – along with other lockdown states like California, New York and Michigan. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Behind business closings is the ripple effect of job losses. Companies, for example, that supply restaurants with everything from dinnerware to table cloths are hurting; as are those who supply products and support services to many other businesses.  

Given the economic devastation that has taken place on Main Street since March 2020, why do New Jersey and other states force business owners to live under indeterminable one-size-fits-all edicts that treat every business as if it were operating in the same locale and under the same circumstances? And why are government officials treating people as if they were children and need to be “punished” for misbehaving – simply for trying to make a living?

 I’m not the only one who has become frustrated with the state’s shotgun approach to virus control.  The state Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved a bill recently that would require the administration to devise a color-coded system to guide the state’s business reopening. It’s a more sensible approach to what New Jersey is doing now, and it will inflict less economic and psychological harm on our state. 

The majority of coronavirus cases in New Jersey are concentrated in four -counties: Essex, Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex counties – all of which have reported more than 54,000 coronavirus cases.  Passaic, Ocean and Union counties are then next most afflicted counties, with each reporting more than 42,000 cases.

On the other hand, Morris County has had 26,000 cases; Somerset reported a little over 15,000 case. Southern and western counties in the state, such as Cape May and Hunterdon counties report from 3,000 to 10,000 cases (Source: NJ’s Covid-19 website.)

This data suggests that the more stringent regulations need to be directed at 4 to 7 counties, not statewide. The businesses in the other counties should be freed up to operate in a more normal manner, while also taking precautions about distancing and masks. That’s the scalpel approach and it’s a wise one. 

After 10 months of the pandemic a few things are clear: there are no real experts on the Covid-19 virus; and that has allowed government leaders to abuse their power over individuals. Such abuses are not warranted – and frankly, don’t seem to be working very well at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. 

New Jersey’s December unemployment rate fell by 2.6 percentage points to 7.6 percent, but that was primarily due to New Jersey residents leaving the labor force rather than finding employment. (Source: NJ Department of Labor) In other words, people are just giving up. That’s not good for our state. 

 Continued irrational lockdowns imposed on the populace will leave a dark economic and social legacy that includes irreparable financial damage, psychological distress and an immense mistrust of government. We must begin repairing the damage the state has done to our population sooner rather than later.  I urge my legislative colleagues and Gov. Murphy to put away the shotgun and take out the scalpel. 

BettyLou DeCroce represents parts of Morris, Essex and Passaic counties in the New Jersey State Assembly.