Schepisi on self-quarantine – Politico

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi says she is on self-quarantine after having direct contact with several individuals who tested positive for coronavirus.

Schepisi, (R-Bergen), wrote in a post on her Facebook page on Sunday that her symptoms include fever and a cough, which are consistent with COVID-19. She says she’s been “awaiting test results for 4 days and I’ve been told it may be another 5 days until I get them.”

“You try to stay positive but candidly it is scary as all hell when you are on a home monitor and your blood oxygen level drops to 95 and you don’t know if it’s from the walk you finally took outside or if you’ve turned for the worse,” she wrote. “At this point people have to stop acting like they are trying not to catch it. They must act as if they already have and don’t want to give it to someone else.”

Over the weekend, state and local officials ramped up their response to the coronavirus as the number of cases in New Jersey climbed to 98. Hoboken officials announced a citywide, overnight curfew starting on Monday. The mayor of Teaneck in Bergen County has requested that all residents self-quarantine.

Gov. Phil Murphy will announce tomorrow that all schools are closed. He also says he is entertaining the idea of a statewide curfew and pleaded that residents take self distancing seriously.

“Not enough is being done. There is too much business as usual. We need — not just most of us, but all of us — to follow suit. This is something that none of us can be cavalier about,” Murphy said during a two-hour press call on Sunday, adding later that “almost anybody who’s an expert here will tell you the next seven to 14 days will define our country.”

One final thought: this is an incredibly stressful and scary time right now for a lot of people. Stay informed, but also take some time every day to unplug from the news cycle and social media to take care of yourself. Exercise if you can. Call loved ones who are living alone. Maybe even try to do an activity that you enjoy.

This is a tough situation but New Jerseyans are resilient. We will get through this.

While Matt is out, please send tips (and puns) to [email protected] and [email protected].

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take personal responsibility and avoid gatherings both small and definitely large,” — Health commissioner Judith Persichilli.

DAYS MURPHY HAS SPENT OUT OF STATE SINCE BECOMING DGA CHAIR: 17

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER — The state Department of Health is providing a running tally on the number of persons under investigation, tests in process and presumed positives. There are 98 presumptive positive cases so far. Two people have died.

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WHERE’S MURPHY? — Announcing extensive social distancing measures to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19 in Trenton.

SCHOOLS OUT FOR PANDEMIC — Murphy to order closure of New Jersey schools Monday, by POLITICO’s Carly Sitrin: Gov. Phil Murphy said Sunday that statewide school closures are “imminent,” and that he is preparing to announce that decision on Monday, as the number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey nears 100. “With definitiveness, we will be prepared to lay out the statewide shutdown of schools tomorrow at our press briefing at 2 p.m.,” Murphy said on a mid-afternoon conference call with reporters. Murphy said that he, along with the state Department of Education, is working to ensure districts are properly prepared for the intricacies of a school shutdown. State Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet said no decision has been made on how long schools would remain closed. According to a posting on the DOE‘s website just before Murphy’s announcement, all school districts in at least nine New Jersey counties — 609 of the total 672 operating districts and charter schools — have already closed.

—POLITICO: CDC suggests short-term school closures won’t prevent coronavirus spread

THE LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE — Assembly plans Monday vote on 25-bill coronavirus package, by POLITICO’s Ryan Hutchins: The state Assembly plans to vote Monday on a 25-bill package that’s being drafted in response to the coronavirus and includes measures to authorize distance-learning for schools, delay the state’s income tax and corporate business tax deadlines and create a major new fund to help cover lost wages of those affected by the pandemic. The legislation, which lawmakers and staff are writing this weekend and have not yet released, includes $35 million in supplemental appropriations, with $5 million for the cleaning and sanitization of schools and $10 million for sanitization of residential facilities. Another $15 million would support food access: One bill would create a $10 million emergency food distribution fund and another would set aside $5 million for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey “to provide meals for children who are out of school and receive subsidized lunches.” One proposal requires school districts to provide school meals or meal vouchers to eligible students during any closures related to coronavirus.

— Sweeney proposes sales tax holiday, payroll tax suspension, by Ryan: Senate President Steve Sweeney on Saturday proposed a sweeping series of actions to ease the economic pressure that’s resulted from the coronavirus, including a two-month holiday from the state sales tax, a suspension of payroll taxes and deferred property tax payments. Sweeney, in his first policy announcement surrounding the new pandemic, said the measures he’s seeking would help mitigate the financial consequences of the crisis. Sweeney, who released only a conceptual outline of the measures he was considering, said the state should suspend its sales tax for the months of May and June, while deferring payments for sales tax collected in February and March. He also called for a payroll tax holiday. Property tax payments, Sweeney said, should be deferred for 45 to 60 days, and mortgage interest should be deferred as well. He also called for extending the income tax return deadline, as the state Assembly is considering.

MURPHY WORLD — “The tumor Murphy had removed was cancerous, governor’s office says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Arco: “The tumor Gov. Phil Murphy had surgically removed from his kidney earlier this month was deemed to be cancerous, his office told NJ Advance Media. Tests showed it is clear cell renal cell cancer, the governor’s office said. It’s not surprising news given there was more than a 90 percent chance ahead of surgery that it would be malignant. People with kidney cancer that has not spread beyond the organ have a 93 percent chance of surviving at the five-year mark. Murphy isn’t expected to undergo any further treatment at this time other than having bloodwork done in three months and a CT scan in six months, his office said.”

SANDY — “Coronavirus has New Jersey officials swamped: ‘The closest thing this compares to is superstorm Sandy’,” by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Pranshu Verma: “Shortly before noon on Tuesday morning, Judith Persichilli was rushing to a news conference when she got a phone call with some bad news: John Brennan, a 69-year-old man from Bergen County, had just died, New Jersey’s first fatality related to the coronavirus … Even the most seasoned staffers — who have dealt with blizzards, shootings, and disastrous hurricanes — find the coronavirus to be one of the toughest things they’ve had to grapple with.”

CORONAVIRUS TESTING — “N.J. to get 1st widespread coronavirus testing center, at community college in hardest-hit county,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnson: “New Jersey’s first ‘widespread’ coronavirus testing center is set to open by Monday in Bergen County, the section of the state hit hardest by the outbreak, state officials announced Saturday. Officials also said they are working to expand testing throughout the Garden State. The new center will be located at Bergen County Community College in Paramus, state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said during a telephone briefing with reporters.”

— “RWJ Barnabas Shuts Down Visitations in all Facilities”

— “Drive-thru coronavirus testing comes to Secaucus”

— “N.J. hospital puts a stop to elective surgeries amid coronavirus pandemic”

— “Coronavirus cases hit 12 in Monmouth County, 2 in Ocean; state confirms link between fatalities”

CLOSING TIME — “‘‘Ground zero’ for coronavirus in N.J. announces sweeping business closures after 18 positive COVID-19 cases,” by NJ Advance Media’s Avalon Zoppo: “Teaneck officials on Sunday announced sweeping business closures and restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the Bergen County municipality, which is seemingly at the center of the outbreak in New Jersey with 18 positive COVID-19 cases … ‘I realize the impact some of these decisions will have on the community, and I stand by them. They are not being made to alarm our community, but will further serve to safeguard our residents from the spread of the virus. I can’t stress it enough, these actions will help save lives and further prevent the spread,’ Kazinci said.”

— “Bergen County coronavirus update: Expect stricter rules, possible quarantine to limit spread,” by The Record’s Deena Yellin: “County Executive James Tedesco declared at a Sunday press conference that the county’s roughly one million residents should prepare for new rules aimed at limiting public exposure to the virus. ‘The virus is real,’ said Tedesco. ‘People are getting very sick and some have died.’”

— “Union City imposes 10 p.m. curfew; bars ordered to close early”

— “Hoboken Closes Bars, Restaurants, Sets Nightly Curfew in Virus Crackdown”

— “Coronavirus in New Jersey: Municipal facilities close in Cherry Hill, Voorhees”

— “Essex County suspends evictions, foreclosure sales amid coronavirus pandemic”

ENERGY BEAT — How South Jersey Became Ground Zero in Feds’ Push for New Way to Transport LNG, by POLITICO’s Samantha Maldonado: For the past four decades, Dave Rogers has lived in the same house on a quiet avenue in Gibbstown, about a mile from the Delaware River. But what some environmentalists and first responders have referred to as “bombs on wheels” could soon be rolling through Rogers’ neighborhood en route to a proposed export terminal along the Delaware from where bulk liquids, including liquefied natural gas, or LNG, would be shipped abroad. The site, if approved, would serve as the endpoint of a rail route on which tank cars traveling from Pennsylvania would carry LNG, a product kept at negative 260 degrees Fahrenheit — almost as cold as Saturn — with the potential to vaporize into a flammable cloud more than 600 times the size of whatever container it’s kept in.

A fight over the proposed terminal project has intensified in recent months, with South Jersey becoming the new battleground in an effort — driven largely by the Trump administration — to allow large quantities of LNG to be transported in a way that’s previously been banned in the United States. Those who share Rogers’ concerns are sounding the alarm over what they say are the environmental and health risks posed by transporting LNG to the terminal. They also say transporting fracked gas will only increase the country’s dependence on fossil fuels at a time when many lawmakers, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, have pushed for a shift to clean energy and warned that urgent action is necessary to mitigate the effects of climate change. Supporters, including New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, view the terminal as a sensible business decision that would better position the U.S. to compete in global fuel markets while creating local economic opportunities.

— New Jersey suspending utility shut-offs, New York utilities mull options, by POLITICO’s Samantha Maldonado and Marie J. French: New Jersey utilities will keep the power on for all customers in response to the coronavirus emergency, the state Board of Public Utilities said Friday. The state’s electric and gas utilities have agreed to suspend utility shut-offs, a particular concern for people who may be out of work and cannot afford to pay their bills. The company’s policy will be in place through the end of April. With growing concerns about the economic impacts of a virtual shutdown of businesses and large events to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus, advocates are increasingly pushing financial relief for families. There’s a campaign in New York to suspend evictions and foreclosures, with growing political support . A similar call has gone out in New Jersey. As the weather warms, shut-offs of electric and gas service due to nonpayment tend to pick up.

POLITICS — “Government Confronted with a Crisis,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “Phil Murphy appeared at precisely 2:31 p.m. and got right to the point. ‘This is an anxious time,’ he said. ‘We completely understand that.’ Few would argue with that … his is really what government faces when confronted with a crisis. It must do its best to confront the problem at hand – coronavirus in this case. But on the other hand, it must soothe fears and give the impression “something” positive is being done. And that normal life is not over .These two things are naturally related, but they aren’t necessarily identical.”

— “Murphy reviewing options for upcoming elections”

— “If coronavirus delays census, N.J. could be looking at ’21 redistricting delays — maybe a September primary,” by the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Growing concerns that the coronavirus pandemic will be impede the U.S. Census Bureau in fulfilling their constitutional obligation of carrying out the 2020 count could delay legislative redistricting and the 2021 primary election. That could mean moving the primary to late June, as it was in 2001, a summer primary – New Jersey held an August 2013 primary for a special U.S. Senate election following Frank Lautenberg’s death – or a September primary, like New York. New Jersey cannot officially begin the process of drawing new maps until the count is certified, even though many political cartographers have already begun sketching out maps using 2018 census estimates.”