Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 4/13/2020 – InsiderNJ

The state’s COVID-19 case count stands at 61,850 cases and 2,350 fatalities as of yesterday.

On Saturday, the statewide count climbed to 58,151 cases and 2,183 fatalities. Governor Murphy and state officials held their daily COVID-19 briefing, where the Governor announced the strengthening of social distancing requirements, including requiring NJ Transit employees to wear gloves and masks and limit capacity to 50%, and requiring residents to wear masks when picking up takeout. FEMA approved the state’s request for emergency non-congregate sheltering for individuals unable to isolate themselves.

On Friday, the statewide COVID-19 count stood at 54,588 cases and 1,932 fatalities. Governor Murphy and state officials held their daily COVID-19 briefing, as the Governor pressed for a continuation of social distancing, saying ‘we don’t want to spike any footballs’, noting the impossibility for many families to celebrate Easter together. Murphy announced the acquisition of 15 Abbott point-of-care ID NOW testing systems from the federal government, which will allow testing and processing in 5-13 minutes. DOC Commissioner Hicks noted that the prison system has ‘taken significant strides‘ in combating the virus, as 20 inmates and 129 DOC staffers have tested positive as of Friday. The Governor signed an executive order granting a temporary reprieve to certain at-risk prison inmates.

AG Grewal and State Police Colonel Callahan issued the daily update on charges against violators of the Governor’s executive orders on Saturday and the daily update for Friday.

Here’s the county breakdown of cases as of Saturday and the county breakdown of cases as of Sunday.

AG Grewal issued an alert of new scams aimed at targeting people during COVID-19.

Atlantic County reported 24 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.

Bergen County’s COVID-19 drive-thru testing site is now open to all county and municipal employees.

Burlington County reported 971 COVID-19 cases total as of Friday.

Camden County reported 84 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.

Cumberland County reported 151 COVID-19 cases total as of Friday.

Essex County reported 6,549 COVID-19 cases total as of Friday.

Gloucester County reported 454 COVID-19 cases total as of Friday.

Mercer County reported a total of 1,282 COVID-19 cases as of Friday. County Executive Hughes offered an update on the county’s COVID-19 efforts.

Middlesex County released a town-by-town breakdown of 4,719 COVID-19 cases on Friday; the NJDOH cites 5,063 cases total as of Friday.

Monmouth County topped 3,500 COVID-19 cases total as of Friday.

Morris County approved funding for four major food pantries.

Ocean County reported a total of 3,273 COVID-19 cases as of Friday. The county’s COVID-19 tests will resume tomorrow instead of today due to severe weather.

Somerset County reported a total of 1,445 COVID-19 cases as of Friday.

Senator Booker released his weekly read-out of COVID-19 efforts.

The state’s congressional delegation urged the federal government to include more funding for front-line workers in the CARES Act.

Reps. Sherrill and Gottheimer led the state’s delegation in calling for COLA adjustments to COVID-19 stimulus payments.

Reps. Gottheimer and Pascrell urged congressional leaders to address the doctor shortage in New Jersey in the next federal COVID-19 relief package. The two demanded a federal investigation into conditions at the VA Home in Paramus amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rep. Norcross praised CARES Act funding to South Jersey colleges.

Rep. Gottheimer pressed the SBA to provide more flexibility on Paycheck Protection Act loan forgiveness.

Stockton University will provide temporary housing for medical personnel.

A NJ Prison inmate died due to COVID-19, but officials won’t say who it is, according to the Trentonian.

ICYMI: Murphy defended decision to close parks, ‘this is not a life sentence‘, on Platkin’s positive test, Murphy says ‘we need him’; primary moved (a ‘poorly kept secret‘, widely expected by insiders); all shoppers must wear protective face coverings, municipalities have discretion on parks; focal point for some: Bateman called for state to reopen, Webber started online petition, Space: ‘I’ve about had enough!!‘, NJOA slammed closures

Playing in traffic: Petition to reopen the public parks to walkers and runners is a good sign | Mulshine

Paul Mulshine, Star-Ledger

• When I wrote the other day about Gov. Phil Murphy’s decision to close state and county parks, I got a lot of emails from readers questioning the logic behind the ban.

Local Governments Face Financial Crunch from Coronavirus

Michael Symons, NJ1015

• The coronavirus pandemic has wrecked state finances – ballooning its spending, decimating its tax collections, requiring a federal rescue to keep it afloat. Similar stresses, though not as severe, are faced by local governments. “What they have in common primarily is uncertainty,” said Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University. “There is an enormous amount of uncertainty on the revenue side that municipalities and state government are facing over the next year.”

Murphy Joins Early Stage ‘Reopening’ Discussions With Area Governors

Chuck O’Donnell, TAPinto.net

• Gov. Phil Murphy, who appeared on two national news shows this morning, revealed that he has had “intense” discussions this weekend with leaders of surrounding states about how to “reopen” New Jersey and the region.

N.J. Gov. Murphy has issued 24 executive orders to help slow coronavirus outbreak. Here’s the timeline.

Brent Johnson & Matt Arco, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

• Gov. Phil Murphy has issued a flurry of executive orders designed to help New Jersey combat the spread and the impact of the coronavirus that has ravaged the globe.

NJ town halls scramble to move operations online after abrupt closures from coronavirus

David M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.com

• With town halls throughout New Jersey closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, municipal tasks from pet licensing to code enforcement have been forced online.

In these days of reflection, say a prayer for our fearless nurses | Lowry

Bruce Lowry, NorthJersey.com

• In recent days, as the coronavirus raced through New Jersey, leaving the dead, dying and severely sick in its wake, it also began to claim the lives of nurses. As NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network New Jersey reported, two nurses at the Hudson County jail have died of complications from COVID-19.

Rating How Well Gov. Murphy is Handling the Coronavirus Emergency

David Matthau, NJ1015

• How do you think Gov. Phil Murphy is handling the COVID-19 crisis? There was some criticism of his decision to close county and state parks last week but many believe the governor has done a good job overall in handling a difficult situation. According to Ben Dworkin, the director of the Rowan University Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship, the COVID-19 pandemic has put Murphy in a position where he is being defined as a “wartime” leader.

Judge Orders Jackson Township Planning Board to Vote Again on Jackson Park South Denial

Shore News Network

• New Jersey Superior Court Judge Marc Troncone has issued an order to the Township of Jackson and the Jackson Township Planning Board to hold another vote on the denial of the Jackson Parke South development. The planning board, allegedly under the influence of administration officials and members of the community voted to deny the application, according to a lawsuit filed by Lennar Homes against the planning board.

Downbeach residents are being asked voluntarily notify police of coronavirus infection

Nanette LoBiondo Galloway, Down Beach

• If you have been tested positive for COVID-19 infection, local police want you to voluntarily provide that information to the Police Department, just in case you may need to be transported to the hospital if symptoms worsen.

HCCC, NJCU to receive over $8M each as part of COVID-19 emergency funding

John Heinis, Hudson County View

• Hudson County Community College and New Jersey City University will be the biggest local beneficiaries of the U.S. Department of Education’s COVID-19 emergency funding, with both slated to receive over $8 million.

Economic toll of shutdown prompts calls to let business reopen

Eric Obernauer, NJ Herald

• With state revenues in free fall, unemployment skyrocketing and many small businesses teetering on the brink of survival as the next round of quarterly property tax payments comes due in less than three weeks, public officials from the governor down to county, municipal and school district leaders could soon face some grim budgetary realities that some of them are only now beginning to acknowledge.

South Jersey police are seeing a drop in crime, but experts say it’s too early to attribute it to COVID-19

Molly Bilinski, Press of Atlantic City

• On a normal spring day, Atlantic City is a bustling resort, with groups of people on the streets strolling, shopping and working. But, recently, “there are times in the middle of the day you can look down Atlantic or Pacific avenues and see no cars for blocks,” police Sgt. Kevin Fair said.

Murphy’s talk on coronavirus testing was consistent — until top aide needed one | Stile

Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com

• Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly warned the worried public for weeks now that COVID-19 tests would only be given to people with symptoms.  Yet, Murphy on Thursday sprang to the defense of his chief counsel, Matt Platkin, who tested positive for the potentially lethal disease despite having no discernible symptoms.

Dear Gov. Murphy: Don’t close New Jersey’s parks because of coronavirus | Kelly

Mike Kelly, NorthJersey.com

• Governor Phil Murphy has clearly emerged as a strong leader in the coronavirus crisis that has crippled New Jersey.  He is battling for more protective gear for hospitals. He has told landlords to hold back on evictions and for banks to stop foreclosures. He shuttered malls and banned “non essential construction.” He ordered supermarket clerks and customers to wear face masks while shopping. He even delayed the state’s primary elections a month.

Is Jersey City’s Buyout Offer to Hundreds of Employees A Sign of What’s to Come for Other Municipalities?

Andrew S. Lewis, NJ Spotlight

• On Monday and Tuesday, Jersey City sent out emails and letters to some 400 employees, offering them voluntary separation packages in an effort to stanch what the city estimates will be a $70 million budget impact due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

‘Do-or-die moment’ to boost vote-by-mail for November election. But the politics is getting harder

Joey Garrison, USA TODAY

• Voting security advocates are sounding the alarm about a shrinking window for the U.S. to prepare for a November presidential election taking place during a global pandemic and they’re calling for vote-by mail options nationwide in case citizens are still advised to avoid public places.

Tributes for late Jersey City Councilman Michael Yun pour in from around the globe

Joshua Rosario, The Jersey Journal

• Residents of Jersey City are not the only ones mourning the death of the late Height’s councilman, Michael Yun. Countries around the world are paying their last respects to Yun, who died Monday of complications of COVID-19.

NJ nursing home crisis deepens as coronavirus death toll mounts among residents, staff

Lindy Washburn, NorthJersey.com

• The spread of coronavirus in nursing homes claimed scores of lives in New Jersey this past week, as the worsening “second front” of the pandemic grew to rival the needs of hospitals that face an unprecedented wave of critically ill patients.

Backlogs at crematories and funeral parlors a sign of the coronavirus’ growing toll

Kristie Cattafi and Katie Sobko, NorthJersey.com

• A mobile refrigerator unit large enough to hold 40 bodies arrived one night in the parking lot at Santangelo Funeral Home in Lodi, tucked between an elementary school and a neighborhood of modest homes. The generator-powered unit is needed because crematories are backed up and Santangelo’s has remains that aren’t scheduled to go until May.

Matheny has ‘roughly half’ of all COVID-19 cases in Peapack-Gladstone

Charlie Zavalick, New Jersey Hills

• Roughly half of the 20 individuals in the borough with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, according to a press release issued by the borough at the request of this newspaper on Friday, April 10. The borough’s emergency management officials have been working with Matheny, a special hospital and educational facility on Highland Avenue for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities, to obtain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff, officials said.

Stop Being a Jerk with Your Gloves and Masks (Opinion)

Jeff Deminski, NJ1015

• This unprecedented health crisis has brought out a lot of good in people. Masks are being made and donated by the thousands by ordinary people. Some are checking on elderly neighbors if they need groceries. People by and large are being more patient and more understanding with each other. It’s also bringing out the jerks.

South Paterson bar had people gathering, drinking inside, authorities say

Jayed Rahman, Paterson Times

• A bar in South Paterson had customers gathering and drinking inside in violations of emergency orders on Tuesday, according to the New Jersey State Police. Police charged Elizabeth Fernandez, 56, of Woodland Park, and Juan Rosario, 60, of Paterson, with two violations of the emergency orders for opening Quilvio’s Bar and Liquors at 933 Main Street.

NJAA’s Brogan: Renters assistance program is ‘absolutely critical’

Tom Bergeron, roi-nj.com

• Dave Brogan rattled off the rent-payment statistics. And they weren’t that bad … for April. “We’re seeing rent collections ranging from percentages in the mid-60s to the high 80s,” he said. “But we have no idea what’s going to happen in May — that’s the first time when the true impact will be seen.”

COVID-19 paid leave: NJ comes out on top vs. federal – data, insiders say

Daniel J. Munoz, njbiz.com

• The Trump administration’s recent guidelines for who is covered under expanded paid sick and family leave rules as part of the federal COVID-19 relief package leave something to be desired, labor advocates argue. And New Jersey’s own rules for paid sick and family leave fall ahead of what is required at the federal level, according to labor advocates and a review of New Jersey’s workplace laws.

Dr. John A. Rocco, South Jersey educator, politician, and family man, dies at 83

Bonnie L. Cook, Philadelphia Inquirer

• To say that Dr. John A. Rocco led a busy life would be selling him short: For decades, he juggled roles as an educator, politician, and family man. The college professor, former Cherry Hill mayor, and two-decade New Jersey state assemblyman died Wednesday, April 8, of respiratory failure at Samaritan Hospice in Voorhees. He was 83.

If we heed Fauci’s advice, what will replace the handshake? | Bergmann

Randy Bergmann, Asbury Park Press

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the rock star of America’s coronavirus crisis, says Americans should never shake hands — not only for the duration of the pandemic, but never again! I’m more than fine with that. Who even started that silly tradition in the first place? But it does beg the question: How will that traditional greeting — one some historians believe may date back to the 9th century B.C. — be replaced?

Coming Monday: Inside a county health department battling COVID-19 pandemic

Asbury Park Press

• As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, local health departments have found themselves on the frontlines of the effort to slow its rapid growth. Departments that used to inspect restaurants, monitor food recalls and plan for future health threats, have been transformed into coronavirus information centers, investigating new cases and blasting out information about social distancing.

Coronavirus crisis: If we’re going to ban walking in the park then why are cigarettes still legal? | Mulshine

Paul Mulshine, Star-Ledger

• I awoke Wednesday morning, poured myself a cup of coffee, and took the dog for a walk in the small park across the street. After Sheila showed the squirrels who’s boss, I sat down on a park bench to read my emails on my phone. The first one I opened was from a regular reader.

Instead of a ticket, Willingboro Police officer gives local mom 2 face masks

Lisa Broadt, Burlington County Times

• The incident at Produce Junction in Willingboro started with a “terrified” mom and a little girl alone in a car amid the coronavirus outbreak.

NJ Police Chief: “Use Common Sense” When Reporting Illegal Gatherings

Dino Flammia, NJ1015

• If there’s a gathering in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? As New Jersey’s top law enforcement officials publicly blast individuals who are violating Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order prohibiting gatherings of any size, residents are being encouraged to report illegal gatherings — if it’s truly necessary.

177th continues to protect nation’s borders during global pandemic

Nanette LoBiondo Galloway, Down Beach

• The New Jersey Air National Guard 177th Fighter Wing continues defending the nation’s borders and preparing for combat deployment during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Laid-off Employees Scramble for New Health Coverage in COVID-19 Pandemic

Jon Hurdle, NJ Spotlight

• Many thousands of New Jerseyans have lost their employer-paid health insurance as businesses across the state have closed their doors in the COVID-19 pandemic, and now employees are scrambling for coverage through Obamacare or Medicaid. State officials and nonprofit leaders offered advice on Wednesday on how to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Medicaid, and on where to turn if you are among the estimated 500,000 people who were uninsured even before the coronavirus hit.

NJEDA head: NJ’s strongest industries critical to winning war on COVID-19

Daniel J. Munoz, njbiz.com

• One thing is certain about the COVID-19 outbreak: When it recovers – and not for a long time – the state’s economy will not quite be what it was going into the global pandemic in February. That’s according to Tim Sullivan, head of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, an agency that oversees billions of dollars in tax incentives, and more recently $41 million of state assistance for businesses hit economically by the outbreak.

Atlantic County jail inmate tests positive for COVID-19 after transfer to rehab facility, officials say

Molly Bilinski, Press of Atlantic City

• An inmate who was transferred out of the Atlantic County jail has tested positive for COVID-19, county officials confirmed Thursday morning.

‘It’s terrifying’: Corrections officers say jails aren’t doing enough to protect them as coronavirus spreads

Jeremy Roebuck and Vinny Vella, Philadelphia Inquirer

• A 30-year veteran of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons said she has developed a system after her shifts in one of the city’s largest jails to protect her family from the coronavirus — even as she says her employer isn’t doing enough. She douses her car in Lysol. She sprays down her uniform, disrobes, and leaves it in a plastic bag in her basement. She avoids interacting with her daughters and grandchildren for fear of exposing them.

Edison, Metuchen continue fight to save ‘Lucille Ball pond’

Suzanne Russell, Bridgewater Courier News

• When famed illusionist David Copperfield talked about things he remembers about growing up in Metuchen, the so-called “Lucille Ball pond” property on the Metuchen and Edison border was on his list. Copperfield mentioned the 110 Clive Road property during a recent episode of Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch’s Neighbor Notes podcast.

NJ’s 40-year-old system increases delays for unemployment checks amid coronavirus crisis

Ashley Balcerzak and Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com

• New Jersey officials vowed Saturday to speed up the processing of unemployment claims despite relying on a 40-year-old computer system that has been overwhelmed by the record number of requests due to the coronavirus crisis.