Kayakers navigated the Navesink River railroad bridge near West Front Street in Red Bank Sunday evening. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Governor Phil Murphy said New Jersey schools statewide would not to resume in-person operations for the rest of the current school year Monday.
Also, state resident “passed the test” on social-distancing practices at newly reopened parks up and down the state over the weekend, Murphy said at his daily briefing on the COVID-19 crisis.
The administration reported 45 additional deaths from the disease statewide, though officials cautioned that the number was “certainly” an undercount because of a computer system crash Sunday.
Monmouth County has now lost 382 residents, an increase of 3 since Sunday, according to the state’s database. The state’s toll stood at 7,910.
Here are the latest statewide COVID-19 figures:
Deaths since March 10: 7,910, up 45 from Sunday
Positive tests: 128,269, up 1,621
Patients in hospitals: 5,287, down 426
Patients in intensive/critical care: 1,610, down 13
Patients on ventilators: 1,189, down 14
Patients discharged in preceding 24 hours: 335, down 153
Monmouth County officials reported 6,434 confirmed cases as of Monday, an increase of 58 from Sunday. Figures by town are below.
• Murphy extended the closure of schools through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Private schools with longer academic years will remain closed until at least June 30.
While the prohibition of in-person instruction will be maintained, “public schools will continue to provide remote learning for students to allow districts to meet the state-required minimum of 180 instruction days.” Murphy said.
• State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan reported “just overwhelming compliance” with social distancing at reopened parks, forests and golf courses statewide over the weekend.
With parking at all such facilities reduced by half at Murphy’s direction, parks “hit capacity pretty early,” Callahan said. But no incidents seen as violating Murphy’s distancing edict were reported, he said.
“The shore towns saw an influx of both vehicular and foot traffic,” and openings of the Sea Bright-Rumson bridge to accommodate boat traffic added to road delays, he said.
Murphy, who lives in Middletown, said he had gone for a run with First Lady Tammy Murphy in Thompson Park, in Lincroft, and found that Monmouth County “had the place set up exactly as the doctor ordered.”
The only exception to the compliance: “80 to 90 percent of folks were not wearing masks,” Murphy said.
But he said the state “had passed an important test” that will factor into consideration of how and when to begin easing the state out of the near-lockdown he ordered March 21.
The breakdown of Monmouth County COVID-19 cases by municipality is as follows:
- Aberdeen: 191
- Allenhurst: 2
- Allentown: 6
- Asbury Park: 147
- Atlantic Highlands: 25
- Avon-by-the-Sea: 13
- Belmar: 23
- Bradley Beach: 31
- Brielle: 25
- Colts Neck: 65
- Deal: 23
- Eatontown: 193
- Englishtown: 34
- Fair Haven: 22, unchanged from Sunday
- Farmingdale: 12
- Freehold Borough: 308
- Freehold Township: 568
- Hazlet: 242
- Highlands: 25
- Holmdel: 204
- Howell: 537
- Interlaken: 1
- Keansburg: 120
- Keyport: 74
- Lake Como: 14
- Little Silver: 33, unchanged
- Loch Arbour: 1
- Long Branch: 384
- Manalapan: 416
- Manasquan: 31
- Marlboro: 400
- Matawan: 150
- Middletown: 484
- Millstone: 74
- Monmouth Beach: 17
- Neptune City: 47
- Neptune Township: 364
- Ocean: 231
- Oceanport: 57
- Red Bank: 155, up 4
- Roosevelt: 5
- Rumson: 30
- Sea Bright: 9
- Sea Girt: 13
- Shrewsbury Borough: 44
- Shrewsbury Township: 9
- Spring Lake: 11
- Spring Lake Heights: 17
- Tinton Falls: 167
- Union Beach: 37
- Upper Freehold: 40
- Wall: 239
- West Long Branch: 57
- Unknown: 7
