Gov. Murphy: NJ Day Care, Sports, Camps Can Resume In Coronavirus

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a Friday news conference, announced that he's allowing camps, child care, horse racing and organized sports to resume amid the coronavirus outbreak. Murphy made the statements as he announced 1,117 new coronavirus cases and 131 more deaths (you can watch it here, below).

Murphy made the announcement as the number of cases rose to 157,815, and 11,531 people have now died. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

During the news conference, Murphy announced:

• Child care centers can reopen June 15. Masks will be recommended for children over 2 years old, except for nap time, but state officials said they're still still hammering out the details as to how workers can handle children.
• Non-contact organized sports activities can restart on June 22. But they can't be indoors, and no contact drills are allowed.
• Youth day camps, including municipal summer recreational programs, can begin on July 6.

Murphy also said horse racing can resume as early as next week, but no fans will be in the stands.

"We expect to update the standards as the facts on the ground changes," Murphy said.

Murphy said he will address, during the press conference, the types of safety protocols organized sports and child care must follow in order to resume.

"We are proud to take this step," Murphy said. "We want you to have an active summer with the sports you love but also protecting your health."

Despite an increase in hospitalizations this week, Murphy said the progress New Jersey has shown in dealing with the coronavirus led to the new reopenings.

New Jersey also has seen an overall decrease in hospitalizations.

New Jersey Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson also announced the immediate availability of up to $20 million in grants to assist child care centers and youth camps in meeting health and safety guidelines in response to COVID-19.

Child care centers can receive up to $5,000, while youth camps can receive up to $2,000.

The money can be used to purchase additional cleaning products, personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and thermometers, and other products and services to assist centers in complying with appropriate guidelines.

In addition, Human Services announced that the state Emergency Child Care Assistance Program, which is paying for child care services for essential employees identified in Executive Order 110, will continue through the end of June, when the program will end. Applications will no longer be accepted after June.

Human Services also will continue to pay child care centers throughout the month of June for the child care slots for children enrolled through the state’s child care subsidy program for families with lower incomes. Payments will continue to be made based on the centers’ March subsidy enrollment, according to a news release.

The grants are the latest steps by Human Services to assist child care centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Human Services has also:

• Worked with child care centers throughout the state to fund emergency child care for essential employees;
• Continued to pay child care providers for the slots used in March - when centers first closed - by children whose care is covered by the state’s child care subsidy program;
• Waived parent co-pays in the state’s child care subsidy program for parents who requested it due to impacts from COVID-19; and
• Delivered PPE to emergency child care centers.

Watch Murphy here:

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