TOPLINE
Indoor dining will now be postponed “indefinitely” in New Jersey, as Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that the coronavirus spikes across the country—and New Jersey businesses that aren’t complying with existing social distancing guidelines—had forced him to walk back the state’s plan to reopen indoor dining in the coming days.
HOBOKEN, NJ - JUNE 15: Customers have a lunch outside a restaurant as the city reopens from the ... [+]
KEY FACTS
Murphy initially announced Friday that indoor dining with strict social distancing guidelines would resume July 2 as part of “stage two” of New Jersey’s reopening, along with outdoor amusement parks, bowling alleys, museums, libraries, and other businesses.
Murphy cited the “national situation” when reversing course and announcing Monday that indoor dining is now on “pause,” pointing to “spikes in other states driven, in part, by the return of patrons to indoor dining establishments.”
The governor also tied the decision to recent reports of “overcrowding” and “a complete disregard for social distancing” at several New Jersey establishments offering outdoor dining, which resumed in the state June 15.
The New Jersey announcement came hours after officials in New York and New York City said the state was reconsidering its own decision to reopen indoor dining on July 6, with a final decision expected by Wednesday.
Crucial Quote
“Given the current situation in numerous other states we do not believe it is prudent at this time to push forward with what is, in effect, a sedentary indoor activity—especially when we know that this virus moves differently indoors than out, making it even more deadly,” Murphy said Monday at a Covid-19 briefing.
Key Background
After suffering as one of the initial hardest-hit states by the coronavirus pandemic, New Jersey is currently one of the few states where coronavirus cases have held steady or decreased in recent weeks. Cases have continued to spike in other states across the country—prompting several to roll back their own reopening plans—and a number of recent outbreaks have been specifically linked to restaurants and bars, such as a recent rash of 85 cases linked to a bar in East Lansing, Michigan. While outdoor activities are viewed by public health officials as comparatively safe in terms of coronavirus transmission, indoor dining is regarded as a riskier activity, with studies suggesting that ventilation systems could play a role in spreading coronavirus droplets even when diners are socially distanced and more than six feet apart.
Further Reading
N.J. bar has outdoor dining license revoked after beer garden packed with people (NJ.com)
NYC indoor dining may be delayed in Phase 3 reopening (ABC 7 News)
Indoor dining? Health experts say it's still too risky (Asbury Park Press)
