New Jersey officials on Monday reported an increase of 935 cases of coronavirus, and seven more deaths, bringing the state totals to 2,844, and 27 deaths. Only New York has higher numbers of positive tests, according to NJTV.
Morris County has at least 55 cases. Eleven of them are from Morristown, town Administrator Jillian Barrick told MorristownGreen.com.
After of 5 pm on Friday, March 27, 2020, all elective- and invasive surgeries and dental operations for adults are suspended, if delays won’t pose undue risks to the patient, per Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order 109.
State Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, meanwhile, signed a consent order on Sundat night authorizing the temporary release of up to 1,000 inmates from county jails statewide, to slow the virus from spreading inside prisons.
Eligible for release: Prisoners incarcerated as a condition of probation, because of a municipal court conviction, or for a fourth-degree crime, disorderly persons offense, or petty disorderly persons offense.
Released inmates must comply with the governor’s stay at home order and return to jail after the pandemic. County prosecutors can oppose releases of anyone they consider dangerous.
“Where there are objections, the Office of the Public Defender is afforded time to respond and a judge will ultimately decide the matter,” said Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
He said the parties are working to ensure inmates have necessary support services ready before leaving jails.
“This process … allows for us to strike the right balance between public safety, public health and the rights of crime victims,” Aseltine said. Hundreds of individuals serving sentences of less than one year for low-level crimes will start being released on Tuesday, he said.
“Inmates who are being detained pre-trial because a judge found that they present a danger to the community or a flight risk are not being released,” the spokesman said.
State Health Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli said the latest victims of COVID-19 ranged in age from 57 to 91.
Two hailed from Bergen County; the others were from Somerset, Warren, Essex, Union and Passaic counties. At least two had pre-existing conditions, Persichilli said.
In Morristown, residents are organizing drives to donate badly needed protective gear, and other items, to staff at Morristown Medical Center. The hospital even has posted do-it-yourself instructions for making masks.
And in Washington, President Trump said he wants to reopen the country for business in weeks, not months.
“Our country wasn’t built to be shut down,” Trump said, hinting he could ease federal guidelines on social distancing by next Monday, the end of his “15 Days to Slow the Spread” campaign.
He said New York would start clinical trials of the malaria drug chloroquine as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, has said there is no evidence so far to suggest this–or any other drug–is effective against the coronavirus. Health officials, including the U.S. Surgeon General, are warning that the number of cases has not peaked yet. The virus has killed more than 500 people in the United States.
And for a second day, Senate Democrats blocked a $2 trillion “phase three” relief bill. They contend the GOP measure puts corporations ahead of working people; Republicans say Democrats are trying to include pet projects like the Green New Deal in the spending plan.
