New Jersey, coping in times of COVID-19

Murphy says NJ awarding $15M in CARES fund to small business

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said this week that $15 million in federal funding has been made available to small businesses struggling from the coronavirus outbreak.

Murphy said the funds stem from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and is in addition to more than $100 million in aid administered by the state’s Economic Development Authority.

So far, nearly 11,000 businesses have been approved for grants, according to the governor. The program is not currently accepting more applicants, he added.

`”COVID-19 is first and foremost a health crisis, but also a severe economic crisis, and nowhere is that more evident than in the state’s small business community,’’ Murphy, a Democrat, said.

Murphy also reported that since Monday, the state had added nearly 600 new positive cases, with 24 new deaths from the virus. Total cases now exceed 180,000. The death toll stands at 13,905, plus 1,902 deaths that health officials determined were likely caused by COVID-19.

The rate of transmission, which measures how many people one infected person passes the virus to, ticked up to 1.14 from 1.09, Murphy said.

New Jersey is in the middle of Stage 2 of three of reopening. Murphy earlier paused reopening given outbreaks elsewhere in the country and a failure to follow social distancing guidelines in the state.

“It’s a mixed bag at best,’’ he said. `”We’re not out of the woods yet.’’

Murphy spoke at A-List hair salon in North Brunswick, which got a $10,000 grant after being closed for three months because of the outbreak.

Co-owner April Scelsa said the salon used the funds to buy personal protective equipment and keep workers on payroll.

‘Come on, folks,’ gov pleads after police break up big party

New Jersey police needed about five hours on Sunday to break up a party of more than 700 people.

Two party organizers and the owner of the Jackson home were cited over violating an executive order capping indoor gatherings at 100 people at maximum, Jackson police said in a statement.

During a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Phil Murphy pleaded with people to use good judgment and avoid indoor gatherings.

“Come on, folks. Come on,” he said. “That’s needlessly putting men and women in uniform and their families at risk.’’

Murphy ordered outdoor gatherings capped at 500 people because of the outbreak, with indoor gatherings limited to 25 percent of capacity or 100 people at most.

Jackson police arrived at the residence about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday after calls of a large party in the neighborhood. The crowd continued to grow even as police arrived, according to a statement from the Jackson police, eventually requiring all on-duty officers to respond.

It took until 1 a.m. for police to clear out the party, officers said.

Transmission rates climbs

New Jersey’s rate of transmission of COVID-19 climbed to 1.09, the governor said. That’s up from about 0.8 over the weekend. The figure represents the number of people one infected person spreads the virus to.

There were some 400 more positive cases, putting the overall figure at about 180,000, the governor said.

Murphy reported 17 new deaths since late last week, putting the figure of confirmed COVID-19 deaths at 13,884. There have been 1,920 deaths considered likely to have stemmed from coronavirus.

Gas prices stabilize in New Jersey

Gas prices have stabilized in New Jersey but dropped a bit on average across the nation as a whole amid decreased demand.

AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey on Friday was unchanged from last week at $2.19. Drivers were paying $2.80 a gallon at this time last year.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.18, down two cents from $2.20. The national average was $2.75 at this time a year ago.

Analysts say the summer driving season means more drivers behind the wheel, but fewer work commutes and travel opportunities means less demand than at the beginning of July _ all that could mean lower gas prices

Study shows New Jersey beaches topped bacteria levels in ‘19

New Jersey beaches exceeded EPA levels for fecal bacteria more than 70 times in 2019, according to a study by Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center.

The study found that two beaches, Beachwood Beach West in Beachwood and the 25th Street Bay Front Beach in Barnegat Light, each had nine exceedances and had bacteria levels above the EPA safety threshold on more than 40 percent of the days tested.

In a statement, Beachwood Mayor Ron Roma said the town is `”committed to finding and fixing the problems that cause our beach closings,’’ and plans to use trained dogs to sniff out underground sewer leaks.

Seventeen other New Jersey beaches were found to have been potentially unsafe for swimming at least twice.

Beaches were considered potentially unsafe if fecal bacteria levels exceeded the EPA’s standard associated with an estimated illness rate of 32 out of every 1,000 swimmers, according to the study.

Nationally, the study found that 386 coastal and Great Lakes beaches - or nearly one of eight surveyed - had potentially unsafe bacteria levels on at least 25 percent of the days tested.

Experts say the water quality at the New Jersey shore has improved from the 1980s but that it still is affected by polluted runoff from roads and parking lots, overflowing sewer systems and farms.

- The Associated Press