WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2020) The US state of New Jersey will start a limited reopening next Monday because the latest data show the novel coronavirus pandemic receding in one of the United States' major hotspots, governor Phil Murphy announced.
"Today, I will sign an executive order, effective 6:00 a.m. Monday, May 18," Murphy said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.
Murphy said the executive order will allow the restart of non-essential construction and the reopening of "non-essential" retail stores for curbside pickup only.
In addition, the governor said the executive order will permit various drive-through and drive-in events, like movies or church services, under existing social distancing guidelines.
Murphy said that by the end of the week he may also announce the resumption of elective medical procedures in New Jersey.
The governor reported new 1,028 novel coronavirus cases and another 197 deaths from COVID-19-related complications, bringing the state total to 141,560 and 9,702, respectively.
New cases have decreased 68 percent since April 4 and the number of deaths have decreased 35 percent since their peak on April 21.
