Gov. Phil Murphy has once again signed an executive order to extend New Jersey’s public health emergency, citing a steep increase in coronavirus cases in recent days.
The extension was announced Saturday as the state's 7-day rolling average of daily new cases rose from around 770 cases on Oct. 9 to almost 1,090 cases on Oct. 23. The overall total of cases in New Jersey is more than 227,000.
On Friday, 874 people were hospitalized, the highest daily number since mid-July. Overall, more than 16,000 people have died of the virus in New Jersey.
Public health emergencies expire every 30 days unless renewed. The first executive order declaring an emergency in the state was signed March 9.
The latest extension will not reverse any of the gradual reopening steps the state has taken.
