Gov. Phil Murphy Lifts 50% Limit On New Jersey Transit Starting Wednesday
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday the 50% capacity limit for New Jersey Transit will be lifted as of 8 a.m. Wednesday. Murphy said the transit agency was beginning to see capacity reach that level and wanted to be sure people who needed public transit to get to work could use it.
"As we continue on our road back, we are seeing increases in ridership which are quickly approaching 50% of the stated capacity of NJ TRANSIT and private-carrier vehicles," Murphy said. "To ensure New Jerseyans can get to and from their jobs and that the system continues operating efficiently, we are allowing our transit providers to resume operations at full seated capacity."
Overall, he said, ridership on rail was still down around 80%.
"By raising the capacity today I don't want folks to think that we are snapping back to business as usual," Murphy said.
Face masks are required on public transit and at rail stations to slow the spread of COVID-19.
New Jersey had 231 new positive cases reported overnight, the governor said, bringing the total to roughly 175,500. There were 22 deaths reported overnight, putting the toll at 13,613, plus 1,947 deaths likely stemming from the coronavirus.
The rate of transmission declined to 0.91, which indicates the number of people an infected person passes the virus to. It had been hovering around 1.1 last week.
Murphy said the falling rate showed the spread of the virus was slowing, but he pointed out the state still ranks toward the top in the country in terms of deaths per 100,000 people.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness or death.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
