Gov. Murphy Says 45% Of People Called By New Jersey COVID-19 Contact Tracers Not Complying
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) -- New Jersey's governor says 45% of people called by contact tracers are refusing to provide contact information. Gov. Phil Murphy stressed Friday that answers are necessary for the sake of public health.
"This is about public health. Period. No one is out on a witch hunt here," Murphy said. "We do not condone things like underage drinking or any illegal behavior, but that is not what this is about. No one is asking questions that have any focus other than to stop the spread of the virus."
Murphy also announced a program to cover rent for some New Jersey tenants through the $25 million Small Landlord Emergency Grant program.
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Landlords who own between three and 10 rental units can get grants to cover rent revenue lost between April and July. In return, landlords must agree to forgive outstanding back rent and late fees for their tenants.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said the money would come from federal coronavirus relief funds. The state got nearly $2.4 billion under the federal legislation.
Meanwhile, Murphy said the state's COVID-19 trends are heading in the right direction after climbing higher last week. Murphy said Friday the rate of transmission dropped to 1.15 from 1.23.
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Last week the rate, which represents the number of people one infected person passes the virus to, reached nearly 1.5. The testing positivity rate dipped to 1.95%, down from 2.57% earlier this week, Murphy said.
Murphy, though, stopped short of announcing any new reopening for businesses. The state is currently in the second of three stages of reopening its economy since the virus hit New Jersey in March.
There were 384 new positive cases reported overnight, putting the total at about 184,000. There were 12 new deaths, Murphy said, putting the death toll at 14,007.
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