Reopening New Jersey: Gov. Murphy hopes Atlantic City casinos will open by July 4th

Monday, June 1, 2020

New York and New Jersey are gearing for reopening as the coronavirus cases continue to drop.

NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- New York and New Jersey are gearing for reopening as the coronavirus cases continue to drop.

Governor Cuomo is preparing for Phase 1 of New York City to open one week from Monday - that means 400,000 workers could return to the city. Upstate, give regions now have permission to move into Phase 2, meaning they can go back to office jobs at 50 percent occupancy. Retail stores can reopen - also hair salons. However, those workers will have to be tested twice a week. Cuomo says these decisions are all based on data.

"There will be a point at which the number of deaths can't get any lower, because people will die of something and covid virus is very good at affecting those people who have other illnesses. This reduction in the number of deaths is tremendous progress," said Cuomo.

Across the river in New Jersey, with beaches and marinas open, Governor Murphy is now hoping casinos in Atlantic City will be open by July 4th with safety parameters in pace, such as employees to be given temperature checks and required to wear masks. He says he is 'working like heck' to open and help the gambling industry that has lost tens of millions since Mid-March.

The governor is also planning on making a big announcement Monday on the details of Stage 2. This could involve expanding retail, outdoor dining with reduced capacity, and opening libraries and museums with limited people.

All steps in the right direction as we find our new normal.