Gov. Phil Murphy had a new message Friday for those who don’t like New Jersey‘s handling of the coronavirus pandemic: Head south to Georgia, where the governor is suing Atlanta’s mayor for mandating face masks despite new cases ticking up across that state and many others.
“We have nothing but prayers and high aspirations for ... these other states to get a hold of this,” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus briefing. “Because it’s not just killing people there, it has the potential of killing people here.”
“But I would just gratuitously say: If you don’t like our leadership here, why don’t you go down to Georgia and see how that feels?” he added.
“We need responsible leadership in this country right now in every place,” the governor continued. “I know there are folks on both sides of the aisle throwing themselves and doing everything they can now. We need that consistently.”
“My God, suing communities that requiring face coverings, I mean, it’s unfathomable,” Murphy continued.
Murphy made the comments in response to a question about what data he’s looking at to further lift coronavirus restrictions in New Jersey. The governor said officials will base that on bringing the Garden State’s transmission rate and other metrics down, as well as numbers dropping in other states.
“A lot of this is on us,” he said. “But a lot of this is on on fires dying down elsewhere in the country. ... We cannot ignore the world around us.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday he’s suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over the city mandating people wear masks. Kemp, a Republican, argues the measures violate his emergency orders.
“This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times,” Kemp tweeted. ”These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth.”
Bottoms responded with her own tweet: “3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, I have been sued by @GovKemp for a mask mandate.”
It’s the latest chapter in an ongoing national (and often political) debate over wearing masks to combat the pandemic.
Last week, Murphy, a Democrat, faced blowback from some Republicans for mandating that people in New Jersey wear masks outdoors in public when social distancing isn’t possible. Masks have been required indoors in public for months.
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New Jersey, once a coronavirus hotspot, has recorded more than 15,000 deaths related to COVID-19 — second in the nation. But the state has seen its numbers drop dramatically and remain stable in recent weeks after months of restrictions, while numerous other states are seeing surges in new cases and hospitalizations.
The Garden State on Friday reported 20 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 and 202 more positive tests.
Georgia on Friday reported 3,908 new cases in the last 24 hours. The Peach State has averaged more than 3,400 new cases a day since July 7. Those are numbers similar to what New Jersey was reporting at its peak in April.
So far, Georgia has reported about five times fewer COVID-19 deaths than New Jersey.
In total, Georgia — which has 10 million residents, compared to New Jersey’s 9 million — has reported 3,132 deaths, with 28 coming in the last 24 hours.
Despite improving numbers in New Jersey, officials announced Friday that the state’s rate of transmission is back over the critical benchmark of 1. That means, on average, each newly infected resident is passing the virus to at least one other person.
The goal is to keep it below 1. The most recent rate is 1.1, officials said Friday.
While critics continue to push him to move more quickly as unemployment soars and businesses suffer, Murphy said Friday that New Jersey is “largely in a holding pattern” when it comes to further lifting coronavirus lockdown restrictions. That means gyms, movie theaters, indoor dining at bars and restaurants, and more remain closed.
“Believe me, I want to get to gyms, I want to get to indoor dining, I want to get to theaters,” Murphy said. “But we can’t do it if we think we’re gonna have a likelihood of killing people.”
More than 1.4 million New Jersey residents have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March.
Murphy did say he plans to announce Monday that he’s letting more outdoor sports — including “high-contact sports” — resume.
Meanwhile, the governor has called on people traveling from 22 states that qualify as coronavirus hotspots to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New Jersey, including residents returning home.
New Jersey has now reported 15,684 deaths — 13,710 confirmed and 1,974 considered probable — with 176,551 known cases since its first case was announced March 4.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.