uh from here in each case And if we we will do Elektronik notification as it relates to the overnight data and realities on Sunday unless we think the group of us think it is meaningful to meet even by telephone In which case we'll let you know I'm joined today by the woman on my right Who needs no introduction The commissioner Department of Health Judy Person Kelly to her right A guy who's slowly creeping in that same category also from the Department of Health Communicable Disease Service Medical director Dr Ed Lifshitz Thank you both for being here and to my left a guy Another one who needs no introduction the superintendent State Police Colonel Pat Callahan So we'll get right to the numbers if we can't Today We're reporting an additional 4391 positive cases Positive test results rather and for a total of 75,317 New Jerseyans who have now tested positive according to our online dashboard again accessible through cove it 19 dot NJ dot gov as of 10 PM last evening Uh yes 10 p.m. Last night 8224 residents were reported hospitalized Judy I get that right I hope Of whom 1880 were listed in critical or intensive care and 1645 ventilators were in use 46 patients are at one of our field medical stations and between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 10 p.m. Last night Happy to say 802 residents were discharged from our hospitals because I announced yesterday the daily reports from our three veterans homes have also not been added to the online dashboard Ah and Judy will get into more color on all of the above And as we note every day all of these numbers are just a snapshot in time Overnight changes or late reports may not yet be reflected in the posted data Sadly with the heaviest of hearts we also have the duty to report the loss of another 362 New Jerseyans 362 blessed members of our state in our community due to covet 19 related complications are statewide Toll now sits at 3518 and that is now officially Maur than the lives lost from fellow New Jerseyans in the First World War in total God bless their souls each and every single one of them Here are three stories of those we have lost recently First up Michael Burke Let's get Michael up there God bless him Look at that guy Born in Paterson but for the entirety of his life he called nearby Little Falls home and he devoted much of that life to his hometown Mike was a volunteer firefighter a 48 year member of the singer AK Fire Company number three and for 26 of those years he served as the company's president He also served for 14 years as president a Little Falls Fire Department when he wasn't at the firehouse or out fighting fires or tending to emergencies His day job was his vice president of Tri Tech Design Inc In little false to his son Tyler with whom I spoke earlier in his fiancee Kathy in the entire Little Falls community J Mayor James Damiano reached out as well We're with you all in mourning mikes passing and his blessed life We also lost Solomon David areas God love him by the way lost it the at the tender age of 41 He was an E M T With Trine Itas Regional Medical Center and Elizabeth for nine years He also worked at ST Barnabus Medical Center is ah hyperbaric safety officer in the wounded in the wound care center But his most important jobs were his husband to his wife Renee And again I spoke to Rene earlier today God bless her and father to their Children Soul and Journey Salomon was a basketball coach for the North Plainfield nothing but Nets organization He was also a businessman the owner of his own clothing company Soulful Journey Brand And it's hard not to see where he got that name Helping people was his true calling and I know his family and community will miss that the most May God bless him and each and every one of his family and friends 75 years ago yesterday on April 15th 1945 the Bergen Belsen concentration camp was liberated by British forces One of those freed that day was market Feldman There she is Market passed away from Cove in 19 complications Tuesday April 14th She was just about two months shy of her 91st birthday She was born Market Buchalter in Budapest and grew up in a small town near the border with Czechoslovakia When the Nazis came she and her parents were sent to Auschwitz Her parents were murdered there but she lied about her age telling the soldiers that she was 18 and not 15 making her eligible to serve forced labor She would survive being sent to several camps including one return trip toe Auschwitz in a death march to Bergen Belsen She was still just 16 and a survivor at her liberation She would soon moved to Sweden and came to the United States in 1947 upon discovering an aunt and uncle who had moved here Market would become an X ray technician and in 1953 married Harvey Feldman with whom she would raise a family Their son Joseph himself By the way a medical doctor working in East Orange and I spoke to him earlier today and daughter Tina that she and Harvey would see their Children Mary and give them three grandchildren Harvey her husband it should be noted is currently in Morristown Medical Center also with covert 19 Please everybody keep him in your prayers Market was active in her synagogue and with the Jewish Federation of Somerset 100 in Warren County's among other organizations But Markets Legacy is best captured in her work to ensure that the world never forgets the horrors of the Holocaust She would share her story of survival and liberation with tens of thousands of students across the state and served as a founding member of both the New Jersey Holocaust Education Commission in the Holocaust and Genocide Institute at Raritan Valley Community College For her I recall the words of the great Ill Eve is L and I quote him Justus despair can come toe one on Lee from other human beings Hope to convey given toe one on Lee by other human beings Market gave us so much hope over her 90 plus years She will be buried tomorrow two days after the 75th anniversary of religion oration May her memory be a blessing to her family and to us all three remarkable lives of three remarkable New Jerseyans each gave so much to their communities and for every single one of them those we have just lost in those we have lost over the past number of weeks We take a moment to remember and we look to our flags flying at half staff This is the ultimate toll of covert 19 All of a sudden social distancing doesn't seem so much of an inconvenience If it means that we don't have to keep mourning so many blessed souls it remains the key Tow us flattening the curve and eventually coming down the other side of it to the point where we can responsibly begin the process of reopening our state I've been showing Dan help me out here I've been showing this map every day and I want us all to see it again Our efforts Folks are working We're not home yet by any means but our efforts are working Over the past few weeks we've taken a map that was once red and bright orange and we're turning it lighter and lighter And that's good news It means that we're aggressively slowing the transmission of covert 19 but if we let up even just a bit we will We will risk seeing these colors rapidly turning too bright orange and please God not again to read and again the colors determined how fast the spread is doubling This is our challenge Together our goals are twofold To flatten the curve and bend it back down we cannot have a spike that would be potentially disastrous for our healthcare system and its workers And it would meet countless more deaths 3518 is already 3518 too many and we know we're going to lose more of our blessed residence But how many more depends on you and we maintaining our practice of social distancing of staying at home Please continue to do just that It is working Notwithstanding the loss of these blessed lives it is working and together we will break the back of the curve The virus Bring it down as far as we can as close to zero and begin responsibly Get back in there to get back on our feet It is in this vein but today I'm announcing that our public schools will remain closed through at least Friday May 15th another four weeks I made this decision in careful consult consultation with Judy and the Department of Health as well as Dr Rep Let the Department of Education among other key stakeholders Let me be perfectly clear There's nobody who wants to open the schools Maur than I do I'm a father of four kids one of whom is in high school and I want him to return to his regular classrooms But I can't do that right now but I remain hopeful we can We cannot be guided by emotion We need to be guided by where the facts on the ground science and public health take us And that means it will not be safe to reopen our schools or start sports back up for at least another four weeks I know this is hard It's hard on all of us I've got a senior in college His graduation ceremonies have been canceled It's hard but if we all keep pulling and working together I hope that it will put me in a position in a month's time to make a different announcement There is no doubt we're saving lives and we must maintain the course now Please allow me to switch gears to a couple of separate topics I will first address the heavy news that came out last night regarding a long term care facility in Sussex County I am heartbroken by the tragic news that several individuals have lost their lives in a Corona virus outbreak at the end over sub acute and rehabilitation center one in two and pray for the health and recovery of the other residents and employees devastated by covert 19 I am also outraged that bodies of the dead were allowed to pile up in a makeshift morgue at the facility New Jersey is living in Our long term care facilities deserved to be cared for with respect compassion and dignity We can and must do better I've asked the attorney general to look into this matter as well as to do a review of all long term care facilities that have experienced a disproportionate number of deaths during the covert outbreak and I know he will take any and all appropriate action Our full focus must remain on mitigating the spread of the virus and minimizing the impact toe all who remain in this case at the end over facility as well as all of our other long term care facilities Commissioner purse Achille and she'll get into the some shore has also directed the Department of Health Communicable Disease Service with ed and coordination with their team in coordination with local health department to enforce critical safety measures and protocols A team has been deployed to assist the center its staff and its residents We know this is an issue that is not unique to New Jersey It is national in spin scope We know that there are bad actors in the industry across the country But New Jersey can lead in how we respond to these issues Switching gears to another topic I want to express publicly as I do privately on a regular basis my deepest gratitude to Governor Andrew Cuomo for the 100 ventilators that New York is sending to New Jersey to help with our efforts New York and New Jersey have been partners throughout this emergency In this partnership is focused on saving lives and working together to beat this virus Neighbors look out for each other into Governor Cuomo again thank you and we will return the favor Also today I am announcing the my appointments of Dr Rich Besser and Secretary Jay Johnson to the Multi State Board and Council Then I along with our region's governors have established to help lead and coordinate our efforts regarding the eventual reopening of our states and economies Dr Besser on the Left currently serves as the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a former acting director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Jay Johnson served as the secretary of the United States secretary of Homeland security under President Barack Obama They will join is a mention Chief of Staff George Tell me is our three representatives on the regional council I thank them for their leadership Yeah we're blessed to have to folks like this in New Jersey to begin with already in positions of authority in both the foundation and philanthropic world as well as in the private sector And we're further blessed by their willingness to step up and serve I've spoken to each of them over the past couple of days There wasn't a moment of hesitation in either of their reactions to our uh our offer and are asking of them to help out They will make a difference Along with George and the other representatives from other states They will make a real difference and again folks they're sort of three rings of responsibility here Number one first and foremost our responsibility The nine million residents in New Jersey that's job number one The second ring out his coordination Exchanging the best ideas harmonization with our regional neighbors And then finally it is a continuation of a strong cooperation with the federal government and the Trump administration clearly working with members of Congress and leadership There it is all of the above It's not one versus the other It's not one instead of the other It's all of the above And we could not have to better professionals to better New Jerseyans standing up on our regard than Rich Besser and Jay Johnson So again I thank them next Today I am pleased to announce that the board of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Financing Authority has unanimously voted to suspend all rent increases eligible properties within its entire portfolio That's some 36,000 rental units across the state This action specifically benefits thousands of low and moderate income families who have been among those most economically impacted by this emergency I applaud the board for its action and I also urge any resident whose ability to pay rent has been impacted due to the loss of a job to visit Cove in 19 dot NJ dot gov and simply search for rent relief to be connected to available programs at the Department of Community Affairs Again I want to give Sheila Oliver or lieutenant governor who oversees the Department of Community Affairs and her team a big shot up Also this morning the Department of Labor announced that the number of new new unemployment claims over the past week has decreased mercifully by roughly 1/3 from the week before But we still have a record 429,000 residents currently receiving unemployment benefits and the number will continue to rise as new claims continue to be processed As I announced a couple of days ago the department has taken steps to significantly increase its capacity to review and approve unemployment claims and I reiterate that regardless of when your claim is processed no one will lose one penny of the benefits they deserve including the additional $600 per week provided into the Federal Cares Act To those of you trying to connect on the phone we continue to ask for your patients As even with the expanded phone operations there are still wait times given the overall volume of calls If you have lost your job and could still work please visit the job's portable portal again available at covert 19 dot NJ dot gov There you will find literally tens of thousands of jobs at hundreds of essential appoint employers across the state and across an array of industries and a reminder that anyone who has left their job voluntarily or who refuses to work that they're currently available Job is not eligible for unemployment by May Switch gears again onto the subject of testing of our two FEMA partnered testing sites Bergen Community College will be open tomorrow April 17th at 8 a.m. For a maximum of 500 tests PNC Bank Arts Center will reopen Saturday April 18th exclusively for symptomatic first responders and health care workers The PNC Bank Arts Center site will reopen for the public at 8 a.m. On Monday April 20th for 500 tests and as I've noted we have had days where the 500 test maximum has not been reached So if you are symptomatic and qualify for test Make home Del your first stop There are now two dozen publicly accessible testing sites across the state that are open to residents of specific counties in which are listed on our information hub at COVE in 19 dot NJ dot gov slash testing Additionally there are roughly 40 40 Maur privately run sites that your primary care practitioner could send you if you meet the requirements for testing as upset for the past couple of days it's least 66 sites in total And as I have noted we recognize that significantly expanding testing is critical and necessary for us As we move forward I continue to press this case in my conversations with White House and our other federal partners both on my own and alongside are all of our governors Each state is experiencing a shortage of test This isn't unique to New Jersey In fact we're punching well above our weight But if you're waiting for a test and you're in your car and you're frustrated I don't blame you We need to get more testing materials to New Jersey but I'm committed I will tell you to continuing to get us the testing supplies and innovations that we need And speaking of getting all that we need Last week we opened a volunteer portal for those with experience in computer programming and other technological areas We have been overwhelmed by the response with more than 2800 people stepping forward I'm happy to say this is one area where we now have more volunteers than we need Our team is currently going through the list of all of you Each of you have provided your information and you will be informed I hope sooner than later if there is a match Next I wanna acknowledge one of our state's corporate leaders that is stepping up Despite facing their own unique challenges Week Fern Foods operates ShopRite stores across North Jersey and Central Jersey and in eight other states They have emerged as a central player on the front lines of our work to keep our state running despite issues of supply and demand in their effort to keep their work for state say further But in the face of all this they aren't forgetting those in need and recently announced a $1 million donation to support the food banks in the communities it serves Thank you Wake Foreign Foods for your partnership at support of our residents And this is a good transition to highlight As I always say every day good news stories that come across our statement today we've got one in particular that I want to get to I want to give a huge shout out to two nurses Let's get them up there There they are Our W J Barnabus Community Health Center in Toms River Here are I see you Nurse Christine Warren on the left signaling a touchdown Apparently an emergency department nurse Mary Ellen Jakubowski on the right They both had contract ID Cove it 19 Both were treated at Community Medical Center and last Friday they both were discharged after defeating the virus Here they are after being clapped out of the hospital by their colleagues God bless them If you get a chance to see the video of this moment it is nothing short of emotional It does violate social distancing on and I have to remember Judy will kill me if I don't say the fact that just cause we're wearing masks as we all do now we're only taking these off C can understand us That does not trump social distancing social distancing saying Six feet away trumps all but it is still emotional nonetheless Both Kristina Mary Ellen put human faces to the fact that our frontline health professionals are heroes They're selflessly putting their own safety at risk to serve others We wish them all the best and we will never forget at every R W J Barnabus Hospital at ST Clair's in Denville and at ST Peter's in New Brunswick Whenever someone defeats Cove in 19 and is discharged they play the Beatles Here comes the sun over the P A system to alert everyone that another victory has been won I'm reminded of the line in that song the smiles returning to the faces we will all get there Each and every single one of us is equally essential in flattening the curve and getting ourselves to the point where we can responsibly begin to reopen our state Keep up with your social distancing Please stay at home Keep wearing your face coverings even though it may be a nuisance And even if you think you look silly trust me you don't and you'll look far sillier If you have to trade in the face covering for a hospital again we will get through this unequivocally not without cost Look at the lives the thousands now of lives we've lost But we will New Jersey get through this together as one extraordinary family stronger than ever before The sun is coming I promise you with that I'll turn things over to the person who needs no introduction Please help me Welcome the commission of the Department of Health Judy Person killing Thank you Governor Good afternoon In my daily reports I usually provide you with information on the health impacts of covert 19 However we cannot overlook the mental health impacts this pandemic is having on all of us The disruption of our daily routines can cause stress and economic and the economic realities of being out of work can be overwhelming Social separation is key to fighting this virus but it also is keeping us from the direct contact and support of those we depend on We're dealing with new stressors in our everyday lives Being in our homes alone perhaps for extended periods of time are having to balance balance working from home with helping Children with their home schooling or worrying about potential exposure as you do your work as an essential employees These air certainly extraordinary times and they come with novel new worries and anxieties So to help New Jerseyans and managing these stressors I want to remind you that our colleagues at the Department of Human Service is launched The New Jersey Mental Health Care's Hotline at 866 20 to H E L P Or 866202 43 57 Specialists are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Seven days a week It's an opportunity tohave a safe space to talk and get support and care In these challenging times we encourage you to reach out Human Service's has also partnered with access of ST Joseph's Health in Paterson to create free support Hot pipeline for individuals who are hearing impaired individuals can call 973 8700677 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition in response to the governor's directive human service is banking and insurance and the Department of Health have worked to promote access to mental health care during these difficult times including increasing tell a mental health Medicaid in particular has taken unprecedented steps to make tell a mental health easier to access an easier for healthcare providers to offer We are working across New Jersey government to connect residents to coverage Folks in need of health coverage should visit Get covered dot NJ dot gov toe learn more about the marketplace and Medicaid coverage We believe that coverage means not just coverage for physical health but coverage for physical and mental health and also substance use disorders As always those struggling with substance use disorder should call Human service is free 24 hour hotline at 844 Reach New Jersey to connect to treatment on behalf of our colleagues at Human Service's and myself a special thank you to the mental health and substance use disorder counselors therapists and peers and others who are making sure this care is available During these times it's important for everyone to practice self care Take breaks from watching reading or listening to news stories including social media Connect with families and friends through video chat or by phone Try to stick to a routine as much as possible Exercise Eat healthy meals Try to get some sleep if you're able to continue working from home A recent study has shown that adults that continue to work reported better mental and physical health than those who stopped working Call your healthcare provider if stress gets in the way of your daily activities for several days in a row While we fight hard to protect your physical health let's be sure to focus Justus intently on our mental health and mental well being Last evening our hospitals reported 8224 hospitalizations with individuals uh having covert 19 and those under investigation the daily growth rate was flat Since March 31st has reported we've discharged over 8000 individuals There are now 2014 individuals in critical care 1645 of those individuals are on ventilators That's 82% of our intensive care patients are on ventilators You may recall a number of days ago that was his high as 97% There are 379 long term care facilities and assisted living facilities Now reporting atleast one cove it 19 in their facilities for over 8000 and 2000 and nine cases being reported in our long term care facilities As are reported these facilities are taking care of our most vulnerable populations and they are particular particularly at risk for covert 19 complications That's why the department has been focused on these facilities And since March 6 we've issued 18 orders and guidances I'd like to give you a little more information about the end over facility The end over facility It's the largest long term care facility in the state They're licensed for 514 long term care beds in one building and ah 140 59 in another building As of the 15th the senses was 120 in and over one and 419 and and over too Last Saturday we were notified ah that the facility was in need of body bags for deceased residents and it was also reported that there were 28 bodies being stored in that facility We immediately notified the local health department and the public health nurse and the local health officer visited that facility at 2 a.m. Sunday morning you may recall I shared a number of days ago that we had sent out a team They surveyed the facility and reported back that there was appropriate staffing and p p E at that time Additionally they reported that they observed five bodies on site and the staff reported to them that three bodies had been released earlier in the day At that point we required the facility to report daily to the local health department We also sent them additional PP and the names of individuals that they could call up if they needed additional staffing The facility was required to institute their backup plan for storage of deceased at the local hospital On the 14th we received another complaint that more bodies were being stored at 3 p.m. On the 14th the local health department surveyed the facility and reported that they were short on staffing and we additionally called up the owner of the facility and notified him of our concerns and required him to report back toe to us We will be sending survey staff out to monitor the activities off this facility on a regular basis this morning the owner of the facility reported to me that the current staffing is solid with 12 nurses Normal is 11 and 39 CN A's Their normal is 40 Additional administrative personnel are now on site and they have provided for additional wages to be paid for C N A's to incent them to work at the facility The senses today is 420 of 543 We're not pleased with what is going on at the end over facility and now we'll give you a full report of their statistics 19 residents have been reported as positive for covert 19 2 are hospitalized 34 residents have been identified as having flu like symptoms There have been seven total deaths since the third Since April 3rd five of the deaths have been due to Cove it 19 and they also report four staff members with flu like symptoms and over to has a census of 419 They report 84 residents with cove it 19 positive An additional 99 are showing respiratory symptoms 48 staff are reporting flu like symptoms There have been 28 deaths since the March 30th 14 of those deaths have been do to cove it 19 We continue to work with all of the local health of officials who are monitoring long term care facilities that have Cove in 19 cases and our department's communicable disease experts provide support to those local health departments as they respond to these outbreaks As the governor reported today we are reporting 4391 new cases for a total of 75,317 cases in our state And sadly we're reporting 362 new deaths of which 54 were residents of long term care facilities We now have a total of 3518 deaths in the state Of the deaths that we have information on 43% are female 57% or mail 51.1% are white non Hispanic 22.5% are black non Hispanic 15.5% are Hispanic 5.5 Asian and 5.44 identified as other We continue to see the underlying continued conditions of cardiovascular disease diabetes mellitus other chronic diseases other lung diseases and renal disease along with neurological disability and cancer as the leading causes of co morbid complications According Thio data from this morning Ah seven laboratories sending US Covert 19 results report that 138,609 individuals have been tested 62,096 have returned positive with ah holding positivity rate of 44.8% Again in closing our remind everyone to take steps to protect their mental health throughout the South break This is a difficult time for all of us Be patient and be kind to one another and stay connected Thank you Judy Thank you A couple of quick follow up But just to say as we normally do the top six counties continue to be the ones that we've been reporting on Bergen followed by Hudson Essex Union Passaic and Middlesex in terms of number of cases Secondly the African American number continues to be a particular concern for us In terms of the continues to be 50 plus percent larger uh higher rather than the representation overall uh in the African American community in this state and that's something we continue to be very focused on I have not yet acknowledged But one acknowledged our maples the director of the department Homeland Security Preparedness and deputy counsel Paramount Guard her with us today Thank you Also I meant to say earlier uh we had a leadership meeting this morning to sort of update as best we can And this is very general terms on particularly some of the financial implications of this crisis on the state Both revenues expenses status of federal monies et cetera with Senate President the speaker and their respective majority leaders and budget chairs I also had a uh conversation just before coming in Which is partly why I'm a couple minutes late with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and he and I and his office and minor and constant discussions and again repeating the plea that I made many times from this table Uh while the Cares Act was Avery Good step in the right direction We need a lot more direct federal cash assistance into states and I'll raise my hand specific specifically in New Jersey The National Governors Association has put forth and ask of $500 billion I've said to you before that I won't speak for the other governors But our assessment uh was a few weeks ago that New Jersey New York Pennsylvania in Connecticut needed $100 billion We put that in a letter The four governors I think that number if anything is closer to 150 billion dollars direct cash assistance on And there's just no way around that we can't continue to be at the front lines serving those who have health care if not life and death challenges folks who have lost their jobs small businesses hospital systems transit systems and the like unless we get the federal money to back and fill our efforts So just to reiterate that with that with an update on compliance peopie other matters please help me welcome another indispensable figure in this fight Colonel Pat Callahan Thank you Governor Good afternoon Very briefly with regard to the overnight compliance and Man Olive up in Morris County Subject was cited for violation of a temporary restraining order and the EOE violation was subsequently lodged in the Morris County Jail Newark Police Department issued 72 e o violations summonses enclosed one business in Washington Township Warren County Two individuals were cited for maintaining a public nuisance on also cited for the EOE violations in Mountie from as a result of an overturned vehicle in a motor vehicle accident That subject was charged with an E O violation in Atlantic City Police responded to the call of a shoplifter at a CVS and in processing that subject he coughed on officers claiming that he had the Corona virus In Pennsauken police responded to an alarm at a Forman Mills location where inside they did locate the subject to it allegedly broken into that facility Hey was charged with multiple charges associate with the burglary as well as the EOE violation in Cherry Hill Police responded to the report that the employees they're preparing food We're not wearing the face coverings out as uh mandated in in the EOE And they were cited for not having the coverings on In Jersey City After three days in a row of offering warnings at a supermarket police cited two individuals who worked there for figured aware the proper face coverings Um Union City that was in Union City Excuse me in Jersey City That was a subject that was being arrested at a harassment charge and started coughing on the officers saying If I'm going to die you're going to die with me and that's it And with regard to peopIe that isn't an hourly effort Governor whether it's ventilators gowns seemed to have risen to the top of the list now masks I was happy to come home last night to find approximately 200 are 95 mask on my front porch from a neighbor who's in construction so that level of donation and dedication is appreciated So I think my neighbor George for that that's all Governor Here's to your neighbor George We're going to get his picture up here at some point So hold that thought Thank you Patton again To the knuckle the members of the Knucklehead Hall of Shame Ah it's just it's beyond comprehension Why people would do that But they apparently continue to do that And it's one thing to not have a face covering although that's inexcusable But it's another thing to pro actively and aggressively trying to infect somebody else which is completely unacceptable again Everybody watching everybody out there The overwhelming amount of you all and all of us are doing the right thing and row on the boat together and doing the things that we need to do Uh and that map wouldn't look as it looks earlier without the extraordinary efforts and again on the school front Um I've said at least until May 15th I would be the happiest guy in New Jersey maybe America if not the planet to be able to have a very different message than I've gotten a lot of incomings from parents of kids who are particularly sports oriented Not surprisingly of seniors in high school uh whether it's related to sports academics seeing their friends graduation ceremonies I have nothing but complete sympathy Please know that we're not in any way shape or form trying to be Ah Dr No Here uh nothing would give me more joy than to be able to say we're ready to go but we're just not there If we all continue to stay the course for the next four weeks I guess May 15th is four weeks from tomorrow We may well have a different message At that point It's up to all of us to stay at it Please God stay at it Stay home Stay away from each other Let's hope for better news With that We're gonna sweep across once and only once John will begin with you John I noticed that you're moving your chair every day I may I may shift up where we struck the sweet I'm only doing this for Dave only because way Uh uh that's not true Two quick questions on schools Can you get that microphone closer Thanks to Dante's Got the school's too quickly questions The orders again include private and non public schools The May 15th date is that telegraph Anything about the rest of the state Opening up at that time were the possibility that be the date on long term care was and over one were you receiving complaints about and over not notifying families of illnesses or death Any complaints generally about and over In the recent weeks since the Koven 19 breakout what other long term care facilities have you visited And can you tell us what actions were done There any specifics You can tell us about these these places And can you define in the order investigation What's a disproportion Number of covert deaths at a long term care facility would say 33 out of 100 be disproportionate Which is a report at one carefully we're hearing about now And can you also There's a lot of reports of refrigerated trucks being used to store bodies Can you tell us what specific regulations What rules are in place to handle bodies in refrigerated trucks What supervision is being done for that And Governor one more jump We asked before about naming these places You said you wouldn't because of privacy And that's clearly the end over one At what point will you name these places to let people know what is going on in these with Dozens of people are dying or disposing bodies in parking lots Will you name these So parents People could know what's happening to their parents and loved ones Okay um let me start Judy and turned to you and Pat We may want you to come in on the refrigerator trucks It is Paramount All schools number one That's the most important thing It Secondly May 15th I wouldn't read a whole lot into it We're trying to make this We're trying to balance a lot of different plates in the air as you can imagine first and foremost input from the woman on my right and the guy to her right in terms of the health inputs and the data related to health Most importantly four weeks from tomorrow tow us Feels like we can get to a sort of ah halfway if you will It's again It's at least 2 May 15th Um it's a window that we we collectively along with the Commissioner Department of Education feels a comfortable enough window for us to be able to get one more shot to reassess at least one more shop it But to reassess I'm just gonna be one general comment You can imagine the reaction I head or any of us had when the stories the story has come to light on this sub acute rehabilitation centers I mean this is just completely beyond the pale It's not just unfortunately I wish it was just saying you know that this is a narrow issue This is a national challenge for us right now but completely unacceptable Um I'm gonna ask Judy to come in on the specific questions to end over and the broader long term care facilities and then pat you may want to come back in after that as it relates to the refrigerated trucks Question Judy Yeah I would like to share with you Um an excerpt from the investigation that was was done it and over uh and it gives you an indication of how organizations facilities air trying to comply Um this ah table within the lobby had instructions for all staff take their temperature and complete a screening questionnaire A notice was displayed at the main entrance The notice provided current statistics off Positive cove it 19 staff and residents within the facility Information regarding regarding quarantine of residents and assignment of staff was provided by the charge nurse and the medical assistant That gives you an idea of how they're complying and how we check on what's going on We rely on the local health officers for to visit facilities when we get lower level complaints If we get immediate jeopardy complaints we are survey team goes out or CMS um goes out the federal surveyors Ah I cannot tell you how many have been visited I do know that we have not received what we would call I j complaints during this particular pandemic That does not mean that there are not immediate jeopardy issues It means that we have not received the complaints Um I'll let Pat talk about the refrigerator the refrigerated trucks because we have ordered them to the medical examiner before pat answers I didn't answer your question I'm gonna leave it to the attorney general on the question of disproportionate But the numbers you cited John was certainly personal litmus tests would certainly pass that bar Thank you And Paramount you'll follow up with the general that yes we do have ah have in every disaster have a mortuary affairs or mass casualty component built in John We did I think we even announced it a few weeks ago We had ordered 20 several weeks ago refrigerated trailers Of those three have arrived I think actually 1/4 1 arrived yesterday expecting three more for up North Jersey So whether they're the trailers that we've gotten through the FEMA process that we've contract with um we also have located a fixed location in Central Jersey which will serve as temporary storage for for decedent's the process whether the hospital has their own trailer or they're using the ones that have come over the past week or so What we're trying to um really hammer out is the process of alleviate allowing funeral directors to take decedent's directly to this fixed location which I think is gonna help take the strain off of the system I'm on the phone daily with Dr Foul Zone I was on with the attorney General this morning So right now we're just trying to nail down The process is to make sure that one that there most a bubble respected and cared for and two that they're properly attract in a respectful manner So when we get to the other side of this that we can release those bodies back to the family members for for proper tributes Pat thank you just real quick because I'm But I don't wantto leave any stones unturned Judy's address the privacy versus notification question in the past But I'd love you to just Judy on the heels of this incident particular to hit that again if you could Sure we've been We've gotten that question a lot and for all the right reasons I'm you know we release information when it enhances and promotes the public health mission on the specific nursing homes Now I think what I can tell you is that it's every nursing home in the state and we rely on them And we put out guidance on March 6th and again on April 4th that they are to advise the residents there the employees and their and and the relatives or loved ones of the residents of the outbreaks in their facilities And we are getting ah input that that's occurring if it is not occurring I encouraged er the ER residents or their loved ones to call our hotline and we will follow up Amen And if not the Holland called the hotline go on the website that you see behind us let us know when you should know that we're pounding away to remind folks of the directive It is their obligation of these operators Toe let folks know both their patients residents rather employees love ones in a story like this Shake shit of the bones And we don't bring the attorney general in by happenstance either So thank you Judy for that Dave Um I know that you guys give us Thea total hospitalization number every day but do we have the daily hospital admission rate every day It would seem that if we did it would tell us how many new people are actually going to the hospital because just giving us the hospital number we don't know how if they're there for a day a week a month So that might be a better way an indicator in terms of how this whole cove in 19 is unfolding and progressing And do we also keep track of E R visits in any statistical way And is that included in the numbers that you give us for hospitalizations Um the other thing Uh here The other question would be um you mentioned Commissioner Ah the importance of mental health And um if you could just sort of flush out and perhaps governor you as well You know how big of a concern is this people We've all been at home for several weeks now and people are starting to really go stir crazy And understandably so um you know how big of an issue is this What kind of a stigma may people be facing in terms of feeling embarrassed to ask for help that they've never had a mental health issue before And um I guess that's it Judy may I start And then uh jumping is okay I think the admissions rate tell me is it not mathematical way Have hospitalizations and folks who have left the system I know you speak to it qualitatively but I believe this is math And if we have the math well I'll defer to the boss here to my right as to whether or not it makes sense to put those up Um but you'll come back on that mental health And again Judy started with us today not by accident This is something that we've spoken to and is a concern Um uh I was asked last night about liquor stores and the fact of the matter of addiction and dependency is a reality I think I said this I can't recall 10 days or two weeks ago that there's an extraordinary thing happening that is still happening overwhelmingly There's any extraordinary irony to this that as we isolate ourselves as we stay away from each other there is a coming together We're all in this to win this war So the spirit and you could see the map reflecting that there's any s Oh it's a very sort of against expectation all for one all in this together and that's the overwhelming reality But we've also said that that's not everybody Folks who have who suffer from mental health challenges depression addictions other suicidal tendencies Ah that some folks clearly get left behind by this And the longer the clock is a non medical expert the longer the clock the bigger the concern is It relates to that And therefore it's no coincidence that Judy started her remarks today focused on mental health because it's something that she along with Carol Johnson and our department human service is All of us are very focused on and that's why we've stood up hotlines That's why we've got ah ah unusual outreaches as it relates to this Um and so with Judy on both the numbers in terms of the admissions and e R I actually don't know the answer myself to the e r question but also any more color on the mental health piece Sure Well you know first on the mental health piece you point out really you know correctly that everybody can do something for two weeks When it gets to be four weeks or six weeks things do get Ah a little stressful I'm struck by um the commissioner of Children and Families and the issues with Children who are at risk at home Ah and the fact that they were either less reporting because they're not in school they're not with teachers and coaches And and I think that was really very telling the things that could be happening because of the possibility of being too close together in a home So yeah we have to focus on mental health We have to focus on everyone's well being Even the most stable person could be stressed out at this point in time So it is a big focus Human service is is doing a great job in that regard And I'm I can probably report at a later date some of the statistics from hits on the hotline I'd be happy to do that Uh total admissions You know we've been so focused on admissions of individuals with cove it 19 or persons under investigation Um I have not collected in our dashboard the total admissions but we could probably do that as well and report that at a future time well it would be helpful What it would be helpful Arman old hospital person would be helpful for me to understand how many um you know how many heart attacks are we having Not everyone is coming to the hospital because they have cove it 19 The hospitals are also taking care of ah whole other emergencies and you know and I think we're at this point now where we have to start looking at both for sure but I think I don't want to speak out of turn things They're flattening a bit That's what I'm hearing from the CEO's Things were a little bit calmer so now we have to look at how we taking care of all of the residents of New Jersey for the for the things that they come to los between four two things If I could add to that on and there's no question there's flattening today got a little bit of a spike in the positive test results But if you fit a curve through those results over the past now almost two weeks you've got a pretty clear sense It's flattening I'm getting the same You do it with regular I get anecdotal evidence from the holy Names or the Hackensack E h u M c uh et cetera But I also want to remind everyone the human behavioral point Right So this is still within our in our hands Um and if we go off the wagon not not to use that phrase lightly But if we let our hair down right now we could blow all the progress we've made We just cannot do that Which is why staying at home means so much other common I make Dave before we go in here is that we've We've acknowledged both births and deaths over the past couple of weeks Births obviously are blessed developments A couple of deaths at a minimum We've acknowledged had nothing to do with covert 19 as Judy has reminded us as his ad in Kristina life goes on and in these health care systems Alfa and Omega both so thank you Governor Do we know what the backlog looks like Forgetting test results now and ah today there ended up being no wait by midday at the Bergen testing site Does that show us anything Do you have any reaction to that The E D A's loan and grant programs to help small businesses were oversubscribed And now the federal SP a loan program is out of money Will the state allocate more money for additional Edie A Programs How many NJ businesses are still in need of funding and can't get it Backlog I don't know that there were 66 different locations in the testing the back end facilities that are doing the testing our variety at this point So there's no one answer And of the Judy is a red no absolute answer to exactly what the backlog is We are hearing anecdotally that it's getting better We do look a little bit at overall turnaround time for these tests in the state and we are seeing overall turnaround time that's looking to be about three days or so Eso we do think it's getting better than it has been in the past but we can't exactly quantify that I noticed the same as you noticed a TTE the Bergen Community College site and in fact we put out on social media today That's the first time that's happened that there was capacity still um a supposed to some I did some network television interviews over the past week where the lines were uh you know around the barn and then some I hope that's a good sign Too early to tell If we have mentioned that home Del Had had a series of days where they were not hitting capacity So I hope this is ah glimmer of hope It would be really good if it if it were on the E T a front Um if we had more money would be putting it into more programs Trust me the bank is running dry here and that's part of the reason why we have the leadership meeting that we had Today we have We have dire needs and we're not alone by the way every American state is going through this but we're one of the hardest hits hit right now Um but part of the reason I was on the phone with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer In addition to talking about direct state aid we also talked about federal help for small businesses And there's a huge crying you've seen the debate going on It looks like it's partisan at the moment I hope we can break through that You know it's it's not either or right Individuals need help Small businesses need help States need help on And we hope we can get to a good place in all the above Nothing new to report on our end How many I think it's a high percentage of the folks who stood up and asked Parent not parable But Dan Brian we can come back from Tim Sullivan How many are getting grants Versus how many One of them And it didn't get them Is that fair Thank you Uh sir how are you Good afternoon Governor Phil Andrews from the Jersey News Network I have two quick questions The first question is there is currently a grassroots social media movement to create a march on Trenton protest to protest some of the orders that you have put in place during covert 19 On the second question is could you reiterate why the need to raise the uh parkway and turnpike prices during the current situation Um on the former I hadn't heard it but I saw that play out in Michigan I think Yesterday a TTE the state capital and I would just say that folks this and from the bottom of my heart we're making decisions as best we can Based on fact data science We don't do things sort of cavalierly Do we always get it right I'm sure we don't always get it right We're trying like heck in fact with tweak things So we tweaked gun shops is an example Uh we tweak things based for different reasons sometimes But we are not too proud to come back and reassess decisions that were made I would just say to folks This virus spreads when we let our guard down There's just no question about it that won't be a forever and always were in a moment in time And please God we get through this moment in time sooner than later in the way we get through it is we stay home and we stay away from each other So I would just play with those folks This is not partisan It isn't some ideological bent In fact I was on Fox News last night Ah for me playing an away game But frankly for a reason we're all in this together we all live in New Jersey That's our first port of call Where New Jerseyans We're Americans That's the way we've got to approach this extraordinary bipartisan cooperation I've been texted by a TTE least two of Republican legislators as I've been sitting here teach of their credit saying on staying strong and and I will never forget that spirit of we're all in this together Um all I've said on these hearings is that if they take place that better darn well acknowledged This is related to tolls that better well acknowledge the environment in which are in so they can't congregate They've got to do these bites Some virtual means they've got to do them with an extended comment period We've got we've got to provide I think it was South Jersey Particularly mentioned the point You gotta have an 800 number with a human on the other end who's prepared to take the calls And beyond that I have said this that I feel strongly that transportation related money needs to be the direct source wherever possible for transportation projects and that we were gonna wake up from this at some point Please God sooner than later and we have a state that we're gonna need to make sure is standing and is there for us in a year three years five years 10 or 20 years on And that's a reality So that's why construction is an example Although we've tweaked that that's another example will retreat non essential construction Construction is a general matter for a rest area for a big highway project that's going on because we you this New Jersey will go on Notwithstanding the loss of life the extraordinary inconvenience this extraordinary once in a century of not once in a forever moment New Jersey will continue to exist Thank God we will go forward on and we're gonna need to continue to keep that sort of in the long term back of our minds Thank you sir Last night in a council meeting the Jackson Township Council president suggested that you should send the National Guard to towns that were not complying with executive orders and suggested social distance and guidelines Have you heard from them And are you considering that I have not heard from Jackson personally it is quite possible our intergovernmental affairs team which has been run with with exceptional leadership by Mike Delamater during this crisis it's possible he has heard from them And if he has damn Brian you'll make sure we come back and tell you that um I don't know Pat Callahan that we have felt we have needed toe pull the National Guard in between local county enforcement as well as the state police which has been so aggressive on enforcement But I didn't turn to you to opine The only thing that I would note is that if if you remember when the first executive orders were issued a lot of the overnight reporting was about large crowd gatherings And I just you know personally and professionally looking at that every day it's almost thes One offers the shoplifter coughing on an officer So we're not really seeing again here here and there a store open that has X amount of people in it But we're not seeing the large gathering So I would say at this time to the governor's point between local county and state resource is in law enforcement that we would not need the National Guard to perform that role I I would say this That's something that that's on the table and we reserve the right But we haven't had to Is that fair You good sir In the back at least Good afternoon Good afternoon Bloomberg reported on draft legislation to borrow for the current fiscal year and the next What was the reaction from lawmakers during your meeting today How do you tap the markets without risking more downgrades Finally if the borrowing plan doesn't happen what's the alternative And I have a question from Daniel Mu Knows of Angie Biz regarding Trump's potential announcement to reopen state economies Do you believe that could backfire and could lead to people from less strict states coming to New Jersey Said the middle of that again Sorry at least uh do you believe Trump's potential announcement to reopen state economies could backfire and could lead to people from less strict states coming to New Jersey I got it Um yeah the Federal Reserve On the first set of questions at least the Federal Reserve stated I believe last Thursday that they would in an unusual step that they would entertain buying municipal bonds for a duration of up to two years And I think for a total of $500 billion in a program Ah and each state would be um would be assessed I think it's a 20% cap The maximum on Ernie State could raise would be a 20% cap um of 20% of revenue cap on And when you do the math for New Jersey that comes out I think to about $9 billion Potentially we had a good discussion Um this is something that we feel I feel personally pretty strongly we need to have as a tool in our tool kit Um particularly with uncertainty in the er at the congressional or national level I don't see any other way around it on again I'm not calling shots for any popularity contests So what How that how that impacts Um and we don't take any of this lightly whether it's credit ratings or other realities we take very seriously But the fact the matter is we're gonna have serious cash flow challenges um and then beyond cash flow we will have serious programmatic challenges including allowing local municipalities To me this is gonna be real stuff if we don't find the right sources of money If I thought with a high degree of certainty that the federal government through congressional action through bills that the president would sign If I thought there was a high degree of certainty that that money would come in that way that would be less of ah need This is to me on essential tool to have in the tool kit because even if the federal government does come through with money we would be we would make certain that this is a A an instrument that does not pay a penalty if you pre pay it So if we're if we get a better result than we think we could just pay the debt down immediately Um and so if you say what's what happens if we don't have that as an option and we don't get the federal money folks should assume we're gonna have to gut programs on that will affect everybody in this entire state There's just no other way around it on I hope it doesn't come to that I think it's a much more prudent It's a much more reasonable step to take for us Give me one second Ah much more reasonable step for us to take if we want to Both address our cash flow challenges as well as you know keep keep our best public schools in the country keep our full ranks of first responders Uh all of the service is all of that would be in jeopardy If we don't find the capital I'll answer Daniels and then I know you have a follow up Yes Daniel's question It could backfire Absolutely So the sequencing of events and I want a part of this is gonna be defer to the experts To my right the sequence of events and worst we're tryingto war game for this right now Let's remember the house is still on fire We uh the curve maybe flattening But we had over 4000 more positive tests come in that we announced earlier today So the curve maybe flattening but we're still going up not coming down So job number one is toe break the back of the curve flattening it as much as possible Please continue to stay home and adhere to social distancing Then we need to make sure And this will be I'm sure a subject of discussion with the President and Vice President this afternoon it certainly is in our team and with our regional partners We need robust health care infrastructure in place including especially the ability to mass test and get quick turnaround Fair to say both Judy and Ed right So we need to have that And the reason we need to have that is so that we can address exactly what Daniel is talking about Where the hot spots maybe someone who came in from a lower common denominator state or state that got to this later than we did inadvertently even a symptomatic Let's be ableto identify Those hot spots have a robust contact tracing infrastructure in place a plan to quarantine itself isolate that allows us to give us the confidence I think it's fair to say that we could begin toe open back up again without running the risk of something coming in through the back door with the equivalent of having you know throwing gasoline on the fire and going right back through the hell again that we're going through now and that I'm determined that we won't go through again So that I think is the is the order of events And maybe again I'm a way above my pay grade now then once you're back up on your feet for a little bit maybe that's enough time for the some therapeutics to have been developed that folks talk about not one that is usually treated for something over here that will try over here but something that's specific to covet 19 and then maybe even more so That's a bridge too eh Ultimately a vaccine that again the experts to my right can opine Whether or not this 1 to 1.5 years from now is a reasonable time frame or not But I think that's the sequence of hope for events That's the curve that we want to be on real quickly So you're going to continue to press for borrowing and the amount you would seek is about $9 billion Now the maximum is nine billion I'm not sure exactly what the amount would be but we want this tool in our tool belt and I don't say that from when I say we that ain't just me This is on behalf of the nine million of us who care about great public schools Police and fire service is at all levels of the state who care about pension payments get made et cetera I hope the federal government comes through I hope we have a recovery that looks like a V and we're back on our feet Uh sooner than later But I'm hoping for the best but I gotta prepare for the worst That's my job Thank you For that matter it's governor I'm curious if anything will be done to provide families more access to family members who are on murder in nursing homes and also whether Josh Gad Heimer had alerted your office that he was getting requests for body bags five days ago related to Andover Also President Trump is holding a press conference as you mentioned with governors later today and asked when they expect to reopen their states Uh what are you going to tell him And if other states reopen this month or at the beginning of May are you gonna make any efforts to block those people from coming into New Jersey Real quick AMs responders are on the front lines of this and some squads have discussed dropping service is a state considering compensating volunteers doing or doing more to protect them And one last one for the commissioner Really Just curious how many daily tests are currently being administered Do we have a handle on that Not just daily numbers or excuse me results that are a few days behind but daily test Thank you Um Judy I will defer to you in terms of more access I think with one level we've hit this pretty hard that we expect communication to be at a very high level Well we asked After the one acute tragedy of a year ago October we asked for emergency response plans that were delivered in February We expect these operators to stick to those plans and do what they said they would do But I'll leave it to you Tow Add to that um I don't know whether or not I've got any firsthand information of Josh Got heimer askin you are asking for body bags One of you may know that he's been very helpful to us on this He and I been back and forth Ah lot today including on the end over situation Is it a press conference with governors Actually I thought it was just a video call It's the press part of that Do you know Okay I pulled us Yeah we are So we're having a video and I'll turn it over to the team after this Um we are having Ah a vtc They're normally happen on Mondays and Thursdays A couple of Thursday's they haven't happened on but this is a Thursday one I think the president will be a part of that and I will Ah whether he's there or it's a vice president I will make some of the very points that I made today which is number one On the financial side we need direct financial cash assistance from the federal government Um and secondly we look forward to that I mentioned this earlier We got to do what we gotta do in Jersey We want to