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As Gov. Phil Murphy imposed tighter restrictions on bars and restaurants to slow the surge in coronavirus cases, state health officials revealed on Monday that a recent outbreak linked to a popular Jersey bar Shore had triggered a health alert last month for customers who may have been exposed.
At least nine bartenders and waiters at Leggett’s on 1st Avenue in Manasquan have contracted the virus, triggering a public health alert for customers, Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said at the coronavirus press conference in Trenton.
The notification, read aloud at the press conference, informed New Jersey residents that anyone who visited the bar from October 17-22 could have been exposed to COVID-19. The state visited the facility on Oct. 23, and the restaurant management cooperated with health officials, Persichilli noted.
“This is just one example,” she said. “We don’t issue (alerts) every day because they need to be investigated, but it does happen.”
Leggett’s announced it was closing its doors for indoor dining on October 22, but continued to offer take-out and packaged goods, according to the bar’s website. Indoor meals resumed on Thursday. The bar manager was not available to speak Monday afternoon when contacted by NJ Advance Media.
Persichilli read the notification after the administration was peppered with questions from reporters as to why it chose to implement new restrictions that will force bars and restaurants to close indoor dining at 10 p.m. and also to ban seats in indoor bars. Take-out and alfresco dining may continue after 10 p.m.
Bars and restaurants, however, will be able to accommodate groups of people at tables under six feet as long as they are separated by plexiglass barriers and they can set up outdoor igloos for individual groups as the weather approaches. cold.
During the briefing, Murphy noted that his decision to tighten the restrictions was not the product of a single incident like Leggett’s. He declined to release specific data on what led to the decision.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracking | Bulletin | Home page
Monday marked the sixth day in a row with more than 2,000 new cases daily. Authorities reported an additional 3,207 cases on Saturday, the highest number since April 27, when the state was still in the midst of the initial outbreak. The last time New Jersey recorded more than 3,000 cases, the state was in the midst of an unprecedented lockdown with schools and non-essential businesses closed to slow the outbreak.
The seven-day average of daily new positive tests is now 2,276, up 40% from the previous week.
Murphy said it’s possible additional restrictions could be imposed as the state – and the nation – head for a vaccine that could bring some semblance of normality back to spring.
“We have to get rid of the fatigue of the pandemic,” he said. “A vaccine is on the horizon. Let’s focus, my friends, on the next six months.
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Alex Napoliello can be reached at [email protected].
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