NEW JERSEY — The Garden State shattered its previous record for COVID cases in a day for the second straight day, data released Thursday showed.
There were 15,482 new COVID cases reported amid the ongoing spread of the delta variant along with a surge in the omicorn variant and a jump in testing ahead of the holidays. Gov. Phil Murphy said 9,711 new cases were reported on Wednesday.
“We can’t let our guard down against COVID-19,” he said. “We encourage all individuals who have received their vaccination to get a booster dose this holiday season.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor both tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week.
In Newark, indoor mask rules were instituted again this week in a Monday executive order. It requires residents and visitors to the city to be masked when indoors. It also requires bar patrons to be seated and to wear a mask except when eating or drinking.
Over in Paterson, schools will go remote after the holidays to combat the COVID surge.
