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COURT HOUSE – APRIL 21: The Cape May County Department of Health reported four new COVID-19 cases today, expanding the total to 221. The number of active cases inched up to 144. The county reported no new deaths associated with the disease.
The number of individuals who have been moved off of quarantine remained at 62.
This county report differed from the state’s, where deaths associated with the illness grew by 379, the worst single-day increase in COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic first appeared in New Jersey. The state also added 3,643 new cases, bringing its total to 92,387.
Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said that hospitals in the central region are now experiencing a surge in new patient admissions.
On a day when county officials and the mayors of the county’s 16 municipalities had a virtual meeting to discuss business recovery plans, Gov. Murphy, speaking on the issue of reopening the state’s economy, reiterated his conviction that “we cannot rush this.”
The governor continues to emphasize a need for significantly improved testing capacity as key to lifting his lockdown orders.
Stone Harbor Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour said, at a borough council meeting this afternoon that county discussions today focused on the potential reopening of the beaches in the first week of May. She also said there might be restrictions on how reopened beaches could be used.
The situation remains fluid, and discussion among state, county and local officials will continue this week.
