New Jersey 'indefinitely' postpones plan to restart indoor dining after COVID-19 spikes in other states


New Jersey's plan to restart indoor dining has been put on pause.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Monday announced indoor dining will no longer resume in the state on Thursday as had been previously scheduled.
"We had planned to loosen restrictions this week," Murphy tweeted. "However, after COVID-19 spikes in other states driven by, in part, the return of indoor dining, we have decided to postpone indoor dining indefinitely."
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Numerous states have been experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases, including Texas and Florida, and Murphy in a news conference said that "we do not wish to see New Jersey experience a similar spike." Additionally, he said that scenes of "overcrowding," "a complete disregard for social distancing," and people not wearing masks at some New Jersey establishments also made this move necessary.
"Unfortunately, the national situation, compounded by instances of knucklehead behavior here at home, are requiring us to hit pause on the restart of indoor dining for the foreseeable future," Murphy said.
Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in a news conference on Monday called indoor dining "problematic," saying a decision on whether it can still resume in New York City on July 6 will be announced on Wednesday.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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