Aug 19, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Gov. Phil Murphy: It's too soon to call New Jersey a "COVID success story"

Orion Rummler

Screenshot of Gov. Phil Murphy and Mike Allen — Axios' Mike Allen and Gov. Phil Murphy.

Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J) cautioned against calling his state a "COVID success story," during an Axios virtual event on Wednesday.

Why it matters: New Jersey, once a hot spot for the novel coronavirus, is requiring quarantines for some travelers entering the state. The number of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and fatalities have declined drastically since June.

What he's saying: "I have to caution that we made an enormous amount of progress. The toll has also been enormous, over 14,000 confirmed fatalities from COVID-19, which is unfathomable."

"We are meaningfully, dramatically better than we were. And we're probably at the front end of states in America right now, but this thing is insidious. And we're dealing with it still every single day."
"I think history will not judge you harshly if you overcorrect, if you are too aggressive with this virus. I think we will all be judged, on the other hand, very harshly if you undercorrect, if you underestimate it. That's the one piece of advice I think we've learned the hard way and I think we all have to learn."

Add Axios on Google

Gov. Phil Murphy: It's too soon to call New Jersey a "COVID success story"

What to read next