Casinos and Indoor Dining to Reopen July 2

By Jim Pytell, Assistant Editor On Jun 22, 2020

Today marks another step towards New Jersey’s economic restart and recovery with the reopening of personal care services, such as salons and barber shops; the resumption of non-contact practices for organized sports; as well as the reopening of outdoor pools.

Gov. Phil Murphy said at today’s COVID-19 press briefing that he believes the state is currently entering “the middle phase of stage two” of its restart and recovery.

More steps are on the horizon, including the previously announced reopening of shopping malls next Monday, June 29. 

Murphy said that multiple additional reopening announcements will be made throughout this week as more dates are finalized, but announced today that casinos and racetracks, including indoor sportsbooks and lounges, will be able to reopen on July 2 and operate at 25% capacity. He also announced that indoor dining will be able to reopen on the same date, also limited to 25% capacity.

“As we move forward, we fully anticipate to increase the indoor [limit] as we feel it is safe to do so,” Murphy added.

Further health and safety protocols for both indoor dining and casinos will be released in the next several days, but Murphy said that, for casinos specifically, guidance will include mandatory face coverings and health screenings for all visitors and staff. 

Murphy also said that, effective immediately, the limit on outdoor gatherings has increased from 100 people to 250, with no limits for religious or political activities. Indoor gatherings are also increased to 25% capacity, but not to exceed 100 people. 

“Today we continue to see a rate of spread remaining at a point where we feel confident in our ability to continue our restart,” Murphy said, adding that on June 17, New Jersey’s daily percent positivity rate of COVID-19 was just 2.42%, among the lowest it has been since before the outbreak. 

Portal Bridge Funding

Murphy separately announced that the Trump Administration has committed $766.5 million in federal funding for the Portal North Bridge project.

“This is a huge, long awaited win for New Jersey and its commuters, and frankly, for the entire economy of the Northeast corridor,” Murphy said.

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