Gov. Murphy: No cases of coronavirus in NJ; state prepared for potential outbreak

Gov. Phil Murphy says the state has no cases of the new coronavirus but that the state is prepared in the event of an outbreak.

News 12 Staff

Mar 2, 2020, 9:59 PM

Updated 1,682 days ago

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Gov. Phil Murphy says the state has no cases of the new coronavirus but that the state is prepared in the event of an outbreak.
The governor spoke Monday from a state police facility alongside Cabinet and other officials, including Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. Persichilli said one person in New Jersey is under investigation, but was not hospitalized and did not have a fever. Eight people have been tested in the state so far, but none of the tests have come up positive for coronavirus.
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Murphy says that New Jersey is one of the states that are able to conduct the rapid coronavirus tests, with results in as little as eight hours.
Gov. Phil Murphy holds press conference on coronavirus preparedness.
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Murphy also said that he was on a conference call with Vice President Mike Pence and other state governors about the outbreak. President Donald Trump selected Pence to lead the coronavirus task force. Murphy said that Pence’s office has been very communicative.
The governor will hold a conference call on Tuesday with state officials, including local school superintendents, as well as members of the business community, to discuss further plans about coronavirus preparations.
Monday's news conference was the governor's latest update on the virus, which has resulted in a global death toll over 3,000, with the number of people infected topping 89,000.
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The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.