September 18, 2020
George Washington Ballroom – Trenton War Memorial
1 Memorial Dr., City of Trenton, Capital of the State of New Jersey
Statement Issued at 1:00 PM

Resumen de coronavirus

Coronavirus Briefing

Good afternoon, everyone, and happy Friday.

Joining me today are Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli and State Epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan.

First, I am shocked and disgusted by the despicable and cowardly actions of an individual or individuals who fired six rounds at the home of two Camden police officers last night while the couple was inside with their 10-month-old baby. Thankfully, no one in the family was injured. But now, we must find those responsible for this heinous act and bring them to justice.
Our police officers are not only the men and women who protect our communities—they are, in many cases, members of those same communities. They are our friends and neighbors. I urge anyone with information to contact the Camden County Police Department at 856-757-7042 or the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-TIPS (215-546-8477).

One of the recurring themes I return to here is our overall goal of ensuring that New Jersey emerges from this pandemic stronger, fairer, and more resilient than ever. Over the past two days, we’ve taken two significant steps toward achieving that goal.

Earlier today, I was in Newark to sign into law the strongest environmental justice measure in the entire nation—a long-awaited and much-needed reform ensuring that communities that have long been overlooked and forced to live with polluted air and water finally have a voice in development decisions affecting their neighborhoods. This law ensures that doing right by our communities goes hand in hand with doing right by our economy. And as we continue fighting this virus, the importance of environmental justice cannot be overstated.

Our Black and Brown communities have borne a disproportionate impact from COVID-19, and in our urban areas, that impact reflects long-standing health disparities exacerbated by years of dirty air and contaminated water. In Newark’s South Ward, for example, children grow up with asthma rates many times higher than their peers—and we know that respiratory conditions are a major factor in the severity of COVID-19 infections. Ensuring environmental justice is fundamental to our ability to become stronger, fairer, and more resilient.

Equally important is ensuring the economic vitality and survival of our middle-class families and those striving to join the middle class. That’s why yesterday, I was proud to stand in this very room with Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and the budget committee chairs—Senator Paul Sarlo and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin—to announce our agreement to restore the millionaire’s tax.

This measure will provide us with the resources to invest more deeply and meaningfully in our communities and our shared future, while simultaneously delivering direct tax relief of up to $500 to nearly 800,000 working- and middle-class New Jersey families.

That’s up to $500 that our families need and deserve. And through the millionaire’s tax, we’re restoring fairness to our tax code—no middle-class family should pay a higher percentage of its income in taxes than the wealthiest among us. We are now positioned to reduce, if not eliminate, that disparity.

While these two advances may not be directly related, both are critical components of the stronger and fairer New Jersey we must build. They’re about our future—about investing in a shared vision where every community has equal access to opportunity. And in both endeavors, I thank my legislative partners and colleagues for their collaboration.

Now, let’s continue—let’s take a look at the latest statistics from our Community Contact Tracing Corps.

Over the past week, we’ve added 29 additional contact tracers, bringing our current total to 1,864 tracers actively working across the state. That’s 21 contact tracers per 100,000 residents statewide.
The counties of Passaic and Salem have already met our second benchmark of having 30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents, while Cape May, Cumberland, and Mercer each have 25 or more per 100,000.

Last week, we saw a decline in the percentage of contacts who refused to cooperate with our tracers. While more than half of those contacted still refuse to work with them, this represents at least an encouraging sign compared to recent weeks. Additionally, more than half of all new cases are now being followed up within the first 24 hours.

Let’s continue moving these numbers in the right direction. If a contact tracer reaches out to you, please answer the call—for your health, your family’s health, and our collective ability to defeat this virus.

Census Update and Daily COVID-19 Data

Next, I want to provide a quick update on our progress to ensure that every New Jerseyan is counted in the 2020 Census.

As of the other day, we have exceeded the self-response rates from the 1990, 2000, and 2010 Censuses, with more than 94 percent of all New Jersey residents now counted. What’s truly exciting is the breadth of cooperation across our state.

Of our 21 counties, 13 have already surpassed their 2010 response rate. Another four are within one percent or less of their 2010 self-response numbers, and two of the remaining four are within two percent.

With only 12 days left before the count concludes, we are pushing hard to ensure that every county surpasses its level from ten years ago. Across the state, there are literally hundreds of census events scheduled between now and September 30 to help everyone fulfill their civic responsibility to be counted.

To find an event near you, visit census.nj.gov.

In 2010, we know that New Jersey was undercounted—and as a result, we left billions of dollars in federal aid on the table for our schools, health care, roads, public transportation, and even our COVID-19 response.

This year’s Census is especially critical as we fight to ensure proper representation in Congress. Another undercount could mean the loss of yet another representative, just as we experienced after 2010.

If you have not yet responded, go to 2020Census.gov and make sure you are counted.

With that, let’s turn our attention to the overnight COVID-19 numbers.

Today, we are reporting 519 additional positive results, bringing the cumulative statewide total since March 4 to 198,848.

The positivity rate for all tests recorded on Monday, September 13, was 2.19 percent, and the statewide rate of transmission currently stands at 1.08.

In our hospitals, as of last night, there were 221 confirmed COVID-positive patients being treated, with another 192 individuals listed as Persons Under Investigation (PUI) awaiting test results—for a total of 413 hospitalized patients.

Of these, 73 required intensive care, and 36 required the use of a ventilator.

Today, we report five additional deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities to 14,270. The number of probable deaths remains at 1,791.

All deaths reported today occurred within the past five days—two on September 15, and one each on September 13, 14, and 16.

Our hospitals also reported seven in-hospital deaths yesterday; however, as we note daily, these have not yet been lab-confirmed and are therefore not included in our official count.

Honoring New Jersey Residents Lost to COVID-19

As we do every day, let us take a few moments to remember three of the blessed souls from New Jersey whom we have lost over the past six months.

We begin by remembering a legend from West Orange, Joseph Suriano, a longtime English teacher and track coach at West Orange High School.

Joe was a native of West Orange, a state high school champion in the 100-meter dash, and an All-American in college. He began his teaching career at West Orange High School in 1969 and remained there for 46 years, retiring in January 2016.

For his deep commitment to his students, he was named Teacher of the Year three times. As a coach, his West Orange Mountaineers track and field teams won seven league championships, and he earned Area Coach of the Year honors 16 times, League Coach of the Year eight times, and was twice recognized as Essex County Coach of the Year.

He trained five athletes who became All-Americans and three who met Olympic qualifying standards.

For all of this, it is no surprise that the track and football field at West Orange High School was dedicated in his honor as Suriano Stadium. His legacy also lives on through the Suriano Family Scholarship.

When he retired, a colleague said Joe was “a man rich in every way that counts.” For Joe, that richness was most evident in his love for his family.

He leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Marlene; his two daughters, Stephanie and Nicole; his son-in-law, Joseph (Nicole’s husband); and two granddaughters, Avery and Dylan. He is also survived by many extended family members, friends, and of course, thousands of grateful students and student-athletes.

Joe was 73 years old.
Thank you, Joe, for your years of dedication to the youth of West Orange. You made your hometown—and all of us—immensely proud. May God bless you.

Next, we remember Antoinette Tosco, who spent her entire life in Bridgewater, Somerset County. She was 77 years old.

Antoinette was a trained horticulturist who turned her lifelong love of the outdoors—first nurtured through her membership in Somerset County 4-H as a child—into a lifelong vocation.

She began her career at the Duke Botanical Gardens in Hillsborough before spending more than 25 years with the Somerset County Park Commission, where she helped manage the 33-acre Buck Garden in Far Hills, considered one of the finest in the nation.

Antoinette is survived by her sisters, Rosemarie and Jeanne; her nephew, Dr. Anthony Radich; and her niece, Colonel Nicole Radich Dobson, M.D., along with grandnephews Michael and Ian, and grandnieces Dana, Destiny, and Claire.

Antoinette spent her life making the world a more beautiful place, giving us all a reason to slow down and appreciate nature. We thank her for sharing her gift, and may God bless her and her family.

Finally, for this week, we remember Rocco Sanfilippo of South Toms River, who passed away at the age of 69.

He was born in Tunis, Tunisia, in North Africa, but came to New Jersey as a child and graduated from Toms River High School South.

Rocco had two careers—first as a chemical operator at Ecolab, and later as the owner of Rocco’s Bella Vita Pizza in Toms River.

Outside of work, family and friends will remember him as an avid fisherman and crabber who loved spending time in his kitchen, a bowler who once achieved a perfect 300 game, a youth bowling coach at Thunderbowl in Bayville, and a generous volunteer Little League baseball and softball coach in Berkeley.

Rocco leaves behind his mother, Carmela; his wife of 47 years, Mary; his daughter Pam and her wife Cara; his son Joseph and his husband Michael; his uncle Sal; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and godchildren.

Rocco spent his life doing what he loved with the people he loved. May we all be so blessed.
God bless you, Rocco—and may God bless all those we have lost and their families.

Small Business Recognition, Community Highlights, and Closing Remarks

Next, I want to recognize another one of our hardworking small business leaders who is helping ensure that our tomorrow will be stronger than our today.

Today we acknowledge Sonya Schefer, owner and operator of the Newark-based wholesale produce distributor M. Bross, Inc.

M. Bross has been supplying supermarkets along the East Coast since the 1950s, building its longevity on a foundation of integrity and dedication to quality. But when the pandemic hit—and with her supermarket partners still depending on her—Sonya needed a helping hand.

She found it through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), where she qualified for a $10,000 grant that enabled her to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for her employees, purchase additional industrial cleaning supplies to keep her operations safe, and cover other necessary expenses.

Now, with her largest retail client, Wakefern Corporation, scaling back up, Sonya and the M. Bross team are ready to keep moving forward.

I had the honor of speaking with Sonya, wishing her continued success, and thanking her for upholding M. Bross’s proud legacy in Newark.

Before closing, I want to take a moment to send very special birthday wishes to Donald Shaffer of Delran.

Donald is a World War II veteran, a retired construction worker, and known by many as “Poppy.”

He has lived alone since his wife passed away a decade ago. This week, Donald turned 95 years old, but because of the current circumstances, he has been unable to gather with his daughter, two granddaughters, and five great-grandchildren as originally planned.

We’re not going to let this pandemic stand in the way of celebrating him. So to you, Donald—from the First Lady and me, and everyone here today—we wish you the happiest of birthdays and many more to come.

Thank you for being such a cherished member of our New Jersey family.

Finally, to all members of our Jewish community preparing to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the New Year: Shana Tovah!
May this be a sweet year of good health for you and your loved ones.

And with that, I now turn things over to the woman who needs no introduction—our Commissioner of Health, Judy Persichilli.