By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
New Jersey’s total coronavirus cases rose to at least 4,402 with 62 deaths as officials announced another 736 new cases on Wednesday during an afternoon briefing on the expanding outbreak.
“These numbers are sobering, but not surprising to us,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “We’ve been one of the most aggressive testing states in America.”
Details on the 18 new deaths were not immediately available. Murphy said more cases are expected and the state continues to work to expand hospital capacity. New Jersey has the second highest number of coronavirus cases after New York.
“We must be ready for the time when the surge comes,” Murphy said. “We have known that we will need to increase hospital capacity. We are in this fight to save lives.”
A county-by-county breakdown on the new cases was not immediately provided.
Coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, March 25
| LOCATION | CASES | DEATHS |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4,402 | 62 |
| New York State | 30,800 | 285 |
| New York City | 17,856 | 192 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,127 | 11 |
| Philadelphia | 342 | 1 |
| United States | 60,115 | 827 |
| Worldwide | 451,355 | 20,499 |
Note: Data includes confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported by the CDC, state health officials and other health agencies since Jan. 21. Updated: March 25 at 2:10 p.m.Table: Len Melisurgo Source: Johns Hopkins Univ., NY Times, FOX 29 Philadelphia, State Health Departments in NJ, NY, PAGet the dataCreated with Datawrapper
In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, Murphy has closed all schools in the state, ordered people to stay at home except for necessary travel, banned social gatherings, and ordered non-essential retail businesses to close until further notice. Officials have promised to prosecute those who violate the orders.
Murphy also announced a way for workers to report companies where people who are able to do their jobs from home were told by their employers to report to the office. Murphy said New Jersey employers should not be forcing their workers to go to offices if those people are able to do their jobs remotely, per his executive order.
There are now government-run drive-thru coronavirus testing centers in Paramus and Holmdel, as well as a number of sites run by county agencies, hospitals and private companies. Both state-run testing sites closed early Tuesday after hitting testing capacity.
Meanwhile, officials announced Tuesday that four new pop-pop field hospitals are on their way from the federal government to help deal with the surging cases. They will be located in Secaucus, Edison, and Atlantic City, with a fourth location to be determined.
Don’t miss stories like this Click for EP Blog updates
