Updates on COVID-19

Each week, the coronavirus pandemic presents new challenges, discoveries, and concerns. At the moment, not a single hour goes by when the media is not discussing topics related to the growing pandemic. As our days spent in quarantine continue to pile up, so do the endless amounts of news pertaining to the crisis. The following is a recap of three of the latest topics that have made their way into the media.

1. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was released from the Intensive Care Unit.

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2019, is one of the first world leaders to catch COVID-19. When Johnson tested positive for the virus on March 26th, he went into self-quarantine shortly after. According to an article by BBC News, Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital in London on April 5th as his condition worsened. On Monday of the next week, Johnson tweeted that he was still “in good spirits” despite his risky situation. Later the same day, Johnson was moved to the intensive care unit of the hospital as his symptoms worsened. All of the news concerning his testing and treatments have been disclosed to the public. To show his support, President Trump tweeted a message to Johnson, wishing him a swift recovery: “He’s [Boris] been really something very special — strong, resolute, doesn’t quit, doesn’t give up”. People around the globe wished Johnson a speedy recovery and that seems to has worked. He intends to return to work on Monday, April 27th, a month after being diagnosed.

2. New Jersey’s death toll has surpassed those of the state's residents killed in the attacks on 9/11.

On April 4th, Governor Phil Murphy announced that 846 New Jersey residents had lost their lives due to coronavirus complications -- over one hundred more victims than those lost as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. In a news briefing Murphy stated, “Let me put this in a proper, yet very, sobering context: We have now lost nearly 100 more of our fellow New Jerseyans to COVID-19 than we did on the Sept. 11 attacks,” (Whyy Organization). As of April 7th, Governor Murphy announced that the current death toll has risen to over 1,200, with the total number of cases in New Jersey reaching 44,416. Hopefully soon, these numbers will begin to decrease as we take more preventative measures to “flatten the curve”.

3. Governor Phil Murphy enacts new executive orders, extending emergency orders and closing public parks.

In order to continue with his initiative to “flatten the curve” and fight the deaths of COVID-19 in New Jersey, Governor Murphy has signed multiple executive orders into action. The first of these orders, Executive Order No. 119, extends the previous dates of the public health emergency order, which calls for people to stay indoors unless it is absolutely necessary to go outdoors. This order was originally issued on March 21st. It has now been extended by 30 days so that the state may “continue on war footing” (NJ Gov ). A second order, Executive Order No. 118, ordered the closure of all state and county parks until further notice. Murphy made this decision after noticing a lack of cooperation with social distancing guidelines, as many state parks have been overcrowded since the quarantine began. Murphy stated, “We have seen far too many instances where people are gathering in groups in our parks erroneously thinking since they’re outside social distancing doesn’t matter, nothing could be far from the truth” (CNBC). Murphy has received public backlash against this order, but recognizes that it is a crucial preventative measure to keep the public safe. With these acts, Murphy hopes to see a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases in our state and beyond so that we can begin the process of returning life back to normal.

Overall, the last few weeks have presented a new set of challenges and solutions. During these trying times, it is best that we follow government guidelines by practicing good hygiene and social distancing, and staying indoors as much as possible. Remember to stay safe and keep your spirits high, as the only way to defeat this virus is to do so together.