Statewide School Closures
Within the past three months, the coronavirus has turned everyone’s lives upside down. Businesses have closed, people have lost their jobs, and students have been thrown into a new learning environment. Many students are eager to return to their everyday lives. On May 4th, Governor Murphy announced that schools will not be reopening this year, and online schooling will continue until the end of the school year.
His goal is to prevent the spread of coronavirus to students and educators. Governor Murphy stated the following during his daily debriefing, “I have been unwavering on the message that we need to make decisions based on science, not emotion . . . science tells us that at this point, we can’t safely reopen our schools.” According to northjersey.com, there were 141,398 reported coronavirus cases in New Jersey as of May 11th.
Five days prior, on April 29th, Governor Murphy signed an executive order which reopened parks and golf courses in the state. He also restored the authority of counties to decide whether or not to open their parks, however, social distancing must still be maintained within their boundaries. The reasoning behind this is so that people will be able to go outside and get fresh air and exercise.
Many students are longing to return to school, while others are not. Personally, I think it is important to do whatever we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is sad that we cannot finish the school year, but if it helps to keep people safe, then it is necessary.
Sources:
Nj.gov.com