Gov. Murphy reports positive signs in COVID-19 trends

New Jersey coronavirus briefing

The state's transmission rates have fallen from its recent peak, Gov. Phil Murphy said. He said the reproduction rate of the virus has dropped below 1, which he credited to policy, enforcement, and responsible behavior.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's COVID-19 trends are going in the right direction after rising slightly for about a week, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.

The rate of transmission, which measures how many people one infected person spreads the virus to, fell below 1 to 0.98, down from about 1.5 at the start of last week, Murphy said.

"The decrease in (rate of transmission) is definitely a positive sign, but no one should look at that and think it means that coronavirus is no longer with us, or that you can go ahead and leave your mask and home or join a big crowd waiting to get into a bar with your friends," Murphy said.

The governor also said about 250 new positive cases were reported since Sunday, putting the total at 185,000. Four more deaths putt the death toll at 14,025.

Despite the declining transmission rate, Murphy did not announce any new reopenings. The state is in the second of three stages of reopening its economy.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness or death.