New Jersey to implement new indoor dining, sports restrictions due to COVID-19 case surge

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy warned that his administration is considering implementing another round of restrictions to get the outbreak under control.

Murphy's administration has ordered bars and restaurants to halt indoor dining from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting Nov. 12 because of an uptick in the coronavirus.

Outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery services are permitted to continue past 10 p.m. and all barside seating is now prohibited at all hours of operation.

Smaller establishments will now be able to place tables closer than six feet should they be separated by barriers. The state will also allow individual, enclosed dining bubbles, that will be limited to one group each and must be sanitized between uses.

The dining rules also apply to casinos, though gaming is permitted to resume around the clock.

In addition to dining restrictions, Murphy also announced all interstate indoor games and tournaments for youth sports, up to and including high school, are prohibited for the time being.

Murphy added that the new restrictions do not preclude the state from taking further actions or implementing other new restrictions in the future.

"The essential thing is that we have to change our mindset," Murphy said Monday. "We remain in the midst of a global pandemic, and in case you missed it, our country is now recording more than 100,000 cases per day everyday."

"New Jersey is now back at levels we thought we left behind months ago," he added.

Murphy said the state's confirmed coronavirus-related death toll has risen to 14,640 and the number of probable coronavirus-related deaths has been adjusted to 1,800. The total number of cases in the state has risen to more than 256,000. 

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