New Jersey is taking the first steps to reopening its economy on Monday, when non-essential businesses will be allowed to take phone and online orders and deliver them at curbside, however, the word from City Hall in Newark is that it’s a little too soon.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, in a virtual discussion of the city’s reopening with state lawmakers and leaders in education, business, and health care, says opening up will carry a price.
"When you open up I don’t want people to believe that people aren’t going to get sick, cause there’s no cure, there’s no vaccine, people are going to get sick when you open up, that’s going to happen, what we need to make sure is that there are not a bunch of people getting sick at one time, and two, if people are sick that there’s room for them to go to the hospital."
Baraka says he’d prefer that businesses in Newark not reopen just yet, because of the increased use of public transportation and problems with social distancing he says it will cause.