NJ Re-Opening Car, Motorcycle Dealers and Bike Shops

New Jersey car and motorcycle dealers along with bike shops shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic can re-open for in-person sales on Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday.

It’s the latest development as the state begins to loosen restrictions that stemmed from the coronavirus outbreak in New Jersey, one of the hardest-hit states in the country. Overnight, the state reported about 1,000 more positive cases, for a total of 149,000, Murphy said, with 162 more deaths. The death toll stands at 10,586, according to the first-term Democratic governor.

Two-week trends for hospitalizations, use of ventilators and intensive care units for patients are down across the state, Murphy said — factors leading to the phasing in of certain parts of the economy.

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

A look at other developments:

DEFIANT GYM

The owners of a gym in southern New Jersey have again been cited for re-opening the business in defiance of a state order that shut down nonessential businesses to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Bellmawr police issued the latest summonses to the Atilis Gym shortly after it opened its doors on Tuesday.

The gym’s owners have said the decision to resume operations at the members-only facility was not about financial gain, but a question of constitutional rights.

NURSING HOME DEATHS

The number of nursing-home deaths from the virus is being revised downward by about 1,400 to 4,295, Murphy said. That’s because the older figures included deaths of people whose COVID-19 tests had not been lab-confirmed.

Murphy said the change stemmed from making the nursing home death toll comparable to the overall fatality figure he reports every day, which he said includes only lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths.

NO PRESCRIPTION NECESSARY

The state’s 18,000 licensed pharmacists may now administer COVID-19 tests under an administrative order, the governor announced Tuesday. He said that means the tests can be given without a prescription.

Fifty CVS pharmacies across the state will also begin offering self-swab tests by the end of the month, Murphy said.