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  • This morning, I signed an executive order directing nearly all of our nine million residents to quite simply, stay at home.

  • We can no longer maintain a sense of business as usual during this emergency.

  • And again, I repeat, just a zit is no time to panic.

  • But it is time to be smart, proactive, transparent, aggressive.

  • It is also no time for business as usual.

  • New Jersey governor Phil Murphy announcing a stay at home order yesterday, prohibiting social gatherings and closing all nonessential businesses.

  • And Governor Murphy joins me now, Governor would finally made you tell your residents they have to stay home.

  • Martha, we've been trying to get out ahead of this.

  • We first started meeting on January.

  • We formed a whole of government task force something on Super Bowl Sunday, February 2nd.

  • So in every step of the way, we've been trying to get out ahead of this, and it's quite clear that unless we cracked the back on the social distancing side on that curve that were flattening the curve that we're talking about, we're gonna have an overwhelming amount of pressure on our health care system.

  • So we took these extra steps.

  • We've been taking them all along.

  • My plea with folks in New Jersey is, frankly, just stay home unless you're essential.

  • Unless you're helping us in the fight.

  • We need you to be at home when we need you, even at home to social distance and give us a sense of what's happening on the ground there.

  • Now listen where I think the fourth state in terms of number of positive cases.

  • As of yesterday, 1327 positives, 16 fatalities God rest their souls are testing.

  • Regime is expanding dramatically.

  • We now we'll open up our second drive through testing on Monday.

  • That's good news.

  • So the numbers are going up partly because we're confirming the data on that will allow us, as you all know, toe better and more proactively deal with this awful crisis.

  • But folks needed to be jolted.

  • You mentioned in the tape.

  • It's no time to panic, but justice is just the same.

  • It's no time for business as usual.

  • We won World War to not cause we panic.

  • We were smart, We were aggressive.

  • We worked hard.

  • That's what we're gonna need right now.

  • The New Jersey health commissioner, who's leading the war against the virus is essentially saying, said in an interview that everybody in New Jersey is going to get the virus, and yet you are having non essential businesses close.

  • So what would you say to those businesses We're closing if the commissioner thinks everyone is going to get it anyway, Yeah, listen, we've got an extraordinary commissioner, Judy Person Kelly, the first nurse ever to serve in that position in New Jersey.

  • My view is we die trying.

  • I I think the flattening of the curve, the social distancing, telling everybody just stay home gives us a real shot to keep the numbers down, to keep the pressure lesser than it otherwise would be on our health care system and that will, God willing, save lives, have fewer sick folks.

  • We're not sitting on our hands, by the way.

  • We're also working with the Army Corps to expand our healthcare capacity.

  • But my view is, and I hate the health commissioner joins me.

  • The more aggressive we are on the front end and social distancing, the better a shot we have on the back end of keeping more people alive and safe and in governor, the Congress in the White house.

  • They're finalizing a package to address the economic and the health challenges created by this virus.

  • What's the greatest need for your state right now?

  • So we've got a couple of things.

  • We are desperate for more PEOPIE equipment, personal protective equipment.

  • We've had a big ask into the strategic stockpile in the White House.

  • They have given us a fraction of our ask.

  • We are as a state private sector public sector nonprofits turning over every stone.

  • But we need a lot more peopie both to protect our health care workers and to treat the sick.

  • And then secondly, the economic impact is overwhelming for workers.

  • For small businesses, we need the federal government.

  • We need Congress and the president to send direct cash assistance.

  • We think New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut alone.

  • Those four states need 100 billion dollars direct cash assistance to allow us to continue the fight.

  • And I'd say, lastly, there's a cost share between the feds and states of 75.

  • 25 Would love to see that go to 100 for the feds.

  • Take the pressure completely off the states and those Air three specific.

  • Ask the Governor.

  • I want.

  • I want to ask very quickly if you wouldn't mind, because we want to speak to some other governors.

  • What was your reaction to what the FEMA director said?

  • You said you still need those masks?

  • We sure do.

  • We've had a good working relationship.

  • Actually, FEMA Region two has been very good with us this week, setting up our to drive through testing sites.

  • But there's no question about it.

  • We need ah, lot more peopie and we need a big slug of that out of the strategic stockpile.

  • Okay, we thank you very much for that.

  • Hi, everyone.

  • George Stephanopoulos here.

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This morning, I signed an executive order directing nearly all of our nine million residents to quite simply, stay at home.

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