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Newark implemented a new 8 p.m. curfew this week, forcing all non-essential businesses to shut down early amid surging coronavirus cases in the city.
The only stores exempt from the nightly curfew are supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations. Restaurants and bars have to close indoor service at 8 p.m., but can continue outdoor service open until 11 p.m.
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The test positivity rate is the highest it has been since May, surging to 11.8% for all tests done between Oct. 11-17. It is highest in the East Ward, where the rate is 25.3%.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka previously ordered a curfew in March, and the city is taking the same approach for this second wave.
“This is not the first time COVID-19 has threatened our city and its residents at this magnitude and once again, we will meet this challenge with determination and guided by data,” Baraka said in a statement. “We are Newark strong and can get through this together. We did it once before and we can do it again.”
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order in March that cities and localities could not set policies that contradict the state’s policies. Murphy endorsed Newark’s curfew this week though, saying the state has “a great partnership with Newark.”
“They have painful history with what happens when this thing flares up and no community has seen that pain more so than Newark, and we are right beside them in the steps that he’s taken and the ones we’re taking with him,” he said at a press conference Monday.
Newark will keep its curfew in place for two weeks then reassess.
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