During Monday’s “New Day” on CNN, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) sounded off on people in his state pushing to reopen businesses and the beaches by staging protests and being critical of him via aerial advertising.
“New Jerseyians have been incredibly responsible throughout this entire crisis, and I have no reason to believe they won’t continue to be,” Murphy said.
When it comes to the criticism of how he is handling the lockdown, Murphy said he is not swayed by protesters demanding to reopen the state. Instead, he told “New Day” host Alisyn Camerota he is swayed by “the facts and the data and the science.”
“I don’t begrudge their right to protest, but they don’t sway me,” he stated. “The only thing that sways me are the facts and the data and the science. And listen, I want to open salons and gyms as much as anybody, but I think folks know this, but when you talk about indoors, lack of ventilation, close proximity, sedentary — you saw that hairstylist or salon worker in Missouri in the spread that she engendered, that’s real. So, gyms … I want to get them opened as much as the next guy, but we’re not there yet. I want to do it responsibly, and I don’t want to kill anybody.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent