By Donald Gilpin

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, in his press briefing today, April 10, pointed out some “good early signs, important early signs” of a leveling off in the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state, but the numbers of cases and deaths from the disease continue to rise.

Murphy reported 233 deaths in the past 24 hours for a total of 1,932 COVID-19-related deaths in the state and an additional 3,627 new cases for a total of 54,588 confirmed cases. Murphy urged New Jersey residents to stay apart, stay home, and practice social distancing for this holiday weekend as the only way to get past the peak of this pandemic.

Murphy’s message was echoed in a press release from New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick J. Callahan.

“It will be hard this holiday weekend to miss loved ones and forego traditional family get-togethers, but it is absolutely critical that we all stay home and maintain social distance,” Grewal said. “There are indications that these measures are indeed flattening the curve of the pandemic in the U.S., but if we let our guard down now by traveling for holiday gatherings, more lives will be put at risk.”

Murphy cited the encouraging news that 682 coronavirus patients had been discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours, and he pointed out a slowing of infections in several counties in the state.  As of Thursday night, officials reported that 7,570 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19 or the suspicion of having it, with 1,679 in critical care and 1,663 on ventilators.

The Princeton Health Department today reported four new COVID-19 cases in Princeton in the past 24 hours for a total of 54. Twenty-eight of those cases remain active, 24 of them have completed isolation and recovered, and there have been two COVID-19-related deaths, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s.

 The New Jersey Department of Health announced that as of today there are 1,282 positive cases of COVID-19 in Mercer County and 39 deaths.

For more information, visit Princetoncovid.org or covid19.nj.gov.