N.J. plans to hire 1,000 to trace coronavirus cases at $25-an-hour. They got 21,000 applications in a day.
Updated May 14, 2020; Posted May 13, 2020
Coronavirus in New Jersey: Update on May 13, 2020
By
Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Gov.
Phil Murphy said Tuesday that New Jersey will likely need to hire at least another 1,000 contact tracers to help the state reopen and recover from from the
coronavirus pandemic.
Apparently, that won’t be a problem. A whopping 21,111 people already applied in the first 24 hours for the job, which could pay $25-an-hour, though officials are also seeking volunteers.
Murphy said plans to expand contact tracing from the 800 to 900 workers currently deployed is a critical piece of the state’s effort to reopen an economy that’s been badly damaged by the outbreak.
The governor announced another key component Tuesday: plans to
more than double the state’s daily coronavirus testing by the end of June.
Contract tracers help determine who people infected with COVID-19 may have interacted with.
Those interested in applying are directed to go to the website
Covid19.nj.gov/tracer.
Murphy said Tuesday the testing and contact tracing expansions could cost the state “hundreds of millions of dollars.” But Matt Platkin, the governor’s chief counsel, said that will likely be offset by federal aid.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, has
reported at least 9,702 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, with at least 140,743 total positive tests, since the outbreak started March 4. Officials reported 197 new deaths and 1,028 new cases Wednesday.
Only New York has more total cases and deaths among U.S. states.
But officials say the number of deaths per day, new cases, and new hospitalizations, as well as the total number of patients hospitalized, in critical care, and on ventilators, have dropped noticeably since April 27.
Murphy also announced Wednesday that he’s
allowing nonessential retail businesses to reopen for curbside pickup only and nonessential construction to resume in New Jersey after weeks of being closed. Plus,
drive-in and drive-through attractions — such as drive-in movies and religious services — are now permitted in the state.
They’re the second major moves Murphy has taken to the near-lockdown restrictions
he installed to fight the virus. He allowed state and county parks, as well as golf courses, to reopen with restrictions late last month.
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