New Jersey governor calls snowfall an "all hands on deck storm" as COVID vaccinations remain on hold
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy called the snowstorm pummeling Northeast an "all hands on deck storm," as crews continued to clear roads Tuesday morning. Speaking at a press conference as snow continued to lightly fall, Murphy urged New Jersey residents to stay off the roads, noting that over the course of the storm, authorities had received about 2,500 calls from drivers in need of help.
"If you can stay home, we really want you to stay home today," he said.
By Tuesday morning, New Jersey began to reopen limited train and bus service, Murphy said, but thousands of snow plows and other emergency road equipment remained on the road as workers hurried to clear snow.
Along the Jersey Shore, the storm brought on coastal flooding, leaving roads under water and impossible to pass, CBS New York reported.
Six vaccine mega-sites in New Jersey remained closed Tuesday, Murphy said, adding that anyone who had an appointment for Tuesday was contacted and asked to reschedule. The state will not schedule any new vaccinations, Murphy said, "until the storm's impact is assessed."
As of Tuesday morning, the state had administered 824,028 COVID vaccinations and hospitals were currently treating 2,892 COVID patients, Murphy said. During the storm Monday, 254 COVID patients were discharged from New Jersey hospitals, while 297 were admitted, Murphy said.
Murphy said that one "big, positive surprise" was the low number of power outages throughout the storm.
Board of Public Utilities President Joseph Fiordaliso said that over the course of the storm, the top number of New Jersey power outages at any time was about 5,000. He said the state saw fewer outages than expected due to the lighter snow and lack of strong winds.
Another inch or two of snow may fall in the Philadelphia region, but the brunt of it has already fallen, leading to near 2 feet in some parts of the Lehigh Valley and just over 6″ in the city of Philadelphia.
A Winter Storm Warning continued for Philadelphia and surrounding counties, Berks, the Lehigh Valley and Poconos until 4 p.m. Tuesday, CBS Philly reported.