Coronavirus Update: NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Says State Is Being Proactive Amid Outbreak
FORT LEE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- There are no known cases of coronavirus in New Jersey, but state officials are preparing nonetheless.
CBS2's Hazel Sanchez spoke to Carlo Marna from Wayne, New Jersey, while he was out for a rare errand run. He just had open heart surgery last month and the potential threat of coronavirus makes him nervous.
"If I was going to the restaurant to eat, right now, I would not go," he said.
On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy validated Marna's concerns, saying although there are no cases of coronavirus in New Jersey, the state is being proactive.
"We're doing everything we can to get out ahead of this and also be as prepared as possible if something hits us," he said.
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Wednesday morning, the governor met with state health officials to fine-tune a protocol should the virus end up in New Jersey.
"If you're asymptomatic [while in the state of New Jersey], it depends on whether or not you're from New Jersey, in which case you would probably self-quarantine. If you are not from New Jersey, we would, right now, the first port of call would be having folks go to the joint base, Fort Dix McGuire," Murphy said.
People would be quarantined on the base until they are tested and cleared.
"I don't have a problem with that, I really truly don't. It's just safe. Better safe than sorry. You can't infect a lot of people. If you can control it that way then I say go for it," said Evelyn Growney, of Rockaway, New Jersey.
The CDC has advised schools, hospitals and businesses to begin preparing now for the expectation that this could be bad. Some New Jersey schools have already been sending out reminders about basic prevention.
"I think if you have a reasonable care plan, in terms of what you would do if something hits you, it should not be that bad. Like, I'm not panicking and putting on masks and running in the streets," said West New York resident Shvetha Prabhu.
"I have elderly parents and I tell them just wash their hands as often as they can. If we go anywhere, I give them the hand sanitizer and just be careful that way," Growney said.
Should there be a case of coronavirus in New Jersey, the governor says that patient's first port of call would be University Hospital in Newark. The Department of Health, however, did hold a conference call with all of the state's major hospitals on Wednesday, preparing for the worst.
