Almost a year and a half into the fight of our lives, the Governor of New Jersey announced he was joining his family on vacation in Italy at his Aug. 9 press conference.

In response to reporters’ questions about the raging Delta variant that’s taking such a deadly toll in several states and getting traction in the under 18 population, his tone was very matter of fact. He’s a confident CEO or a mature pilot landing a Boeing 747. He’s has done a good job for 17 months and he’s out of here for some earned R+R with the family.

He’s got this.

“It’s important to note we’ve got just about 650-something in the hospital, and our peak was 8,270,” the collected Murphy told reporters. “We’re not happy about the 650-something, but it’s a heck of distance from the 8,270.”

As far as pressing on with massive public events with unmasked Jersey revelers cheek to jowl, it was “too early to make the call what it looks like. Remember, this is a much different beast outside than inside. That’s an important point to make.”

And yet, there was a kind of split screen incoherence to the presentation which included some disturbing details about the impact of the Delta variant on children.

“We continue to see an increase in hospitalizations, among those under the age of 18,” Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli told reporters at the Aug. 9 briefing. “As the Governor noted, as of last night there are 13 children hospitalized with COVID in New Jersey, including 2 in intensive care units.”

Ms. Persichilli continued. “In January, 0.8% of our admissions to our hospitals were among those under the age of 18. Today it’s 2.6%. With the circulation of other respiratory viruses, pediatricians are reporting a greater number of sick children than they normally see this time of year. While the numbers remain low in New Jersey, we see that states with lower vaccination rates like Florida or Texas are seeing higher rates of children with symptomatic COVID-19 entering hospitals sicker and with more serious symptoms.”

Yet, with an eye on the tarmac, Murphy left unresolved the thorny issue of what kind of vaccine mandate he is going to promulgate for public school teachers, staff and visitors when school opens in less than a month.

“AFT President Randi Weingarten has come out in favor of a vaccine mandate, and I’m wondering if and how that affects your thinking on the matter,” asked a New Jersey Monitor reporter during the Aug. 9 briefing. “Similarly, the NJEA says that they’re waiting for guidance from your Administration on the issue, and I’m wondering if you have any sort of estimate for when that might come?”

“This is something we’re working on right now, and your question on timing is my guess is within the next two or three weeks we’ll have something we’ll be able to put out there would be my guess,” Mr. Murphy told the reporter.

The Governor, in re-election mode, took the opportunity to tell reporters he had “a lot of respect” for Randi Weingarten, the national president of the AFT. “We do a lot together,” he said.  “By the way, people associate Randi with educators, which they should, but she and I actually spend at least as much time deliberating on healthcare matters because she represents a big chunk of the great healthcare workers in our state.”

Murphy was referring to the AFT affiliated New Jersey Health Professionals and Allied Employees, which represents 14,000 health care workers and is the state’s largest union in that sector.

Back in May, HPAE was one of the unions which blasted the CDC’s decision to rescind the universal mask mandate for vaccinated individuals, correctly warning it was based entirely on a naïve honor system which failed to account for the tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans as well as the ongoing risk posed by variants.

At the time, HPAE lavished praise on Murphy for not going along with Mayor de Blasio, and Governor Cuomo who all quickly followed the CDC guidance despite the fact that millions of their constituents were still unvaccinated.

Murphy did not hold out for long, noting the economic pressure on Garden State businesses who would lose foot traffic because consumers could opt to just cross a river to New York where the mask mandate had been dropped. Even after the Delta surge has made it clear how mistaken that CDC rollback of masking was, Murphy has refused to formally reinstate it, while strongly suggesting people mask up in a state where transmission of the virus is a serious issue.

On Aug. 4,  a very spirited Murphy appeared to relish confronting anti-vaccine protestors who had come to a Union City event where the Governor was signing an extension of the state’s eviction moratorium.

He interrupted his own remarks from the podium to blast the protestors. “You’ve lost your minds,” Murphy said with an accusatory finger cutting the air, as the crowd cheered him on. “You are the ultimate knuckleheads and because of what you are saying and standing for, people are losing their lives and you should now that. Look in the mirror.”

Oddly, while Gov. Murphy made a big deal out of mandating masking for schools, more than a month before they open, he’s evidently leaving to the last moment finalizing the teacher and staff vaccine mandate requirements.

The vaccination process can take over a month to fully execute. The Governor’s nonchalant timing may turn out to be a boon for the state’s substitute teachers who could be pressed into service if a vaccine mandate coincides with the actual start of the school year.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots weeks apart and then another two weeks to take full effect. Moreover, these vaccines can produce reactions that could require an educator to have to take off a day. Wouldn’t it have been better for that to have occurred in the lazy days of August?

“People should expect they may need 24 to 48 hours off of work, but some people feel nothing,” Dr. Neeta Ogden, and internal medicine specialist and immunologist, told CBS MoneyWatch. “So, depending on what kind of job they have, their employers should know this is a possible side effect.”

According to the CDC, as of April 80 percent of the nation’s pre-K to 12 grade teachers, school staff and childcare workers had at least gotten one vaccine shot.

In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that in a survey the National Education Association had found “about 86% of its members have received at least one dose of the vaccine, up from 49% a month ago…according to a which 2,690 members were polled was commissioned by the union from May 19-26.

The state’s largest teacher union didn’t seem concerned about Murphy’s timing.

“If the governor’s executive order requiring vaccination or regular testing in certain other sectors is extended to schools, we will work to ensure that it is implemented in a way that protects the health and welfare of everyone involved,” NJEA spokesman Steven Baker told NJ Advance Media. “In any case, we will continue to encourage and promote vaccination for school employees and all eligible New Jersey residents.”

Luckily for Murphy, the New Jersey Republican Party has been captured by a constituency that includes significant numbers that believe COVID is being used as a pretext for the state to grab more control over our lives.

And so, Murphy can enjoy Italy without fear his Republican opponent, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli will fault the Governor for not doing enough to fight a virus that’s already killed over 26,000 state residents and infected one in nine of the general population.

After all, the GOP wants Murphy to do less, a lot less.