Governor Murphy:  We actually, we have got two of our four kids are here. We frankly don’t go near each other.  We have a lot of windows open, we eat outside whenever we can, and we wear masks if we are in close contact.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  So you and your wife have tested negative, you said you’ve had a couple of tests, that you will be tested again. Can you tell us when you’ll be tested again?

Governor Murphy:  Yes absolutely I was tested Monday just as a normal course of business. My wife and I both tested again yesterday when we heard about our colleague who was tested positive. Again we tested negative as I had on Monday. I’ll get tested again Brigitte likely on Saturday, and likely again on Monday morning, assuming that the test on Saturday is also negative before I get back seeing people again.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS: So this event, an outdoor event, was last Saturday, so Governor you have to really wait the two weeks to be in quarantine before you know for sure that you’re out of the woods?

Governor Murphy: So at the moment, the CDC and we follow this strictly as you could imagine, says if you’re within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more are in close contact, that’s a sort of red line. I was not really right up against this person. It was at most 15 minutes and we were outdoors. Having said all , we’re taking the steps we are taking out of an abundance of caution and we reserve the right by the way based on tests and other developments to extend this. as we think we need to.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  Right as you mentioned the event was outdoors. We had it was a barn in Hoboken, but it was outdoors  and you had fleeting contact at that event. Governor, were people keeping their masks on outside the whole time? Because I know people take them off for eating or drinking but some people tend to take them off even when they’re not eating or drinking

Governor Murphy: Yeah I mean we ourselves took them off. Obviously you can’t eat or drink through a mask so honestly I have to say when people were moving around, and that’s when you really want to make sure you know you’re not sitting with your own little bubble but you’re moving around in your inner mingling with folks who are not part of your family or close friends. Folks were wearing masks at least to the best of my recollection. But at the table, you’re having a drink, you’re eating something, by definition, you’re taking your mask off.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  Yeah, of other people let the event, I didn’t see a number.  Do you have a number of how many people are going to have to get tested because of the event?

Governor Murphy: Well, it wasn’t an event, it was actually just a social engagement with a handful of our close friends and colleagues, so it’s everybody was at the table that we were at is going often, and either has gotten tasted, I think everyone has been tested at this point, and I believe to the best of my knowledge everybody else, thank God has been negative.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  I see. Roughly how many people are we talking?

Governor Murphy: There were probably half a dozen of us.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  OK so a fairly small event. Also you mentioned that your office is doing the at home are routine right now. Governor, is that because of your potential exposure? Are there more people among your staff who were not at the gathering who need to get tested?

Governor Murphy: Yeah, they are all either gotten tested or will be tested by tomorrow and it’s not really, it’s not exposure to me, it’s exposure to now actually two staff members who have tested positive. Both, by the way are doing fine, thank God. It is exposure to them, that has led us both send everybody to work from home, as well as aggressively test our team, and in some cases other staff members that they had closer more prolonged contact with, with our colleagues, they in fact will be quarantining for that 14 days.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  OK I do want to get an update on the statewide numbers, Governor, but very quickly are you taking any proactive medication?

Governor Murphy:  I’m not. Again, I am asymptomatic, I feel like a million bucks. I had surgery in March on my kidney, so that’s a little bit of, I want to make sure I don’t trip any wires, personally. But I feel great and  in the checkups I had after 6 months were all clear, so the answer is no I’m on the only thing I’m doing is I’m all virtual, quarantining at home.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  Ok, so glad to hear that you’re feeling well

Governor Murphy: Thank you.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  Can you give us an update this morning, Governor, on the rates in New Jersey? We last heard that some of the rates were the worst that they’ve been since August. Most hospitalizations since July, any new numbers?

Governor Murphy: Yeah I don’t have any overnight yet, I get those usually mid to late morning but you’re right the hospitalization number is the highest it’s been in 3 month. We sadly reported 18 fatalities yesterday that were confirmed, not all obviously from yesterday but that confirmed for COVID-19, our spot positivity rate which is among the lowest in the nation is still higher than we would like, it’s four point something,  our rate of transmission is actually bad news, it stayed above one but the decent news is, it has moved outside of a band of 1.15 plus or minus and we’ve you know, we had over 1000 cases yesterday and I don’t know what today’s number is but there’s no question the numbers are up, there are some hotspots. But it’s in you know, it’s across the state, and its across the country right now. There is no denying that.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  Yeah it is, I’m sure you heard your counterpart in New York, talking about you know saying, people probably shouldn’t go back and forth from New York to New Jersey and Connecticut because of higher rates. Is that practical? What sort of travel advice are you offering?

Governor Murphy: Yes. So, Governor Cuomo, and Governor Lamont, and I had a good conversation, I guess two days ago at this point in and we all agreed that the fact of the matter is that transient essential travel has never been part of these quarantine requirements. So if you have to go to New York City, to go to work, that’s never been a part of what this was about. We all, states, that we’re asking folks to self-quarantine from has gone up dramatically over the past couple of months. We’re basically saying, listen. don’t travel unless you have to. Now if you have got to go work and you are coming home the same day, you’ve got to do something for health care, whatever it might be, it’s essential to your job, yes, obviously you do that, and that’s a very strong agreement among the 3 Governors, as well as our neighbors in Pennsylvania and Delaware I might add. But if you don’t have to travel, don’t travel.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  And I know I have to let you go, but what we do about Thanksgiving?

Governor Murphy:  Be careful, Brigitte. You know the quintessential American holiday. Folks have got to be careful, I would say. I hate to say this but I think we have to downscale it. Stay within your bubble, within your family, the folks that you’re living with. And if we do it right this year it’s sort of a down payment, if you will, on being able to get back to normal, God willing, next year.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS:  Yeah I like your advice, Governor about keeping the windows open when the kids are around, I think I’m going to try that one, alright.

Governor Murphy:  Yeah, let’s hope it doesn’t get below freezing too soon, but we are doing that and I think it’s smart to keep the natural ventilation as much as you can.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS: Alright, Governor Murphy, we wish you well, and we thank you very much for speaking with us this morning.

Governor Murphy:  Thanks for having me, Brigitte, any time.

Brigitte Quinn, 1010 WINS: New Jersey Governor Murphy, there live in the 1010 WINS news line