SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Scholastic athletes should soon find out whether or not Gov. Phil Murphy plans to extend his ban on indoor sports across the Garden State.
The governor imposed the restriction on Dec. 7 in an effort to slow the second wave of coronavirus infections. The ban prohibits indoor games and practices for youth, high school, and adult recreational leagues, including basketball and ice hockey.
College and pro sports are exempt.
The order is set to expire on Saturday. Murphy said he’s concerned about the safety of intra-state competitions, but he plans to address the future of the ban in the coming days.
“By definition, you’ve got traveling parties, you’ve got people congregating, etc. But we know we owe an answer on that,” he said.
Murphy is not planning to lift any other COVID-19 restrictions right now.
“Beyond (indoor sports), we’re gonna stay where we are,” he added. “My guess is that we probably do what we did … when we begin to reopen — we do it very gradually. I don’t think there’s going to be a day — one day to the next — that all of a sudden we’re fully open.”
Murphy said he will talk with Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli further before addressing the state of the ban later this week.