Friend,

Today Governor Phil Murphy made an announcement that I believe will provide some much needed hope to all of us. State parks will be reopened and county parks and golf courses will have the option to reopen starting this Saturday, May 2nd, with strict social distancing measures still in place. This is a milestone moment in our state’s long road back to normal as we fight against the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. 

Governor Murphy is taking these steps in consultation with public health experts and the decision to reopen parks was made by following the data, just like all of the Governor’s previous actions related to COVID-19. It’s a first step toward responsibly returning our state to the sense of normalcy that so many residents are craving. 

You can read more about the Governor’s executive order here.

The Governor provided updates on the numbers of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and other key metrics, and all of them are painting the same picture -- while we are not out of the woods yet, thanks to all of you, we are making progress. 

In another important announcement, yesterday Governor Murphy signed an executive order granting municipalities the option to delay the deadline for property tax payment from May 1st to June 1st. This will give local elected officials and homeowners additional flexibility in making sure that essential services continue to be delivered while providing relief to taxpayers affected by the crisis. I applaud the Governor for taking this reasonable step to help residents and municipalities. 

Remember, for the most up to date information on Governor Murphy and his team’s response to this crisis visit the state’s COVID-19 Information Hub, which is updated frequently with everything from current data to financial resources to news and more. 

Thank you for your patience and your support during this challenging time. Together, we will get through this crisis. 

Chairman John Currie