Murphy begins self-quarantine after senior staffer tests positive for Covid

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy abruptly left a press event in Camden County on Wednesday minutes after learning that one of his senior staffers had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Though Murphy has tested negative for the virus, he and first lady Tammy Murphy will quarantine until the end of the weekend, Communications Director Mahen Gunaratna said in a statement.

Murphy, who was informed of the staffer’s positive test during an event at Camden County College in Blackwood, said he came into “close proximity” of the person on Saturday. The governor said he tested negative for the virus on Monday — before he was aware of the exposure — and has had no symptoms.

He and Tammy Murphy were tested again later Wednesday and the results were negative, Gunaratna said.

“I will now, unfortunately, have to take myself off the field,” Murphy, who was wearing a mask, told the crowd at the event in Blackwood before leaving.

Gunaratna did not identify the senior staffer who tested positive. The person is currently quarantining at home, he said, and the administration has started the contact tracing process to notify everyone who may have interacted with the person.

The governor’s office later identified the staffer as Mike Delamater, deputy chief of staff for intergovernmental affairs.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the governor’s office announced that Daniel Bryan, senior adviser for strategic communications for Murphy, has also tested positive for Covid-19.

Bryan "took the test out of an abundance of caution" and remains asymptomatic, according to the governor’s office.

The front office said in a statement that the contact tracing process has begun and they will be notifying those who have been in contact with Bryan.

In April, Matt Platkin, Murphy’s then chief counsel, quarantined at home after he tested positive for coronavirus.

Murphy and the first lady will be canceling all in-person events in the coming days and will each take another Covid test before resuming any in-person activity.

"From the beginning, the Governor's Office has taken every precaution to limit the spread of COVID-19. Today's exceedingly cautious steps are part of that ongoing commitment," Gunaratna said in his statement.

Murphy’s quarantine comes as New Jersey hits an inflection point in its response to the pandemic. After months of manageable caseloads and limited spread, the Garden State is at risk of losing its grip on the virus.

In the weeks since Murphy directed restaurants, gyms and theaters to open their doors with capacity restrictions, the average number of cases reported daily has climbed from the low-300s to more than 1,000, including 1,062 on Wednesday. The number of patients currently hospitalized for confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 has been climbing sharply for weeks as well, reaching 884 on Wednesday.

Since the first case was reported in early March, New Jersey has recorded 223,223 positive cases and more than 16,200 confirmed or probable Covid-related deaths.

The recent surge has been largely driven by outbreaks within college universities and Orthodox communities, particularly in Ocean County and neighboring Monmouth County, where Murphy resides. Health officials and Murphy have pinned the spikes on house parties and family gatherings, as opposed to indoor dining or school re-openings.

Participation in the state’s contact tracing program has languished. Less than half of the state’s new Covid-19 patients are providing health officials with the information necessary to stamp out budding outbreaks.

Murphy’s decision to enter a holding pattern for the next several days, pending future test results, follows his administration’s intense criticism of President Donald Trump for holding a fundraiser at his private golf club in Bedminster, N.J. even after close personal aide Hope Hicks had tested positive for the virus.

Trump was diagnosed with Covid-19 just hours after the Bedminster event.

Murphy alluded to his criticism of the president on Wednesday and said that’s why he must take immediate action to quarantine.

“I can’t ask President Trump not to come to Bedminster and do a fundraiser and have me sit here,“ he said.