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New Jersey prone to pause reopening plans as instances rise, governor says

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks at a press conference after touring the vaccination site at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center Covid-19 in Edison, New Jersey on Friday, January 15, 2021.

Mark Kauzlarich | Bloomberg | Getty Images

New Jersey is likely to suspend its reopening plans as Covid-19 cases in the state rise again, Governor Phil Murphy said Monday.

Since Sunday, the 7-day average of new Covid-19 cases in the state has risen to just over 4,000 per day – an increase of more than 10% from the previous week. This comes from a CNBC analysis of the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It also tops the US in new cases per capita last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When asked on CNN whether the state would “hold back” from reopening plans for a week or two, Murphy said, “I think you’ll see we do that in the future.”

“I suspect we won’t develop any additional capacity for some time because of the case load,” he said, adding that he believed that things should improve as the weather warms up and more people in the state are vaccinated.

New Jersey has increased its indoor restaurant and other business capacity to 50%, according to Murphy.

Other states are also seeing spikes in new cases when they reopen, and health officials are concerned that it could cause a new spike as highly contagious variants spread across the country.

“We are now in a position where we have a plateau of around 53,000 cases per day,” said Dr. White House chief physician Anthony Fauci on Friday. “The concern is that there are a number of states, cities, and regions across the country that are withdrawing some of the mitigation methods we talked about: withdrawing mask mandates, withdrawing from essentially non-public health interventions.”

As of Sunday, the CDC had identified 6,390 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which were first identified in the UK. The agency identified 194 cases of the B.1.351 strain from South Africa and 54 cases of P.1, a variant, identified for the first time in Brazil.

In New Jersey, officials have identified 160 cases of variant B.1.1.7, one case of strain B.1.351, and two cases of variant P.1, according to the CDC.

“We are monitoring these variants very closely, the case numbers have clearly increased,” said Murphy. “We clearly have these variants in our state, as we see in New York City, which is a little reminiscent of what happened last spring.”

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Business

Lakers rent company Sportfive to seek out new jersey sponsor, valued at almost $200 million

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game against the LA Clippers at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for a new jersey partner and have hired a global sports marketing agency to do it.

The team announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Sportfive as a third party agency to find a new patch partner for the National Basketball Association’s 2021-22 season.

The terms of the new partnership were not specified.

The Lakers, who won the 2020 NBA Finals, have a current kit partnership with e-commerce company Wish, which will end after the current season. The deal was valued in the $ 12 million to $ 14 million range at the beginning of 2017.

In the press release announcing the Sportfive deal, the Lakers said, “The estimated sponsorship media value of the team’s jersey patch for the 2019-2020 season was $ 199 million.” The Lakers used the research firm Nielsen to determine the number.

Companies that purchase an NBA kit patch covet the brand awareness that teams achieve at national games on ESPN or TNT, the league’s top media partners.

Sportfive was formerly called Lagardere Sports and Entertainment before being sold to Florida-based private equity firm HIG Capital last year and then renamed. The Lakers said Sportfive would seek a new partner, either nationally or internationally, as the teams can now designate three partners who can freely use their intellectual property outside of the US and Canada.

“We consider Lakers a global brand with an international presence,” said Tim Harris, President of Business Operations for Lakers, in a statement. “It is important to us to work with an agency whose reach matches our ambition. Sportfive understands the values ​​of the Lakers organization and our desire to find a shirt patch sponsor who corresponds to these values.”

Jason Miller, SVP for real estate at Excel Sports Management, told CNBC that there are “huge” demand-patch partnerships as the NBA opens up global marketing to its clubs.

Excel has sold patches for several teams, including the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Houston Rockets. The company also oversees the Minnesota Timberwolves patch supply.

The NBA had sales of approximately $ 150 million from its patch program, which was introduced for the 2017-18 season. The program allows companies to pay to have their logo put on a patch on the shoulder of each player’s jersey.

In an interview with CNBC in October, Amy Brooks, president of the league for team marketing and business operations, said the NBA expects “significant growth” in patch revenue but has not given a specific percentage of growth as the NBA is still battling through Covid. 19 losses.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the rebranding from Lagardere Sports and Entertainment to Sportfive. An earlier version said that Lagardere served as the owner of the company.

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Health

New Jersey Gov. Murphy defends eligibility standards

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday defended the state’s approval requirements for coronavirus vaccines, telling CNBC that priority must be given to people with pre-existing medical conditions, including smokers.

In an interview on Squawk Box, Murphy said the state is focused on using its available vaccine supplies for two different groups. The first, he said, are those who “need to help fight the virus,” such as healthcare workers and first responders. The second are people who are at greater risk of serious illness or death if they contract Covid, he said.

“This is not speculation. This is based on the data, on the facts. Who got sick? Who was hospitalized? Who did we lose?” said Murphy, a first-time Democratic governor running for re-election in November.

The second group includes New Jersey residents aged 65 and over, as well as those aged 16 to 64 with a qualifying medical condition listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including cancer, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease. The CDC list also includes smoking.

New Jersey teachers have not yet been admitted as a full group, but Murphy has come under increasing pressure to allow educators and school staff to qualify for the vaccine. Advocates believe it is important that they receive the life-saving shot so that face-to-face classes can be held more safely.

“It is a wrong choice to compare smokers with others,” Murphy told CNBC. “Anyone under 65 who is the most vulnerable, including if you are a key worker or educator, is eligible now.”

Teachers as a group are “in a circle on deck,” Murphy said. “I hope we’ll get to the educators sooner rather than later.”

Some states, such as Maryland, Illinois, and Arizona, have upgraded teacher eligibility, according to EdWeek, a news organization dedicated to K-12 education.

New Jersey gave around 1.1 million doses of vaccine on Tuesday afternoon, according to the CDC. The US has given a total of 43.2 million doses, CDC data shows.

While Murphy expressed optimism about the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts, he said that there is still more demand for the shots in New Jersey than is available.

“You have a huge imbalance between supply and demand,” he said. But he added, “The Biden team [is] I am confident they will deliver. It won’t be overnight, but we will get this. “

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Health

New York Gov. Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Murphy maintain joint press briefing on Covid

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will hold a joint press conference on Friday on the coronavirus pandemic as both states gradually reopen their economies amid falling cases.

Both Cuomo and Murphy have taken steps over the past week to reopen more businesses in their states as they continue to introduce doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Last week, Cuomo said New York restaurants could reopen their limited capacity indoor eateries from February 14th.

Cuomo also said the state will take steps to allow some venues to reopen for wedding ceremonies from mid-March.

Meanwhile, Murphy announced on Wednesday that New Jersey restaurants could expand their indoor dining options from 25% to 35%. The state will also allow indoor gatherings for events such as weddings and funerals, as well as indoor venues with a 35% capacity or a limit of 150 people, he said.

New Jersey reports a weekly average of 3,973 Covid-19 cases per day, while New York reports an average of 9,722 cases per day, a decrease of more than 20% from the last one, according to a CNBC analysis of the compiled data for both states Week means from Johns Hopkins University.

Read CNBC’s live updates for the latest news on the Covid-19 outbreak.

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Health

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy optimistic on rollout

Democratic Governor Phil Murphy was optimistic about the launch of a Covid-19 vaccine in New Jersey on Monday, but urged state residents to continue to follow public health protocols as hospital admissions increase.

“We’re still in the thick of it,” Murphy said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”. The vaccine distribution “is really good news, but I think the next six or eight weeks will be very difficult in New Jersey and our country.”

“There’s a lot of fatigue, a lot of private diffusion, lots of holidays, cold weather – all of this is conspiratorial. In the near future, I’d just … ask people to do the right things and keep their watch,” Murphy added.

The governor’s comments came when the first Americans were vaccinated against Covid-19 outside of clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency clearance for the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech on Friday, which kicked off the complex logistics network that allowed health care workers in several states to take their first admissions on Monday morning.

In New Jersey, the first vaccinations for hospital staff will be given Tuesday morning at Newark University Hospital, according to Murphy. The state will initially receive 76,000 doses, which is enough for 38,000 people to get vaccinated as it requires two shots. From there, Murphy said the state will receive “an increased allotment” of Pfizer BioNTech doses each week “until it plateaus” earlier this year.

Murphy also noted that Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine could soon be approved. The FDA meeting was held later that week to review the emergency approval application. In this case, New Jersey expects “another string of shipments over time,” Murphy said.

The rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in New Jersey and across the country is at a critical juncture. The 7-day average of daily new infections in the US is at a record high of 213,748, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The 7-day average of Covid-19 deaths per day is 2,403, according to CNBC analysis, which is also an all-time high during the pandemic. That’s 9% more than a week ago.

Hospital stays are increasing in 24 states, including New Jersey and Washington, DC, according to a CNBC analysis of data from the COVID Tracking Project run by journalists at The Atlantic.

Murphy said he understand Americans are tired of pandemic restrictions and said, “I know it stinks. Who doesn’t get tired, including yours?” However, he urged people to hold small holiday gatherings among individuals “in your bladder” in December, continue to wear face masks, and maintain social distance.

“It’s basic principles to rely on. New Jersians were exceptional. We just need one more kick, especially if we get through the holiday season,” Murphy said.