Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
[UPDATED] Newark, NJ’s Largest City, Defies Governor And Issues Strict Lockdown As Positivity Rate Soars
By
Karen Yi
Published Nov 12, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
By
Karen Yi
Published Nov 12, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has issued the toughest restrictions in New Jersey as new cases of COVID-19 average almost 300 a day in the city — and the city's positivity rate skyrockets to 19%.
“We are exactly at the same space we were during the pandemic at the height of the eye of the storm, when things began to get totally out of control,” Baraka said during his daily briefing on Wednesday, at times sounding exasperated at the resurgence of the virus. “It is staring us in the face and if we don't do anything different we’re going to get the same results.”
Cases across New Jersey have also surged in recent weeks, mirroring numbers not seen since early May and pushing the statewide positivity rate to 10%. The spike has been worse in Newark, where new cases make up more than half the cases in Essex County, records show.
Baraka has ordered all sports to stop on Wednesday for a two-week period until all players and coaches get tested. He’s also issued a mandatory 9 p.m. curfew in three zip codes in the city’s East Ward, where the infection rate is the highest. Baraka has also banned all visits to long term care facilities and limited indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people. The restrictions are in addition to earlier steps Baraka took two weeks ago, ordering an 8 p.m. curfew for non-essential businesses, when the city's positivity rate was 11%.
These measures go much further than any issued by Gov. Phil Murphy, who has so far resisted broader lockdown measures amid the second wave of the virus. On Monday, Murphy ordered indoor dining to stop by 10 p.m. and banned any seating at indoor bars. Murphy also banned all indoor interstate sports, starting Thursday.
“We really should be closing the stores down completely and I’m going to have a conversation with the governor,” said Baraka, who is a close ally of fellow Democrat Murphy. “This is not other towns, we have to run faster than the state, full steam ahead.”
Newark recorded 446 new cases on Wednesday and Baraka said almost 700 residents—including six police officers—have died from COVID-19 since March. The city’s population hovers around 280,000.
University Hospital in Newark said it’s also seeing an increase in hospitalized patients, with numbers tripling in just two weeks.
“We lost our focus,” Baraka said, urging residents to continue to wear masks and wash their hands and restaurants to conduct temperature checks. “We’re all culpable… we got lackadaisical.”
On Thursday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy sanctioned some of Newark’s lockdown measures, allowing municipalities the option of regulating business hours after 8 p.m. to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
The state has ordered indoor dining services to stop at 10 p.m.
But Murphy also said any other local restrictions on gatherings or businesses that differ from state guidelines will be invalidated, casting doubt on whether Baraka’s more draconian measures will stand.
“We simply cannot have a patchwork of rules where certain businesses are entirely shuttered in one town and not the next,” Murphy said during his press briefing in Trenton.
New Jersey limits indoor gatherings to 25 people or 25 percent capacity, whichever is less. But Baraka has limited gatherings to 10 people and ordered restaurants not to accept reservations of more than 10 people.
Newark officials maintained that the order was legal.
“Our legal office worked very closely with the governor’s legal office and we are in lock step with them,” Kenyatta Steward, Newark’s top attorney said in a statement. “We’re all on the same page.”
This story has been updated to include remarks from Governor Murphy.
Tagged
COVID-19
newark
new jersey
coronavirus
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
Because she's 18 years old now, here are your early links: The RHONY castmember mentioned in the Epstein Files, killing rats with carbon monoxide, Selena Gomez says don't vape and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 8:26 a.m. ET
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
Ulrich, a former city councilmember, is accused of trading access and favors for cash and bribes. He was the first aide to Mayor Adams charged with public corruption.
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
News
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
Ulrich, a former city councilmember, is accused of trading access and favors for cash and bribes. He was the first aide to Mayor Adams charged with public corruption.
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Need help with mental health or addiction services? NYC has a new tool.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .