As Gov. Phil Murphy’s insufferable press conferences continue to drone on throughout the summer, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the goal here in New Jersey and, in fact, across the country, is no longer just to “flatten the curve“ but to completely eradicate the entire COVID-19 virus.

And of course, we all know that ain’t gonna happen.

That means we’ve been duped by the governor. And he’s killed some prosperous industries in the process. We’ve discussed in great detail how he has pretty much single-handedly destroyed the restaurant industry in this state, not to mention the gym industry with his “data” and “science.” But we forgot about hotels. The fear-mongering and the constant death announcements on the daily caused people to think twice about going to hotels, when New Jersey hotels are probably the safest and cleanest they have ever been. The CDC is requiring cleanliness and sanitation to a degree it never has before in the industry.

And even when hotels reopened to people other than front-liners, pools, spas and indoor dining and many other services had to remain closed, which obviously discouraged clients from booking. And the industry is still struggling with many hotels still experiencing cancellations.

And let’s not forget about the capacity cap.

In an article on NJ101.5.com, Joseph Simonetta, executive vice president of the New Jersey Hotel & Lodging Association, said, “Even though the governor has opened up some of the facilities for indoor dining and indoor activities ... there is still a capacity cap which makes some hotels unprofitable."

Am I the only person who has noticed that due to either doctors’ ability to treat this virus more effectively or the virus mutating into a weaker version, healthy people aren’t really dying anymore? I get it if you’re 65 with diabetes and a heart condition. Then, you’d want to be careful. But for everyone else, it’s time to start going back to enjoying travel.
The time has come to open New Jersey hotels completely. It’s also time for people to realize that we can feel completely safe at NJ hotels. Let’s get back to living, people.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi's own.

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