NJ slowing down more than most states for coronavirus, report says

With many industries still out of commission because of the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, personal finance website WalletHub finds New Jersey among the states slowing down the most during the pandemic.

WalletHub compared all 50 states across six key metrics to come up with its data, analyst Jill Gonzalez said. It includes travel to retail and recreation locations, grocery and pharmacy visits, parks, transit stations, workplaces and homes.

New Jersey it the third-most slowed-down state, behind New York and Hawaii, said Gonzalez. It's also seen the second-most coronvirus cases, behind New York.

The state has the second-highest retail and recreation mobility decrease, according to Wallethub. It has the second-highest decrease in travel to transit stations as well.

In terms of workplaces, New Jersey is third for decreased travel.

The state is tied for first in slowing down visits to homes, with New York, Hawaii and California all coming up about the same, Gonzalez said.

But compared to other states, New Jerseyans having slowed down their visits to grocery stores and pharmacies nearly as much -- coming in 28th for slowdowns to those locations. Both remain open under state restrictions on businesses and public places.

People are still going to those stores, and the elderly community in New Jersey is being served by other residents who are going out to make sure those people have supplies, Gonzalez said.

New Jersey is in 15th place for a slowdown in visits to parks. New Jersey shut county and state parks several weeks after closing most forms of retail, though some local and municipal parks remain open.

She said it's good and encouraging news that people in New Jersey are going out less often. It means that people are taking Gov. Phil Murphy's mandates regarding social distancing seriously, she said.

They are respecting themselves, their neighbors, their elders and those most at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, Gonzalez said.

The most slowed-down state according to Wallethub is Hawaii, followed by New York, New Jersey, Vermont and Nevada. The least slowed-down state is Nebraska. Pennsylvania ranks 12th on the list.