N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy tests positive for COVID-19

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday but is asymptomatic, a top aide said.

“This afternoon, as part of a regularly-scheduled testing regime, Governor Murphy took a rapid antigen test that came back positive for COVID-19. He subsequently took a PCR test, which also came back positive. He is currently asymptomatic and feeling well,” said Mahen Gunaratna, the governor’s communications director, in a statement.

Murphy’s infection comes as the BA.2 subvariant — now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the United States — is contributing to a slight increase in new cases in New Jersey, though it was not clear which variant the governor had.

» READ MORE: The BA.2 subvariant is now dominant in the U.S., and cases are already starting to inch back up in New Jersey

“The contact tracing process has begun to notify everyone who may have come into contact with the Governor during the potential infection window. Per CDC guidance, the Governor will cancel in-person events, isolate for the next five days, and continue to monitor for symptoms before taking an additional PCR test,” Gunaratna said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who test positive for COVID-19 isolate for five days. If they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving, then people should follow the isolation period with five days of wearing a mask when around other people.

“The Governor has diligently taken precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19 and encourages everyone eligible to get vaccinated and boosted, as he has done, to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus,” Gunaratna said.

In New Jersey, face masks are no longer required in most settings, and the mask mandate for schoolchildren was lifted March 7. Murphy has posted recent photos on social media of being maskless in public settings, including the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Murphy appeared via Zoom for his regularly scheduled radio call-in program Thursday night and said it was “probably a small miracle” he hadn’t been infected sooner because he had been to many crowded venues recently.

Otherwise, he said he was feeling “pretty good.” He did frequently sniffle during the radio program, but the host did not ask him about that.

His wife, Tammy, tested positive after the Murphy family returned from a December vacation in Costa Rica. The governor said on the radio show that his wife had “zero symptoms” and has been doing fine since then.

Murphy said New Jersey would not return to coronavirus restrictions unless a new wave turned “dramatically against us.”

In the meantime, the state will deal with COVID-19 as it would a “bad flu season,” Murphy said.