What to Know
- The coronavirus pandemic has canceled milestone events and rites of passage: weddings, reunions, parties, proms and even graduations came to a halt as states focused on containing the spread of the virus
- Gov. Phil Murphy announced via Twitter that schools will be allowed to hold outdoor, socially-distant compliant graduation ceremonies starting July 6 to "ensure the health and safety of all in attendance"
- Meanwhile, as for New York City, the Big Apple is planning a virtual graduation celebration for its students
The coronavirus pandemic has canceled milestone events and rites of passage: weddings, reunions, parties, proms and even graduations came to a halt as states focused on containing the spread of the virus.
Those who have worked for years to obtain their degree and looked forward to donning that cap and gown while walking up on stage to obtain their diploma had their dreams crushed as social distancing and other necessary safety measures, including prohibiting gatherings, were implemented. However, the 2020 graduating class in New Jersey received good news Tuesday.
“To the class of 2020, I am proud to say that you will have your opportunity to join with your classmates and families to celebrate your graduation,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at the news conference.
Before the press conference, Murphy announced via Twitter that schools will be allowed to hold outdoor, socially-distant compliant graduation ceremonies starting July 6 to "ensure the health and safety of all in attendance." The announcement relates to graduations "of any sort," including for high schools and colleges, Murphy said during his daily briefing Tuesday.
Previously, when asked if students should hold on to the hope that they would be able to celebrate graduations at some point this year, Murphy said they had every right to hold on to that hope, even mentioning he shared that same hope. However, he always stopped short of mentioning when graduations would resume.
The state's commissioner of education and the secretary of higher education will come out with guidance Wednesday, Murphy said. Schools are closed through June because of the outbreak, but this is the latest easing of restrictions, which have included opening parks and golf courses along with the state’s beaches.
News
When it comes to other education related activities, Murphy said Sunday he thinks daycares and camps will reopen sooner rather than later, telling CNN the economy can't successfully reopen without giving working parents “an opportunity to have their kids properly looked after.” He also still hopes to have schools reopen for in-person learning in September.
The Garden State has lagged New York a bit on the curve. It is seeing higher daily death tolls than New York almost daily now, though those numbers are also slowly coming down. To date, New Jersey has lost 11,191 people to the virus.
Meanwhile, as for New York City, the Big Apple is planning a virtual graduation celebration for its students, as other districts in the state have also opted for virtual commencement ceremonies and even drive-thru graduations.
Colleges and universities in the tri-state area have also opted for virtual commencement ceremonies over the past few weeks. Medical universities, including Rutgers Medical School, held an early virtual ceremony allowing for graduating medical students to get a head start working on the field as frontline medical workers were needed to treat the rising number of COVID-19 patients at the time.
