New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called anti-vaxxers heckling him during a speech about COVID-19 tenant relief on Wednesday the 'ultimate knuckleheads.'
Murphy, a Democrat, was giving a speech during a bill signing in Union City when a group of anti-vaccination protesters started to heckle him, WABC reported.
'Please get vaccinated, period. These folks back there have lost their mi–you've lost your minds!' Murphy said near the beginning of his speech.
'You are the ultimate knuckleheads and because of what you are saying and standing for, people are losing their life. People are losing their life, and you have to know that. Look in the mirror. Look in the mirror!'
The exchange was posted online and quickly received the meme treatment, as online denizens compared it to a scene in The Sopranos in which Tony Sirico's character Paulie Gualtieri hilariously makes a similar gesture.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called anti-vaxxers heckling him during a speech about COVID-19 tenant relief on Wednesday the 'ultimate knuckleheads'
Murphy, a Democrat, was giving a speech during a bill signing in Union City when a group of anti-vaccination protesters started to heckle him
Murphy signed two bills on Wednesday to help Garden State renters as the state emerges from the coronavirus pandemic
Murphy signed two bills on Wednesday to help Garden State renters as the state emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.
One bill provides an additional $500 million for the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and $250 million for utility assistance, bringing the total amount of funds allocated to the two programs to more than $1.2 billion.
The bill also extended eviction moratoriums until the end of August for tenants whose household income fall below 120% of the Area Medium Income (AMI). Those whose income falls below 80% of the AMI are protected through December.
For homeowners, the moratorium on foreclosures now ends on November 15 for all income levels, according to the bill.
In a press release announcing the bills, Murphy said the state has listened to 'calls for help' from residents struggling to pay their rent and utilities.
'COVID-19 has put tenants and landlords in a difficult place, and I am pleased to say that more assistance is on the way,' Murphy said.
'This bill is going to direct money to the people and programs that need it most. Housing and access to utilities are fundamental to human health and safety and we want to ensure that as many eligible applicants impacted by the pandemic get the help they need during this challenging time.'
The exchange was posted online and quickly received the meme treatment, as online denizens compared it to a scene in The Sopranos
The second bill allows for the court records of those who could not pay rent during the public health emergency be kept confidential.
Murphy today signed an executive order on Wednesday as a formality to update previous executive orders on the moratoriums in accordance with the dates provided in the new laws.
'Our evictions moratorium has kept families in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic,' Murphy said in a statement.
'This order updates and maintains the moratorium so that residents still feeling the economic impacts of the pandemic continue to have shelter and can focus on taking care of their families without the threat of losing their homes.'
After the event on Wednesday, Murphy told WABC that the state may be considering a vaccine mandate similar to New York City for indoor events.
'A lot of other options are the table for us,' Murphy said.
According to the state's COVID-19 dashboard, 5,324,239 of the state's residents - or about 60% - are fully vaccinated, while the state's positivity rate hangs just over 5%.
There were 1,164 new confirmed daily cases reported on Wednesday with 422 possible cases, the data shows.
State data shows that there were 13 lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths on Wednesday.
During the press conference, Murphy also noted that there have been 598 new hospitalizations, with 99 of those cases in intensive care.
'Since March of last year, so for 17 months now, nothing has felt as safe as home. Home has been a calm port in a truly global storm. But we know that even this sense of security has been tested,' Murphy said.
'Throughout the course of these past 17 months, hundreds of thousands of tenants have fallen behind on their rent.'
He added: 'Our entire nation faces a looming eviction crisis.'
Earlier this week, Murphy announced a vaccine mandate affecting all workers in certain state and private health care facilities and high-risk congregate settings,
Workers will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to COVID-19 testing at minimum one to two times per week.
'While reaching our statewide vaccination goal has so far dampened the impact of the Delta variant in New Jersey, some of our most vulnerable populations remain at risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 primarily due to exposure to unvaccinated individuals,' Murphy said in a press release announcing that mandate.
'Vaccines save lives and are our way out of this pandemic. Individuals in health care facilities should have confidence in their caretakers, and this measure will help ensure peace of mind for those in higher-risk settings.'
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