Governor Murphy should take swift action to mandate that stores limit the number of people in store and limit families to one person per household in the store at once barring cases where there is a family that has no caretaker for children that would be left at home.

I have many friends who work in retail, specifically in grocery stores, as well as my partner.  Through them, I have heard from beginning til now the toll of the pandemic of their feelings of safety and their livelihoods. 

For a time, stores had their capacities restricted to limit crowding and reduce the chances of the virus spreading from contact.  However, since things slowed down in the summer restrictions were lifted.  As numbers increased, no restrictions or reductions of capacity were reinstated.  It seems no coincidence, then, that now many of my friends' and partner's coworkers have been testing positive for COVID. 

Of course, they are staying away from work, but often by the time they have been able to be tested, they have already been asymptomatic and contagious.  Now, my partner has tested positive as well.  I was shocked to find that it doesn't seem like another petition like this exists for statewide restrictions, but as this is now personal I'm setting aside the time to make one myself. 

Furthermore, it might be considered that stores be incentivized to expand their shop from home options, as these are among the safest ways for people to get their groceries, especially when facing the possibility that whole houses can be quarantined.  For the safety of the people of our state, and the safety of our workers in stores who cannot help but have to go to work everyday, and our hospital workers who face danger as numbers go unmitigated and continue to increase, PLEASE SIGN and SHARE this petition so that Governor Murphy will be urged to take action. Consider sharing it once a day if you believe in the cause or sharing it on more than one platform.

Thank you for your time.