With the outbreak continuing to escalate, New Jersey has now discovered at least 98 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including two deaths, as state officials announced 31 new cases Sunday.

Sunday’s spike comes as local officials across the state begin taking more drastic measures to reduce the spread of the virus that has infected more than 156,000 people and killed more than 5,800 people across the globe.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced the second coronavirus death in New Jersey late Saturday as a woman in her 50s from Monmouth County who was being treated at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold. She died on Thursday.

The first death was a 69-year-old man from Bergen County, which continues to have the most coronavirus cases in the state.

State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the two deaths were connected through a family gathering in Monmouth County. A sibling of the woman is friends with the man who died in Bergen County. Persichilli said several other people at the family gathering also tested positive for coronavirus.

Murphy also announced he expected to announce a full statewide closure of schools on Monday. In addition, state workers are being authorized to work from home, the governor announced.

“It’s time for us to be smart — for each and every one of us to do our part,” Murphy said after announcing the state’s new cases shortly after 2 p.m. during a conference call with reporters. “Whether or not you’ve got a case in your particular county … it’s inevitable that all 21 will have cases.”

Murphy said it’s time “to make sure people are shaken from this ‘business as usual,'" and referenced reports from his friends of packed bars over the weekend in Asbury Park, near where he lives in Middletown.

“This is not business as usual," the governor said. "I saw too many videos last night of packed bars, people passing bottles around, drinking from the same bottle.”

Officials have said they expect the number of cases to continue to rise throughout the Garden State and the increase in cases on Sunday may reflect an ongoing lag in reporting from the local and county level to state officials. In addition, state officials said two cases reported in Saturday’s update included one duplicate and one overlap with a case in another state, lowering the overall total.

There are now cases in 13 of 21 counties, Persichilli said. The county-by-county totals as of 11 a.m. Sunday are now:

Bergen: 29

Monmouth: 12

Middlesex: 12

Essex: 11

Hudson: 11

Passaic: 5

Burlington: 4

Morris: 4

Union: 4

Camden: 2

Ocean: 2

Mercer: 1

Somerset: 1

The new 31 cases announced Sunday include nine women and 22 men ranging in age from 30 to 77 from the following counties:

Bergen: 7

Hudson: 6

Monmouth: 4

Essex: 4

Passaic: 3

Union: 3

Ocean: 1

Burlington: 1

Morris: 1

Middlesex: 1

Officials did not provide other details, such as where those patients live.

The state’s total number of cases may actually be higher. The first case out of Hunterdon County was reported Sunday by a private hospital.

Hoboken has imposed a 10 p.m. curfew and officials in Teaneck, which has at least 18 cases, urged the entire town to self-quarantine. Murphy said Sunday morning the state may take “more draconian steps,” such as a statewide curfew as the number of cases continues to rise.

Murphy also announced Sunday that he sent a letter requesting the federal government open a special enrollment period in New Jersey to allow uninsured and underinsured residents to enroll in health coverage through the federal health insurance exchange.

The novel coronavirus, which causes the illness COVID-19, has three main symptoms: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. They usually develop 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the CDC.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, reacting to announcement of a curfew in neighboring Hoboken and the continuing spread of the coronavirus on Sunday said a lockdown in the nation’s largest city couldn’t be ruled out.

All but one U.S. state — West Virginia — has at least one coronavirus case, according to a map by the New York Times.

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NJ Advance Media staff writer Matt Arco contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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