The coronavirus outbreak in New Jersey increased to at least 178 cases on Monday, with 80 new positive tests for COVID-19 announced by state officials, as residents brace for sweeping new restrictions, including a call for a statewide curfew, closure of all public and private schools and the shutdown of casinos, dine-in restaurant service, theaters, and gyms.

The cases include two deaths.

The latest numbers were made public on the state Department of Health’s website and by Gov. Phil Murphy during an afternoon briefing in Trenton.

Murphy also announced plans to mobilize New Jersey’s National Guard for the coronavirus response.

New Jersey’s two coronavirus deaths are linked, state officials have said. A religious education teacher from Freehold, Rita Fusco-Jackson, who was in her 50s, died on Thursday. Her death is connected to the death of John Brennan, a horse trainer who lived in Little Ferry.

Like Brennan, Fusco-Jackson’s family was involved in harness horse racing and the two deaths were connected through a family gathering in Monmouth County.

The age range for the new cases is 5-year-old to 93-years-old, marking the first known pediatric case in the state, according to Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichelli.

“It’s the youngest child affected,” Persichelli said. "And that child is home.”

“The majority are hospitalized or have been hospitalized,” Persichelli said of the state’s 178 cases.

The county-by-county list of cases released by the state Monday includes:

Bergen County: 61

Essex County: 20

Hudson County: 19

Middlesex County: 17

Monmouth County: 14

Passaic County: 8

Union County: 8

Mercer County: 6

Morris County: 6

Burlington County: 5

Somerset County: 5

Camden County: 3

Ocean County: 3

Hunterdon County: 1

The counties were not identified for two of the new cases.

As the cases continue to spike, Persichilli said Monday she doesn’t believe the state has hit “the surge” mark.

“We can expect several more weeks of significant activity," she said.

The latest update comes hours after Murphy, along with governors in New York and Connecticut, made an unprecedented move in all three states to close all movie theaters, gyms and casinos until further notice beginning 8 p.m. Monday. Restaurants and bars will be allowed to offer takeout and delivery for the foreseeable future, though dining rooms will be closed indefinitely, starting at 8 p.m. Monday.

The there are now coronavirus cases in 14 of 21 counties in New Jersey. Bergen County has the most coronavirus cases with 61, according to the state.

More than 175,000 people across the globe have been infected during the coronavirus pandemic and 6,700 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, there are more than 4,000 confirmed cases and 69 deaths.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:





Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.