Life looks a little different in New Jersey these days, as coronavirus cases continue to climb and many public and private institutions shut down and events are canceled. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it walking around Willowbrook Mall on Saturday.

On Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy recommended the cancellations of all public gatherings of more than 250 people in New Jersey, due to the spread of the coronavirus, and declared “we are in a public health emergency.”

However, couples, families and shoppers continued to mill around the Wayne mall Saturday morning, largely unconcerned with the virus and living life mostly as normal. The mall seemed a little less crowded than usual, but people were still shopping, eating and walking around.

Melaine and Jerry Curcio, of North Arlington, were selling Girl Scout cookies with their daughter, Sophia, near one of the mall’s entrances after another troop canceled the reserved spot.

“We were hoping it would be a little more crowded to sell out,” Melaine said. But they weren’t worried about selling the cookies in a public place, or about the virus itself.

The only disruption so far has been Sophia’s dance competition, which was scheduled for the weekend of the 28th, but was canceled on Friday, her mom said.

Melaine and Jerry Curcio, of North Arlington, were selling Girl Scout cookies with their daughter Sophia at the mall Saturday morning.Brianna Kudisch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Wally Aldaghestani, Mike King and Don Bilto were sitting at a table near Starbucks in the mall’s food court, chatting like they normally do most days, although Aldaghestani said he only comes here on Saturdays. The three men are originally from Syria and now live in Wayne.

Asked if they were worried about the virus, King said he wasn’t. “We told corona(virus), ‘don’t come here,’ or we’ll kill him,” he joked.

Bilto said he believed the virus was more serious than the flu, because it stays on surfaces longer, but King waved away his concerns. “It’s not a big deal,” he said. “They make it a big deal.”

New Jersey has reported a total of 69 presumptive positive coronavirus cases, according to an update by the state’s Department of Health coronavirus website, ahead of Gov. Phil Murphy’s Saturday afternoon press conference.

Mike and Kiki Zimbal, of Totowa, were at the mall during the morning and said they were living life fairly normally. “We’re concerned, but we’re taking precautions,” she said.

“Just like anything else in life, you gotta keep it moving,” Mike added. “Can’t live life in fear.” He said he worked for a distribution company and didn’t foresee them closing down.

“As long as liquor stores and bars are open, I’m working,” he said.

Some people sitting at tables and walking around at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne Saturday morning.Brianna Kudisch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A security guard who declined to give his name said he wasn’t worried about the outbreak, comparing it to SARS or the flu. He said as long as people wash their hands and stay home when they’re sick, they’ll be fine.

“I wash my hands like 80 times a day,” he said.

Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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