Even after New Jersey’s coronavirus lockdown rules loosen and businesses begin to reopen, residents should expect some restrictions to remain for a while and not an immediate return to the way life was before, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

“The notion that we’re going to go back to some sort of ‘let’s just turn the clock back to three months ago,’ I just don’t see it," Murphy said during his daily coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “People talk about a new normal, and I think that’s a reality.”

“A normal gathering in the foreseeable future, I just don’t see it," he added.

Murphy provided a glimpse Wednesday into what some examples of reopened businesses would look like, including restaurants that could start offering dine-in options again with temperature checks or rapid coronavirus saliva tests at the door.

“I could see the restaurant protocol,” the governor said, while offering no timeline. “You go inside, the servers are masked and gloved. You’re at 50% capacity.”

Murphy also said some traditional greetings may be avoided for some time.

“I don’t know that any time soon we’re going to go back into the — what I love, by the way — big handshake, kiss on the cheek, hug, high fives,” he said.

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New Jersey — home to the second-most COVID-19 cases and deaths among U.S. states — has been under near-lockdown since March 21 to help halt the virus’ spread. Murphy has ordered residents to stay at home, banned social gatherings, closed schools, and mandated that nonessential businesses stay closed until further notice.

Murphy announced Monday that New Jersey is joining six other states — Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island — in developing a regional plan regarding how to scale back restrictions and recharge the economy, though only after the states have pushed past the peak of cases.

Murphy said Tuesday night restrictions may last until June or July.

The governor stressed Wednesday that any rollback would likely be gradual in the absence of a vaccine — which officials say may take more than a year — or widespread mass testing.

“The new normal probably won’t look like the old normal, at least at first,” Murphy said. “But we will get through this together, stronger than ever before.”

Murphy also said a “responsible reopening” of the state’s economy would be dependent upon stronger testing, reducing the virus to a “manageable reality," and other factors.

“You only get economic recovery on the back of that healthcare recovery,” he said.

Murphy’s comments came a day after President Donald Trump backed down from his stance that he has the “ultimate authority” to lift COVID-19 restrictions states have put in place. Trump said Tuesday that it will instead be up to each governor individually and that his administration will soon speak all 50 of them in a conference call to discuss plans.

“We think that some of the governors will be in really good shape to open up,” Trump. “Others are going to have to take a longer period of time until they’re in a position to say, ‘We’re ready to go.' And that’s OK. We understand that. Some of the governors have a very tough situation.”

New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, now has seen at least 71,030 confirmed cases and 3,156 deaths of COVID-19, state officials announced Wednesday. Only New York has more cases and deaths among U.S. states.

Earlier Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made similar comments to Murphy, calling on Empire State residents to expect “a new normal” when it comes to “phased” businesses re-openings.

“We’re going to a different place,” Cuomo said.

Murphy has said in recent days there are signs the rate of infection is slowing in New Jersey after weeks of lockdown. Officials have also said the peak of hospitalizations from the virus is now likely to be lower, but later in April.

But Murphy has warned that cases and deaths are continuing to rise, and residents need to keep staying inside and practicing social distancing to avoid erasing any progress.

The governor has also called on the federal government to help provide more medical supplies — including ventilators and testing materials.

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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