Jersey City’s mayor just announced he will reopen some local parks next week despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And that may have given some hope to anxious and cooped-up New Jerseyans that Gov. Phil Murphy may soon begin reopening state and county parks, as well. Maybe even golf courses.

But Murphy gave no indication Saturday afternoon that he’s set to lift those closings yet.

“There’s only one set of executive orders that bind and that matter, and those are the ones that come from us. And that’s state parks and county parks and golf, as it is for the time being,” the governor said during his daily coronavirus press briefing in Trenton.

“We know those are the ones that come up most often,” Murphy added. “We get it. We understand folks want to get outside and get fresh air. But we just cannot allow folks to congregate. When we think we can responsibly either tweak or reverse those decisions, we will."

Murphy stressed the decision on state and county parks and golf courses is up to him and a few other state officials.

New Jersey — the U.S. state with the second-most coronavirus cases and related deaths — has been under broad lockdown orders for more than a month. On March 21, Murphy ordered residents to stay home, except for exercise and necessary travel, banned social gatherings, and closed schools and nonessential businesses. That includes golf courses.

The governor, a Democrat, added state and county parks and forest to the list April 7, saying officials were seeing too many gatherings there as weather improved. He said municipalities could make their own decisions on local parks.

A number of Republicans lawmakers and residents have complained, especially people in urban settings where getting exercise outside is more difficult.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said Friday in a newsletter to residents that the state’s second-largest city will reopen some larger parks next week, but said residents must still practice social distancing there. He also said playgrounds, basketball courts, or other areas where social distancing is difficult will still be shuttered.

“We know that space for walking and open air is important to sanity,” Fulop said in the newsletter. “We have to be realistic that residents in a densely populated city won’t stay in their homes indefinitely especially as the weather becomes nicer nor is it healthy to ask this of them.”

Some Republican lawmakers have also called on Murphy to allow golf courses to operate, saying it’s easier to practice social distancing on a course.

A little more than a week ago, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo allowed golf courses in his state to reopen with restrictions.

Murphy was asked during a television interview Tuesday if he’d consider the same. He said not yet.

“I hate to be Dr. No here,” the New Jersey governor said during an appearance on CNN. “We’ve made an enormous amount of progress. But we’ve got to continue to stay home and stay away from each other. That’s the only hope.”

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State officials announced Saturday that New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, has seen at least 105,523 COVID-19 cases and 5,863 deaths attributed to the virus in the seven weeks or so since the outbreak started here. That’s after reporting another 3,457 positive tests and 249 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Murphy said Saturday that hospitalization rates are improving and the curve of cases is leveling off. But he said his lockdown orders must remain to make sure the numbers don’t surge again.

“We cannot let a beautiful spring day like this allow us to slip in anyway on our social distancing,” he said. “There will be many more beautiful spring days ahead, I promise you. And I want us to be able to enjoy them together. But not yet, not now. … What you are doing is making a difference.”

The governor said he will lay out a broad plan Monday for how to begin reopening the state as record unemployment grows, businesses deal with untold revenue losses, and the governor says historic public-worker layoffs may be on the horizon without more federal aid.

Murphy says significantly increasing testing is key to begin gradually lifting his lockdown restrictions, as well as establishing contact tracing and quarantine plans.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.