New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed an executive order requiring all child care centers that are not solely serving children of essential workers to close by April 1.

“I just signed an Executive Order requiring child care centers to close by April 1st UNLESS they are solely serving children of essential workers,” Murphy tweeted to his followers on Wednesday.

“While essential workers commit themselves to our New Jersey family, we will commit ourselves to protecting their families,” he added.

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BREAKING: I just signed an Executive Order requiring child care centers to close by April 1st UNLESS they are solely serving children of essential workers.



While essential workers commit themselves to our New Jersey family, we will commit ourselves to protecting their families. — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 25, 2020

The order comes as the Garden State ramps up its efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Over the weekend, Murphy signed executive orders that bar people in the state from throwing unauthorized social events. The orders also require nonessential retail businesses to “close storefront and/or brick-and-mortar premises” and state that “all recreational and entertainment businesses must close to the public.”

The New Jersey governor's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Hill asking for more details on the order.

The move by the governor further disincentivizes people from violating the stay-at-home orders. New Jersey borders New York, which has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, followed by New Jersey. New York and New Jersey have confirmed more than 30,000 cases and 3,000 cases, respectively, as of Wednesday afternoon.