New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy opened his Nov. 18 coronavirus briefing by urging all colleges and universities to make COVID-19 testing available to all residential students before they leave for Thanksgiving break, part of a regional effort with New York, Connecticut and other states.

Murphy also delved into recent statistics related to prekindergarten through 12 school districts.

“We knew going in that there would be cases in our schools, and the vast majority of the cases we see continue to be linked to out-of-school activities,” he added. “We remain confident in the protocols in place to protect the health and safety of our schools and educational communities’ protocols, which are catching cases early and quickly to limit the spread within a school.”

Murphy provided an update on the digital divide, reporting that since last week’s figure of fewer than 40,000 students lacking equipment and/or connectivity, the number now stands at “just over 35,000.”