Syndication: The Record
Trenton, NJ (77WABC)-Come this Friday, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, NJ Governor Phil Murphy has lifted mask-wearing guidelines in most but not all situations as well as social distancing and gathering limits.
Effective on Friday, May 28, the indoor mask mandate in public spaces will be lifted, as well as the six-foot social distancing requirement in both indoor and outdoor spaces, the prohibition on dance floors at bars and restaurants, and the prohibition on ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants. Also as of Friday, June 4th, indoor gathering and capacity limits will be lifted.
NEW: Effective May 28th, we will lift the prohibitions on:
➡️Dance floors at bars and restaurants⁰➡️Ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants. pic.twitter.com/RgSCFMzO4L— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 24, 2021
The Governor said over the last two weeks, key COVID-19 benchmarks have been achieved across New Jersey, including a dramatic increase in vaccinations, and significant decreases in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, spot positivity rates, and rates of transmission, solidifying the foundation for the state’s sweeping reopening steps.
The following changes will go into effect on Friday, May 28:
- Lifting the mask mandate in indoor public spaces.
- Businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces will continue to have the ability to require masking for employees, customers, and/or guests.
- Per CDC guidance, masks will continue to be required in health care settings, including long-term care facilities and office-based settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, as well as transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
- Additionally, also per CDC guidance, child care centers and facilities, youth summer camps, and public, private, and parochial preschool program premises and elementary and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools, are not affected by this announcement and continue to be governed by existing requirements.
- Indoor worksites that are not open to the public remain governed by existing health and safety protocols that employers must follow.
- Masks will continue to be required in public-facing state offices, such as Motor Vehicle Commission agencies.
- Lifting the six-foot social distancing requirement.
- The requirement will be lifted in businesses, including retail stores, personal care services, gyms, recreational and entertainment businesses, and casinos, and indoor gatherings, including religious services, political activities, weddings, funerals, memorial services, commercial gatherings, catered events, sports competitions, and performances.
- Businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces can continue to require social distancing should they choose.
- Lifting prohibition on dance floors at bars and restaurants. The prohibition on ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants will also be lifted.
The following changes will go into effect Friday, June 4:
- Removing the general indoor gathering limit, which is currently at 50 people.
- Removing the indoor gathering limit for political gatherings, weddings, funerals, memorial services, performances, and other catered and commercial events, which is currently at 250 people.
- Removing 30 percent capacity limitation for indoor large venues with a fixed-seating capacity over 1,000.
There’ve been 26,072 Covid-19 deaths in NJ to date and more than 1 million cases of the virus.
Corr. Bob Brown reports Garden state residents to have mixed feelings about the change in guidelines as people head into the unofficial start of summer this weekend:
