MORRIS COUNTY — The announcement that masks will not be required indoors comes about a week after Murphy rejected similar mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying he wanted “more time on the clock” for people to get vaccinated.
Businesses can still require masks:
-Murphy said businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces may continue to require face masks for employees, customers, and/or guests
Masks will also still be required in:
-Health care settings, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters
-On airplanes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation
-In transportation hubs such as airports and stations
-Public-facing state offices, such as NJ MVC agencies
-Worksites that are closed to the public, including warehousing and manufacturing facilities
-Child care centers and facilities
Those who are not fully vaccinated are still “strongly encouraged” to follow CDC guidance and wear a face mask in any indoor setting.
“Please be responsible and do the right thing – for your own safety and your community’s safety,” Murphy said.
Also on Friday, the state is lifting the requirement for maintaining six feet at all indoor and outdoor businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, gyms, and casinos.
Also on Friday, May 28:
-Requirement for maintaining six feet of social distancing in indoor and outdoor settings will be lifted, but businesses can still require social distancing if they choose
-Prohibition on dance floors at bars and restaurants will be lifted
-Prohibition on ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants will be lifted
Effective June 4:
-State will remove all indoor gathering limits.
-State will also lift the 30% limit on large indoor venues with a fixed seating capacity of 1,000 or greater.
“The steps we’ve announced today are the clearest signs of our commitment to carefully and deliberately reopening our state,” Murphy said. “We continue to trend in the right direction with every indicator and our vaccination numbers have increased dramatically over the last two weeks.”
-Youth summer camps
-Public, private, or parochial preschool program premises
-Elementary and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools
Nearly 4.1 million New Jersey residents have been vaccinated. That’s nearly half of the state’s population.
