MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey no longer has a statewide universal directive requiring people in all healthcare facilities such as hospitals and doctor’s offices to wear masks to fight COVID-19, Governor Phil Murphy confirmed Monday as he defended the decision.
“We have lifted these mandates,” Murphy noted during his call-in TV show when a caller said he was “deeply concerned” about the move. “It was a very important decision. We did not take it lightly.”
Three years after the start of the pandemic, masks are optional in most locations in New Jersey — unless individual businesses or facilities choose to require them.
In September, the CDC ended its recommendation that masking be universal in healthcare settings and instead shifted to a risk-based approach, with facilities recommended to require face coverings if there is a high level of community spread.
