Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that New Jersey will lift its indoor mask mandates for people vaccinated against COVID-19 starting Friday. For the same date, the Garden State is also lifting the requirement for maintaining 6 feet at all indoor and outdoor businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, gyms and casinos.
As reported by Fox 29, the announcement 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.
“Lifting the mask mandates is simply acknowledging how far we’ve come together and that, together, we’ll cross the finish line,” Gov. Murphy wrote on Twitter.
However, indoor businesses and other entities will still be allowed to dictate whether or not patrons wear a mask.
Murphy says New Jersey was the first state to put and indoor mask mandates in place on April 8, 2020.
Mask mandates settings
Some settings must keep the masks requirements including healthcare settings, long-term care facilities, correctional facilities and homeless shelters. Per CDC guidance, masks will also be mandated still in childcare centers and facilities, youth summer camps, all preschool program premises, and at elementary and secondary schools.
NEW: Effective May 28th, the statewide indoor mask mandate will be lifted.⁰⁰Businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces may continue to require face masks for employees, customers, and/or guests. pic.twitter.com/49MFib2hqK
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 24, 2021
Mask mandates also will be operative in forms of transportation such as an airplane, bus, or subway as well as at transportation hubs such as airports or bus stations.
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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.
“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,” the Governor stated.
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