Gov. Phil Murphy on Feb. 10 signed an order formally extending the state’s public health emergency another 30 days, the 17th time since the first declaration at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
The Thursday decision was made so that the state can keep its school mask mandate in place until March 7, when it will be lifted, Murphy said. It also allows for a slew of looser health care staffing rules, and impacts rules around COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
The order expires every 30 days unless the governor opts to extend it, a move that has drawn the ire of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to rein in Murphy’s emergency powers, while Democrats and some of Murphy’s own allies in the state Legislature contend that those powers should be examined for future state emergencies.
Current Senate President Nicholas Scutari, D-22nd District, told The Star-Ledger last week that in the near future he wants to look at mitigating the governor’s emergency powers, but plans to hold off until COVID-19 is brought more under control. Murphy declined to say where he stood on such a proposal, but acknowledged that a “post-mortem” would be in order for his and the state Legislature’s powers during the pandemic.
‘No reason to ban anything’
According to the governor’s office, the 30-day extension “allows the state to continue vaccine distribution, vaccination or testing requirements in certain settings, the collection of COVID-19 data, implementation of any applicable recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent or limit the transmission of COVID-19, staffing and resource allocation,” and other state responses to the pandemic.
Gov. Phil Murphy; First Lady Tammy Murphy; and Emma, Charlie and Sam Murphy receive their Covid-19 booster shots at Monmouth Medical Center on Nov. 28, 2021. – EDWIN J. TORRES / NJ GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
In fact, Murphy assured last month at his annual State of the State address that the extension would have no impact on the “day-to-day life” of New Jerseyans.
It would not entail mask mandates in public, nor would there be gathering limits or any business restrictions like reduced capacity at restaurants, gyms and shops. In fact, many of those gatherings and events – largely canceled last year – will be safe this time around, the governor assured.
“Use your head if you’re with people indoors,” the governor said this past Monday when asked about the Super Bowl, set for Feb. 13, and upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parades. “Have fun. No reason to ban anything.”
The orders loosen rules for health care entities, such as staffing at hospitals, in order to direct more manpower to their COVID-19 responses. Retired health care workers can temporarily re-enter the workforce to bolster staffing at hospitals and other medical facilities, and the state will continue to maintain its own database of residents’ COVID-19 vaccination status.
Hospitals have to maintain stockpiles of personal protective equipment and report those to the state government.
The orders are also meant to bolster vaccination and booster efforts.
“We are not going to manage COVID to zero,” the governor said. “We have to learn how to live with COVID as we move from a pandemic to an endemic phase of this virus.”
