State health officials say that New Jerseyans, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, should practice COVID-19 prevention measures such as masks and social distancing come this Fourth of July weekend.
While the pandemic has largely waned, it nonetheless hangs in the air, said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, and as such remains an ever-present public health threat, especially given vaccine hesitancy and the new variants.
“If you’re not vaccinated, you’ve got to wear a mask and you’ve got to social distance,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during a regular COVID-19 press briefing on June 30.
Neither of those precautions are required for fully vaccinated people, but compliance is dependent on an honor system. Generally, a person is considered fully vaccinated after they’ve gotten their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna shot, or their single dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot.
The extended Fourth of July weekend is largely considered a key milestone in the summer tourism season, with massive surges of travel to the Jersey Shore. Gatherings at family barbeques and Independence Day parades with large turnouts are also common.
From left, New Jersey State Epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli speak before Gov. Phil Murphy’s May 8, 2020 COVID-19 press conference at the War Memorial in Trenton. – THOMAS COSTELLO, GANNETT
“Until you’re vaccinated, make sure that you take the appropriate precautions like masks and social distancing,” said New Jersey State Epidemiologist Christina Tan.
The presence of the highly infectious Alpha and Delta variants – first detected in the United Kingdom and India, respectively – mean that the virus can continue to surge in under-vaccinated communities. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that this summer the highly infectious Delta variant could become the nation’s dominant strain.
Los Angeles County cautioned this week that even those who are fully vaccinated should wear masks indoors because of the Delta variant, though Murphy has not said he would take similar actions in the state.
“I hope we don’t have to go back” on COVID-19 reopenings, Murphy said.
Murphy estimated that the variants have not fueled new COVID-19 outbreaks because of the high vaccination rates and ability amid the warmer weather to hold more gatherings and business outdoors, but Tan conceded that she was worried that the Alpha and Delta mutations were making up a growing slice of new COVID-19 cases.
Nearly 5 million people in the state have gotten fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“This is a pandemic of unvaccinated people right now and the more people we can get vaccinated the better,” the governor said.
According to Persichilli, gatherings such as family barbeques should be held outside, and unvaccinated guests should wear masks and stay 6 feet apart. Attendees not living in the same household should also practice social distancing, Persichilli said.
Anyone traveling out of state who hadn’t yet been vaccinated should get tested between one and three days before their travels and between three to five days after their travels. They should self-quarantine for seven days after their travels and avoid contact with at-risk family members for 14 days.
Restaurants, bars, gyms, salons, retail outlets, movie theaters and casinos can allow patrons at full capacity without masks or space constraints. Those businesses will still be allowed to require masks and social distancing among customers and staff, but the governor maintained that businesses that require their patrons to remove their masks before entry will be punished.
Unvaccinated patrons, Persichilli warned, still should wear masks in crowded indoor settings.
