NJ to lift most COVID business restrictions beginning Friday (updated)

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are lifting most COVID-19 restrictions beginning this week through mid-May, save for social distancing and mask usage rules, according to a joint May 3 announcement and press conferences hosted by the governors of New York and New Jersey.

Restaurants, museums, movie theaters, retail outlets and other businesses will be allowed to operate at full capacity, as long as they can maintain a 6-foot distance between tables, in what Gov. Phil Murphy called the “most aggressive steps we have taken to reopen to date.”

For many businesses with smaller square-footage, full capacity could be unlikely.

“The two steps that we could take that would give them some amount of oxygen … was to allow them bar seating and lift capacities completely, while keeping the 6-foot distance,” Murphy said during a daily COVID-19 press conference on Monday, May 3.

He noted that federal health officials might lower the 6-foot social distancing to 3 feet, meaning businesses in the state would follow suit.

Many of the orders go into effect on May 7, this Friday, superseding a prior set of reopening moves Murphy previously announced, and will affect indoor and outdoor gatherings, as well as indoor dining operations. The previous orders had initially been slated to go into effect on May 10.

“We feel confident in moving up this timetable by three days, given the accelerated progress we are seeing in our vaccination program and hospital metrics, and lower daily case counts,” Murphy said.

“The two steps that we could take that would give them some amount of oxygen … was to allow them bar seating and lift capacities completely, while keeping the 6-foot distance,” Murphy said during a daily COVID-19 press conference on May 3.

He noted that federal health officials might lower the 6-foot social distancing to 3 feet, meaning businesses in the state would follow suit.

The three governors – Cuomo, Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont – will allow barside seating to resume, and expand capacity limits at stadiums.

Outdoor limits are also being lifted.

“The coordination is important,” Cuomo told reporters on May 3.“Most capacity restrictions will end across the tri-state area. This is a major reopening.”

For New Jersey, the ban on barside seating is being lifted this Friday, pending more guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health. Murphy suggested that compliance with that order might be the trickiest for businesses and establishments to follow.

Restrictions on buffets and self-service food are being lifted too, and Murphy said there will be some restrictions “requiring food and drinks to be consumed while seated.”

“[A]ll impacted restaurant, tavern, and bar owners should be prepared to ensure proper social distancing between patrons at their bars – either 6 feet distancing between groups seated at the bar or physical partitions,” Murphy said.  “We are counting on restaurants and bar owners to enforce this guidance and prevent congregating at the bar, as we have warned all along that those situations present a high danger of allowing the virus to spread.”

In either case, masks need to be worn when away from the table. Establishments will be allowed to operate at full capacity starting May 19, and the only limits will be the 6-foot rule and mask usage.

“This will bring indoor dining in line with the current requirement for outdoor dining, which has never had a hard capacity limit, but has always been based on table spacing,”the governor said.

Starting on May 19, outdoor gathering limits will be scrapped, and instead crowds must partake in social distancing and mask-usage. The same will apply for indoor businesses such as retail, gyms and fitness clubs, personal care businesses, indoor and outdoor amusement and recreation businesses, and pools.

Also starting May 19, indoor gathering limits are being doubled from 25 to 50 people. Capacity limits are being loosened for indoor catered events, funerals, memorial services, performances, and are capped at 250 people. Indoor venues with at least 1,000 seats are limited to 30% seating.

Conferences overseen by businesses – conferences, expos or trade shows – are capped at 250 people.

But, Murphy noted, that’s 250 per room, granting event organizers a great deal of flexibility.

“It’s 250 people per room, that’s an important point,” the governor said, highlighting Atlantic City hotels with “massive floor space” and fixed-seating venues with loosening capacity restrictions, such as Harrah’s and Ocean Casino Resort.

“This means that the events that we all associate with summer, from fireworks displays to parades to the State Fair, can all go forward, as long as attendees are keeping 6 feet of distance,” the governor said. “And should the [Centers for Disease Control] revise its 6-foot distancing guidance, we will revise our requirement accordingly.

Murphy’s office did not return numerous phone calls seeking information.

The announcements come as more than 3 million people are vaccinated, and the state sees hospitalizations, daily cases and the rate of transmission at their lowest levels in months. Murphy’s goal is to fully vaccinate 4.7 million people in the state by June 30.

As of Monday, the state fully vaccinated 3.1 million New Jerseyans, and at least 4.2 million New Jerseyans – 62% of the desired goal – have gotten at least one shot. The state logged 880 positive cases that day, down 62% from a month ago. Hospitalizations have dropped to their record-low in months, and the rate of transmission to their lowest levels for the duration of the pandemic.

“[T]hese steps will take effect in two weeks from this Wednesday, on May 19th so long as we do not see a backslide in our metrics. And, given the tremendous work that so many of you are continuing to put in to improve our numbers, I have every expectation that we will hit this May 19 target with a bullseye.

Republicans have lamented Murphy’s slow-walked reopening efforts, saying the governor needs to employ a more aggressive opening.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wants to fully reopen the city on July 1, but Murphy denied that any of New Jersey’s reopening measures came in response to outside pressure.

“Our message to Gov. Murphy is a simple one: Re-open our state to 100% capacity and lift all your unilateral economic restrictions today, or don’t bother showing up to your self-promoting press conference,” reads a May 3 statement from the NJGOP.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:47 p.m. EST on May 3, 2021, to update the start date for certain restriction roll-backs from May 19 and to provide further details and remarks from Gov. Phil Murphy. It was updated at 2:48 pm.m EST on May 3, to include reference to Gov. Phil Murphy’s May 3 press conference announcing the changes in restrictions and to include further remarks from the governor pertaining to barside dining, conventions and an whether Monday’s announcements were in response to outside pressure.