Two South Jersey Democratic state senators are signing on to a mostly Republican-led effort to use American Rescue Plan money to prevent an increase in N.J. employers' unemployment levy.

“Vaccines are going to be your ticket back to shows, and as of Oct. 4 we will be following the model we developed for Lollapalooza and requiring this for artists, fans and employees at Live Nation venues and festivals everywhere possible in the U.S.,” President and CEO Michael Rapino said in a weekend interview with NBC.

Spread over three years, the first increase - meant to replenish the state's unemployment fund after more than 2 million people filed jobless claims over the past 17 months - takes effect on Oct. 1. All told, employers could be on the hook for nearly $1 billion.

With the pandemic dragging into its 17th month, insurers, lawyers and businesses said they’ve grown anxious about the looming prospect of litigation. The fear is of a surge of suits by customers or employees against businesses, alleging that they caught COVID-19 at a particular establishment, whose owners failed to take the necessary precautions to prevent illness.

Events up and down the Garden State are beginning to require the inoculation for admission, as lagging rates fuel a surge in the highly contagious delta variant.

New applications seeking economic aid for live entertainment small businesses, nonprofits, and venues will be accepted until until 2:59 a.m. EST on Aug. 21. Thus far, the SVOG program has awarded $8.4 billion in grants to more than 10,800 cultural institutions.

The program, according to EDA head Tim Sullivan, will “provide new resources tailored specifically to help business owners recover from the impacts of the pandemic and prepare for long-term success.”

"For the safety of our fully vaccinated staff and patrons ... indoor dining will be reserved for those showing proof of vaccination," reads an Aug. 3 post on the eatery's Facebook page. "We realize this is a difficult time and are trying to accommodate the diverse needs of all of our patrons-including seniors and those with immune system deficiencies."

Gov. Phil Murphy assured that patrons can still carry about business as usual. “Just be smart about travel and what your posture is when you’re in transit and when you get” to your destination, the governor said Aug. 9.

Vaccine mandates have proven to be one of the most politically and culturally polarizing topics. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, when NJBIZ reached out to 55 companies about their policies, including some of the state’s largest employers, eight declined to comment and 32 simply did not respond.

When thousands of concert-goers packed into Chicago’s Grant Park for the Lollapalooza music festival at the end of July, the event drew widespread scorn from public health experts. In New Jersey, organizers of live events - from concerts, to fairs and conventions - are bringing audiences back together, cautiously in some cases.

The announcement makes the State Judiciary, which handles the network of county and appeals courts, and the state Supreme Court, the largest government agency in New Jersey to mandate the inoculation for its workers.