A national study finds consumers are returning to behaviors they had early in the pandemic, due to delta variant concerns. Survey respondents who said they’re comfortable shopping without a mask dropped 15 percentage points from July to August, with 34% preferring to go in stores with mask requirements and 36% having a higher level of respect for businesses that enforce mask wearing.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that 468,600 positions have returned to the state, which still lags behind much of the nation with one of the highest unemployment rates hovering over 7% for months now.

The state opted not to continue a slew of federal unemployment benefits after Sept. 4 that hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans counted on.

Data from the state Department of Health show the state logged 1,815 new daily instances and, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control, New Jersey logged a seven-day average of 2,087 cases as of Sept. 13—compared to a seven-day average of fewer than 200 cases over the July Fourth weekend.

According to Monmouth University Polling Institute, 63% would support their state re-instituting a face covering mandate, up from 52% in July.

The governor sided with an oft-repeated mantra that outdoor settings are mostly safe for patrons to not be masked.

Gov. Phil Murphy ensures the Garden State will be prepared whenever federal authorization is handed down regarding a third dose.

The Newark Emergency Small Business Grant Fund was created in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic to support the city's impacted enterprises. The program's latest round, its fourth, offers up to $15,000 for eligible companies.

Under the White House policy, part of a six-point plan to control the pandemic, companies would be required to provide paid sick time to recover from side effects of the COVID-19 shot, and employees that do not get inoculated would face weekly testing.

The Garden State's employment level declined 6.3% since 2019, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, placing it ahead of only Rhode Island, California, Hawaii and Nevada.

With full federal approval of one of the three COVID-19 vaccines being used across the nation, state leaders and public health officials are optimistic that more people will finally get the shot after months of holding out. And businesses are now entering into previously difficult terrain and are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for their workers, and even in some cases for their customers and guests.

The BD Veritor is an over-the-counter, rapid antigen diagnostic that uses computer vision technology in a smartphone to interpret and provide a digital display of testing results without a prescription, laboratory or long wait.