What to Know
- New Jersey's face masking mandate is no longer in effect.
- Following CDC guidelines, people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can remove masks indoors in public places. Businesses, however, can still require masks.
- On Friday, social distancing guidelines are also lifted and people can return to dance floors at bars and restaurants.
Just in time for the unofficial start of summer at the Jersey Shore, fully vaccinated people can remove face masks indoors in many places, hit the dance floor and get closer to each other as COVID-19 cases stay low and vaccinations continue to slowly increase.
The state's indoor face masking mandate was lifted Friday. Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that he would sign an executive order lifting New Jersey's statewide COVID-19 indoor mask mandate, allowing people less restrictions over Memorial Day weekend and beyond.
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The move puts New Jersey in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance that fully vaccinated people can remove their masks indoors and outside.
People who have yet to have two weeks pass since their second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer coronavirus vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are urged to still wear a face covering indoors. Murphy said they are putting the responsibility of masking on individuals.
"Please be responsible and do the right thing – for your own safety and your community’s safety," Murphy said.
Murphy urged people to continue wearing a face mask if they continue to feel more comfortable doing so.
Retail businesses and public places can continue their own masking policies for workers, guests and customers, Murphy said.
Murphy already lifted the state's outdoor mask mandate. On Monday, he reminded people that the battle against coronavirus continued.
"This pandemic is not over," Murphy said. "Lifting the mask mandate is not a license to be a knucklehead. Lifting the mask mandate is simply acknowledging how far we’ve come together and that, together, we’ll cross the finish line."
Where Face Masks Must Still Be Worn With COVID-19 Still Slowing Spreading in New Jersey
Masks must still be worn by everyone in health care settings, at correctional facilities, at homeless shelters, on public transit and at transportation hubs like train stations and airports. Face masks must still be worn in "public-facing state offices" like Motor Vehicle Commission offices, Murphy said.
People working in warehousing and manufacturing also must still be masked, for now. Non-public facing offices and other workplaces can start to allow fully vaccinated people to remove masks indoor next Friday, June 4.
With children under the age of 12 unable to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, Murphy is keeping mask mandates in place at summer camps, day cares, preschools, elementary schools and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools.
The lifting of the indoor masks mandate in many indoor spaces was a long time coming. Murphy noted that New Jersey was the first state in the United States to implement an indoor mask mandate in April, 2020.
You Can Get Closer to Each Other in NJ, as Well
With daily COVID-19 cases on the decline -- down to 340 PCR-confirmed cases as of Thursday -- New Jersey is also easing social-distancing restrictions.
On Friday, Murphy will lift the 6-foot distance requirement indoors (including casinos and gyms) and outside, where masking is no longer required. People must still keep apart in situations where masking is required, per CDC guidance.
Also on Friday, you can head back to the dance floor and cozy up to the bar again.
"We will lift the prohibitions on: dance floors at bars and restaurants, ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants," Murphy said earlier this week.
After the holiday weekend, more restrictions will relax ahead of next weekend.
On Friday, June 4: All indoor gathering limits and limits on large indoor venues will be lifted. That means stadiums and arenas can pack the house again.
"The steps we’ve announced today are the clearest signs of our commitment to carefully and deliberately reopening our state," Murphy said Monday. "We continue to trend in the right direction with every indicator and our vaccination numbers have increased dramatically over the last two weeks."
More than 4.16 million people in New Jersey are fully vaccinated against the virus, as the state inches closer to Murphy's goal of 4.7 million people fully vaccinated by the end of June.
New Jersey already lifted capacity limits for indoor dining, houses of worship, retail businesses, gyms, salons, amusement parks, pools, performances and other catered events as of Wednesday. Click here for the full details on specific changes according to Murphy's executive order. New Jersey also dropped its travel advisory.
The state, however, is still reporting deaths from coronavirus complications (a lagging indicator). Fourteen new deaths were reported Thursday to bring the confirmed total to 23,503.
