With his state experiencing an “omicron tsunami,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a new public health emergency Tuesday in a bid to keep safeguards in place to thwart the spread of the coronavirus.
Most notably, Murphy’s declaration recommitted to mask requirements in schools, just hours before those measures were slated to expire, NJ Advance Media reported.
During his weekly COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Murphy said that more New Jerseyites are currently hospitalized than at any point since the end of April 2020. Meanwhile, the number of ICU beds and ventilators in use roughly doubled since Christmas, WABC reported.
According to the news outlet, the reinstated declaration will allow Murphy to keep current measures in place, “including mandates for teachers and health-care workers to be vaccinated or face regular testing, and a requirement that hospitals regularly report information to the state.”
“It’s a sad moment when we are grateful the spot positivity rate is down to 30% … I mean, my God, the levels of folks testing positive is through the roof,” Murphy said during his weekly address.
Tuesday’s declaration also ensures that other less publicized measures adopted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic will continue, such as “allowing pharmacists to administer coronavirus vaccines, eliminating the need to require a prescription to receive a COVID-19 test in certain scenarios and managing staffing and resource distribution,” NJ Advance Media reported.
“COVID-19 remains a significant threat to our state and we must commit every resource available to beating back the wave caused by the omicron variant,” Murphy said in a prepared statement announcing the emergency declaration.
“While we hope to return to a state of normalcy as soon as possible, the step I am taking today is a common-sense measure that will protect the safety and well-being of all New Jersey residents while allowing state government to respond to the continuing threat that COVID-19 poses to our daily lives,” he added.
State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said Monday that current models suggest New Jersey could record between 20,000 and 30,000 new daily cases through the end of January, as well as an estimated 8,000 hospitalizations by early February, NJ Advance Media reported.
More coronavirus pandemic coverage:
>> Coronavirus: How long between exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms?
>> How to not let coronavirus pandemic fatigue set in, battle back if it does