Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday announced he has declared a new public-health emergency in New Jersey to keep measures in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus — including requiring masks in schools — ahead of them expiring at the end of the day.
The governor has said the “omicron tsunami” has been “washing across the state” as tens of thousands of new cases are reported daily and hospitalizations are reaching heights not seen since the initial wave.
Reinstating a health emergency 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 also ensures other things put in place to try and fight back the pandemic can continue as they have despite receiving less public attention, like 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.
But Murphy insisted this not bring any new restrictions, mandates, passports, lockdowns, or gathering limits.
“It does not mean going backward from any of the progress we’ve made together over the past 22 months,” he said in a video message. “In fact, in your day-to-day life, this step won’t have any new impact at all.”
But Murphy said the virus “remains a significant threat to our state,” and “we must commit every resource available to beating back the wave caused by the omicron variant.”
The news comes after lawmakers rebuffed Murphy’s request for a 90-day extension of his remaining pandemic powers. The Democratic governor had appealed to the Democratic-controlled state Legislature for the move, but top legislators decided last week they would let nearly all of Murphy’s remaining powers lapse even though the state is in the midst of another big wave of the pandemic.
State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Monday that current models suggest 20,000 to 30,000 daily COVID-19 cases in New Jersey for the duration of January and about 8,000 hospitalizations by early February.
If the models prove out, there will be about as many people within the state’s 71 hospitals as there were at the peak of the initial coronavirus surge two years ago — when hospitals were regularly on divert status, unable to accept new patients because of crowding, and refused elective procedures to people that could include things like cancer treatments.
Murphy had said Monday students and teachers will continue to be required to wear masks inside New Jersey schools and daycare facilities after the current order expires Tuesday. But he didn’t provide any sense of how long the extension will continue and said his administration was continuing to work with legislative leadership to reach a compromise.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.
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