New Jersey Lifts Outdoor Masks Mandate, Will Continue To Require People Wear Masks While Indoors
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Restrictions are easing across our area -- but not all of them. And there is still a lot of confusion around the CDC's new guidance that people who are fully vaccinated can go without a mask.
New Jersey will be one of the few states still requiring people to wear masks inside and stay 6 feet apart, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday.
He says COVID-19 remains a danger for too many people.
The indoor mask mandate will stay in place in the Garden State as Gov. Murphy will not follow the CDC, which says fully vaccinated people can drop their masks. The CDC's mask guidance has been adopted by the surrounding states of Pennsylvania and New York.
"We're not out of the woods yet. The majority of New Jerseyans are still unvaccinated, and we're not checking anyone's vaccine status at the door when you go to the supermarket or to a hardware store for instance," Murphy said. "I don't know how we can expect workers to be able to tell who is vaccinated from who isn't."
Murphy lifted the state's mask mandate for outside in public spaces.
Officials say increasing vaccination rates have slowed and COVID-19 cases aren't going down fast enough and New Jersey continues to have some of the highest death rates in the country.
"This is a serious and unrelenting virus. Cases are declining, but we are still seeing 1,000 infections per day even with vaccines. Last summer, case numbers were as low as two to 300 per day," Judy Persichilli said.
Murphy also announced that students will be back in school full time this fall and remote learning won't be an option.
"We are facing a much different world than one year ago when we had to begin planning for this school year," Murphy said.
About 53% of New Jersey is now fully vaccinated. The goal is 70% by the end of June.
"Please get vaccinated. Memorial Day weekend is right around the proverbial corner, two weeks from today is Memorial Day, let's have this the summer of our lives," Murphy said.
Murphy also announced the end of the travel advisory in New Jersey. People can now travel freely to other states without having to quarantine.
