COVID Restrictions In New Jersey: Gov. Phil Murphy Says Indoor Mask Mandate Will Remain In Place Despite New CDC Guidance
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Despite new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he's not ready to lift the state's mask mandate.
Under the new CDC recommendations, fully vaccinated people may go without wearing a mask or physically distancing indoors except on airplanes and public transportation.
Masks must also be worn at hospitals, doctor's offices, nursing homes, prisons and homeless shelters.
Local governments, however, ultimately have the final decision on the matter, and Murphy says New Jersey's indoor mask mandate will remain in place in public settings.
COVID VACCINE
- New York State book online here or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX
- New York City book online here or call 877-VAX-4NYC
- Track NYC vaccinations by zip code
- Nassau County more info here
- Suffolk County more info here
- Westchester County more info here
- New Jersey book online here or call 1-855-568-0545
- Connecticut book online here
Murphy says New Jersey has worked hard to get people vaccinated and bring infection rates down, and he wants progress to continue.
"As much as we want to get there, and we will get there, as it relates to indoor masking, it's only a matter of time. If you're in a business or a public setting, we're not there yet. We're frankly not there yet," he said.
A quick update on yesterday's @CDCgov guidance: We will keep our indoor mask mandate in place in public settings as we continue to work toward our vaccination goals. To be clear, we're making incredible progress, but we're not there yet.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 14, 2021
The governor says it is OK for vaccinated people to go maskless outdoors.
He will have more updates on Monday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, has only said the state's top health officials are reviewing the new guidance.