New Jersey Enters Stage 2 of Reopening Process

The Garden State is officially diving into Phase Two of its reopening plan, “The Road Back: Restoring Economic Health Through Public Health,” with Governor Phil Murphy presenting new guidelines for the recovery procedure. Per NJ.Gov, below are the guidelines for the reopening:

Phased-in businesses and activities, with adherence to safeguarding and modification guidelines, include:

• Outdoor dining (beginning on June 15th)
• Limited in-person retail (beginning on June 15th)
• Hair salons and barber shops (beginning on June 22nd)
• Youth summer programs (beginning on July 6th)
• In-person clinical research/labs
• Limited fitness/gyms
• Limited in-person government services (e.g. – Motor Vehicle Commission)
• Museums/libraries

It is highly recommended that all workers who can work from home do so.

Precautions that apply across all stages are:

• Clinically high-risk individuals who can stay at home should continue to do so.
• All residents and businesses should follow state and federal safeguarding guidelines:

• • Wash hands
  • Wear masks in public
  • Respect social distancing
  • Minimize gatherings
  • Disinfect workplace and businesses
  • Minimize gatherings
  • No mass gatherings

New Jersey will move toward subsequent stages based on data that demonstrates improvements in public health and the capacity to safeguard the public, including:

• Sustained improvements in public health indicators, including new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, individuals in intensive care, and ventilator use;
• Substantial increase in testing and contact tracing capacity;
• Sufficient resilience in New Jersey’s health care system to include adequate bed capacity, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and workforce;
• Widespread safeguarding of workplaces;
• Widespread safeguarding and capacity of child care, schools, and mass transit;
• Continued public compliance.

If public health indicators, safeguarding, or compliance worsen on a sustained basis, New Jersey will be prepared to move back to more restrictive stages as well. For a one-page summary of the Governor’s multi-stage approach, click here.