New Jersey will no longer require restaurants, retail stores, gyms, churches, and other businesses to keep 6 feet of social distance between patrons or groups beginning Friday — the same day the state will stop mandating that people wear masks at most indoor public places, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday as he outlined plans to lift most of the state’s remaining coronavirus restrictions.
Under Murphy’s new executive order, dance floors at bars and restaurants in the state can also reopen Friday, while patrons will no longer be required to stay in seats while ordering and eating or drinking.
And large outdoor venues, such as MetLife Stadium and minor league baseball parks, will be allowed to have full crowds starting the same day.
All those moves will come just in time for Memorial Day weekend, traditionally considered the unofficial beginning of summer.
New Jersey will then end all indoor gathering limits on June 4. The state currently limits 50 people for private gatherings and 250 people for political activities, wedding ceremonies and receptions, funerals, memorial services, performances, catered events, and commercial gatherings.
The state that day will also end its current 30% capacity limit for large indoor venues with fixed seating of 1,000 or greater. That will allow for full crowds, with no social distancing, at indoor concerts and sporting events.
All this effectively means most New Jersey businesses will soon be stripped of remaining capacity limits that were put in effect more than a year ago to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These steps are the clearest signs of our commitment to carefully and deliberately reopening our state after what has been a truly crushing 14-month period,” Murphy said at his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.
While the state dropped fixed, percentage-based capacity limits this past Wednesday, owners of restaurants and other businesses with seating complained the 6-foot distancing required between groups was still restricting the useable space at those venues.
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Businesses can still choose to require social distancing and masks, Murphy said.
“We fully expect that many will do so initially to ensure the comfort of their customers,” the governor added.
Unvaccinated people are still encouraged to social distance and wear masks, Murphy said, though the state will not require people to show proof of their vaccinations status and will instead rely on the honor system.
Murphy, a Democrat, has faced backlash from Republican lawmakers and others who have argued businesses can’t afford to operate with limited capacity rules. The governor has maintained the rules were necessary to blunt the spread of the virus in the Garden State, which has the most coronavirus deaths per capita among American states, largely driven by the early days of the pandemic.
The New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association thanked Murphy on Monday for “a significant leap forward toward recovery at this critical moment with Memorial Day upon us.”
“Our restaurant, hospitality and tourism sectors desperately needed this to happen in time for our Summer Season, and we have been granted that wish,” the group added.
But state Sen. Steven Oroho, R-Sussex, called on Murphy to lift these restrictions now instead of waiting until Friday.
“Why do we continue to play these games?” Oroho asked. “After a full year of being told what to do, New Jerseyans deserve better. It’s time to rip the Band-Aid off and open everything up.”
More than 3.9 million people who live, work, or study in the Garden State have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at New Jersey sites. That includes 88,000 out-of-state residents who were vaccinated in New Jersey. Another 167,000 New Jersey residents have been vaccinated in other states.
The state has set a goal of having 70% of New Jersey’s adults vaccinated by the end of June. About 56% of the state’s 6.9 million adults have been fully vaccinated so far, while kids as young as 12 are now eligible to receive shots. More than 188,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 have been vaccinated in New Jersey.
More than 4.78 million people have received at least their first dose at a New Jersey site — about 52% of the state’s 9.2 million residents.
New Jersey’s coronavirus numbers keep dropping steadily as vaccinations continue to be rolled out. The state’s seven-day average for new confirmed positive COVID-19 tests is now 491 — down 35% from a week ago and 81% from a month ago. That’s the lowest seven-day average since Sept. 25.
Murphy said the state is not yet “out of the woods” with the pandemic but added “we are in a meaningfully, dramatically different and better place.”
NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.