Almost all of the remaining mask mandates in New Jersey put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic will end Monday.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced on social media Thursday masks will no longer be required for state employees or people visiting state offices beginning March 14. The only other places masks are required in the state fall under federal regulations.
Murphy added: “Any employee, customer, or visitor may choose to wear a mask.”
It’s been more than two years since New Jersey reported its first known case of COVID-19.
Murphy recently lifted the state mask requirement for inside schools and on school buses. The state’s broader indoor mask mandate for places like restaurants, stores, movie theaters, and malls ended in May.
But masks are still required on NJ Transit, PATH, and Amtrak, which follow federal guidelines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing guidance that will ease the nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses and other mass transit next month, but the existing face covering requirement to slow the spread of COVID-19 will be extended through April 18.
Masks are also still required in health care settings, long-term care facilities, and correctional facilities run by either the federal government or the state. Private long-term care homes and county correctional facilities do not fall under Murphy’s mask mandate, a Murphy official said.
New Jersey on Thursday reported another 14 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 1,307 positive tests. The state’s seven-day average for confirmed cases was 937 on Thursday, down 5% from a week ago and 54% from a month ago as the recent massive wave driven by the omicron variant has largely receded. Prior to last week, the state’s daily average had not been below 1,000 since early August.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.