Office of the Governor | Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Lifting Routine COVID-19 Testing Requirements for School Districts, Child Care Settings, and State Contractors

TRENTON – Following latest updates to COVID-19 tips from the Facilities for Illness Management (CDC) prematurely of the upcoming faculty yr, Governor Phil Murphy at this time signed an govt order lifting the requirement that college districts, youngster care settings, and state contractors keep a coverage requiring their unvaccinated employees bear routine testing. The change will apply to highschool districts and youngster care settings instantly, and to state contractors as of September 1, 2022.

As of June 17, 2022, anybody aged 6 months or older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. At the moment, greater than 18.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in New Jersey, with greater than 1.9 million doses having been administered to youngsters below the age of 18.

“At this time’s govt order follows steerage from public well being officers on the CDC relating to accountable steps states can take as we proceed to regulate to the endemic actuality of COVID-19,” stated Governor Murphy. “With youngsters as younger as 6 months previous now eligible for vaccines and tens of millions of New Jerseyans vaccinated and boosted, extra of our residents are protected from extreme sickness attributable to COVID-19. As at all times, I encourage everybody to remain up-to-date on their vaccination and take different precautions as obligatory to guard themselves and their family members from this virus.”

This govt order lifts the testing necessities put into place for varsity districts, youngster care settings, and state contractors through earlier govt order numbers 253, 264, and 271, respectively. Nothing in at this time’s order prevents these settings from sustaining a vaccination or testing coverage as they see match going ahead.

Colleges and youngster care services will nonetheless be required to report vaccination and testing knowledge to the Division of Well being, as per Govt Directive No. 21-011, to permit the State to proceed to watch COVID-19 and make data-driven choices to maintain residents protected.

Coated employees in congregate care, well being care, and correctional facility settings will nonetheless be required to be up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, together with the primary booster dose, as per prior govt orders.

Separate of at this time’s govt order, the New Jersey state worker testing program may even come to an finish on September 1, 2022.

For a replica of Govt Order No. 302, click on right here.