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Governor Murphy begins to reopen the State

by Amie Rukenstein

Slowly but surely, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is lifting restrictions imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Several executive orders were issued by the Governor this past week and his daily update on Friday, May 29 discussed some of those measures in depth, including:

Beginning June 15, childcare centers will reopen subject to regulations that include:

  • Staff and children must be screened for fever every day.
  • Groups of children may not exceed 10 and interactions are to be limited, groups must stay 10 feet away from one another
  • Staff will be assigned to and stay with one group
  • Supplies may not be shared
  • Staff must wear masks and children should wear masks when feasible (children under age two should not wear masks at all)

At the news conference, Murphy said that having childcare available for essential workers throughout the pandemic has been a necessity. He added: “As we prepare to take the first true steps of our restart and recovery and as more and more workers prepare to get back out to their jobs.…we must ensure a continuum of care for their children.”

The specific guidelines for reopening childcare facilities are here

Beginning July 6, youth day camps, including municipal summer recreation programs, will be able to begin to welcome campers. Residential and overnight camps are prohibited from operating. “We want our children to be able to enjoy their summer with friends, participating in the activities that create lifelong memories. We know day camp is one of those memory-building places”, said Murphy. Guidelines for summer camp safety regulations have not yet been published.

On May 14, the Governor, reopened all public and private beaches, boardwalks, lakes and lakeshore swimming areas, pursuant to Executive Order 143. At the news conference Friday, he addressed the reopening of community swimming pools saying, “Pools are turning out to be more challenging than we thought they were,” and would remain closed for the time being. Private residential pools have no restrictions.

Effective June 22, 2020, organized sporting activities will be permitted in outdoor settings only, provided that they do not involve person-to-person contact or routinely entail individuals interacting within six feet of one another.  At the news conference, the Governor particularly mentioned baseball, softball, and soccer as being allowed.

Horseracing will resume as early as next week-end, but no fans will be allowed in the stands.

The Governor indicated that he anticipates being able to raise the limits on indoor gatherings in a way that will allow for greater indoor religious services beginning June 12. “We will continue working with our faith institutions to ensure our houses of worship are strong and safe,” he commented on his facebook page.

Along with that loosening of restrictions on social gatherings, the Governor told the Class of 2020 this week that, beginning July 6, schools will be allowed to hold outdoor graduation ceremonies that comply with social distancing rules. 

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