Earlier this week, Governor Murphy announced that New Jersey will be easing restrictions on outdoor gatherings and indoor catered events. Earlier this week, Governor Murphy announced that New Jersey will be easing restrictions on outdoor gatherings and indoor catered events. Easing restrictions on outdoor gatherings and large indoor catering venue capacity limits will enable schools and universities to hold graduation ceremonies and proms. In addition, beginning May 10, carnivals and fairs are permitted to operate at outdoor amusement businesses’ capacity limits, currently 50% capacity. The Governor also issued an Executive Order permitting summer youth overnight, day camps, and youth programs operated by municipalities.
COVID Data for April 29, 2021:
- 2,175 new positive cases for a total of 871,333 confirmed cases
- 208 new confirmed deaths for a total of 22,904 confirmed deaths
- The rate of transmission is at 0.72
- 1,157 cases linked to 263 school outbreaks since August 2020
- 6,905,696 vaccine doses have been administered, including 4,196,179 first doses and 2,959,204 second doses
Vaccine Information
The Governor noted that the state has reached 62% of its goal of having 4.7 million residents fully vaccinated by the end of June. To encourage vaccinations, the Governor also announced the “Your Voice Your Shot” video contest (see writeup below).
The Department of Health announced that all six of New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccine mega-sites are now offering walk-in vaccinations. Appointments are not required to get vaccinated. In addition, there is no county residency requirement to get vaccinated at the mega-sites.
As a reminder, anyone 16 and older living, working, or studying in New Jersey is eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. The State hotline, 855-568-0545, continues to assist residents with their COVID vaccination questions, with live agents from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The agents remind residents that there is no out-of-pocket expense to get vaccinated and that the two vaccines are not interchangeable.
As previously reported, New Jersey has launched a COVID-19 vaccine appointment finder to assist in scheduling vaccinations.
Executive Orders
Executive Order 237: Permitting summer youth overnight, day camps, and youth programs operated by municipalities for the 2021 season. The Executive Order requires all overnight and day camps to follow COVID-19 health and safety protocols outlined in guidance issued by the New Jersey Department of Health.
Your Voice Your Shot Video Contest
Earlier this week the Governor announced the “Your Voice, Your Shot” video contest that urges New Jersey residents to share why they and others are getting vaccinated. The winning video will be used in the State of New Jersey's COVID-19 public health campaign. Contest participant’s videos must be original, consistent with NJ Department of Health guidelines, and explain why they or others are getting or have been vaccinated. While videos may be in any language, the content must not be more than 30 seconds long and is subject to other limitations. To enter the contest, participants must share their video on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok), tag @NJGov, and include the hashtag #YourVoiceYourShotNJ. The deadline for submissions is May 11, 2021.
Unemployment Information
The Department of Labor announced the initial weekly unemployment claims were 12,322 for the week ending April 24. This is a 17% increase from the week prior.
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