With each passing day, more and more COVID-related news comes to light. This past week, the State of New Jersey issued a travel advisory for residents traveling to and from hotspot states. In light of that news, the State has another coronavirus-related development — masks. On Wednesday, July 8th, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will sign an executive order requiring residents and people in the sate to wear masks while outdoors when social distancing is not possible. Here are the details:
Required Mask Wearing
According to NBC New York, Governor Murphy will sign an executive order today that will require residents “to wear face masks outdoors when they can’t socially distance, in addition to the existing rules for indoor masks.”
Of course, residents of the state have been required to wear masks indoors while visiting stores and open businesses since April. But now, this executive order will see that people in the state wear them outdoors as well when social distancing is not feasible.
See More: Latest Jersey City + Hoboken COVID-19 Updates as of July 8, 2020
“There’s no question that face coverings are game-changers,” Governor Murphy said in a recent MSNBC Morning Joe interview. “We’re going to turn that up a notch today and say we’re going to ask you if you can’t socially distance then we’re gonna, it’s gonna be required,” he continued.
This new requirement does not apply to individuals on their own or individuals with their families, according to NorthJersey.com. The mandate is required for those congregating in large groups outdoors where social distancing might be difficult.
The Bigger Picture
This statewide news comes just a few days after New Jersey saw its “rate of transmission [of COVID-19] exceeded 1.0 for the first time in 10 weeks,” according to NBC New York. Currently, the state has 173,878 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
On a local level, just last week Hoboken saw its “highest two-day [COVID-19] total since May,” with 13 confirmed cases over the course of two days, and as of today, the City has a total of 619 confirmed cases.
And in Jersey City, the city has seen 18 new COVID-19 cases since this past Monday, leaving the city with 6,472 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, July 8th.
Read More: Daily Coronavirus Tracker for Hoboken + Jersey City
Of course, all of this news comes on the heels of the State of New Jersey issuing a travel advisory for residents traveling to and from hotspot states, which include Florida, Texas, Utah, Georgia, and 15 other states. The advisory is in conjunction with the 14-day quarantine travel advisory Governor Murphy, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont have issued. This means that any NJ resident that has recently traveled to or returned from one of the current COVID-19 hotspot states is “advised to self-quarantine.” The State of NJ website also clarifies that this advisory includes travel by car, bus, train, plane, and any other form of transportation. However, the advisory does not apply to those traveling through hotspot states {i.e layovers, rest stops, etc.}.
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