NJ Bars, Restaurants, Others To Expand To 50 Percent Amid COVID

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Wednesday that restaurants, bars, barbers and other businesses can soon expand their indoor capacity to 50 percent.

Murphy said indoor capacity limits will expand from 35 to 50 percent effective 6 a.m. on March 19th. The expansion also covers gyms, casinos, fitness centers, barbers, salons and personal care businesses.

Seating will still not be allowed in bars, Murphy said.

"We feel confident in the steps announced today given the data we’ve been seeing over the past five weeks. On Feb. 5, when our restaurant capacity last changed, our hospitals were treating nearly 2,900 patients. That number has come down by 1,000 and been consistent since then," tweeted Murphy.

Murphy also will increase the number of people allowed at gatherings from 10 to 25 people indoors and 25 to 50 people outside.

"While the numbers of new cases we report daily can fluctuate, and some days can be high, we believe that, when all factors are weighed, we can make this expansion without leading to undue further stress on our health care system," said Murphy.

Murphy added that unlike other states that are "prioritizing politics over public health," such as Texas and Mississippi, the state's mask mandate will remain in effect and will continue to be enforced.

"We will continue to move deliberately, responsibly, incrementally guided by public health data," Murphy said.

Murphy took the steps after he said on Tuesday that New Jersey will follow "to some degree" new guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that addresses one of the fastest-growing groups the Garden State: the fully vaccinated. Read more: NJ To Follow New CDC Vaccine Guidance 'To Some Degree:' Murphy

The new guidance suggests fully vaccinated people can meet indoors without a mask and can forgo physical distancing.

Following the announcement, Republican Sen. Kristin Corrado called on Murphy to stop "picking winners and losers" with indoor gathering limitations and raise the limits to at least 50 percent for everyone.

“I’m glad to hear Governor Murphy is following the lead of other states in raising indoor gathering limits, but it doesn’t make sense that some will be limited to 25 people while others will be at 50 percent of capacity,” said Corrado. “If larger indoor gatherings are safe for anyone, Governor Murphy should raise the limits to the same levels for everyone across the board.”

The new measures are also among several coronavirus restrictions that Murphy has recently rolled back due to increased vaccination efforts and data-based evidence that hospitalizations are decreasing.

Many more vaccination sites – particularly those at Rite Aid and CVS – are also now available, and Johnson & Johnson began providing more than 70,000 doses to New Jersey earlier this month.

Somerset County was among the areas to already begin administering the one-shot dose. Vaccines were given to county senior citizens on Tuesday. Read More: Somerset County Begins Using Single-Dose J&J COVID Vaccine

While several faster-spreading variants of the coronavirus previously presented a threat, Murphy now says there is mounting evidence that the vaccines are good against the variants.

"In addition to the fact our numbers continue to go in the right direction, there's no question we're going to open up," he recently said. "Just a question of when and how much."

Here are some areas of New Jersey life that Murphy has recently opened up:

Schools

Murphy said he expects all schools to reopen – at the very least, in a hybrid model with both in-person and remote instruction – by the fall. Read more: Expect All NJ Schools To Reopen In Fall, Gov. Murphy Says

Sports and entertainment

In February, Murphy announced that spectators will be allowed at high school sporting events. The world of college and professional sports can also now see spectators once again.

Sports or entertainment venues with a capacity of 5,000 or more are also now allowed to reopen and allow 10 percent capacity of fans indoors, and 15 percent capacity outdoors.

Houses of Worship

Murphy announced on Feb. 22 that all New Jersey houses of worship can immediately operate at 50 percent capacity.

There also will be no cap on the number of people – as long as the house of worship operates at 50 percent capacity.

Vaccines

Eligible New Jersey residents are now able to register to get vaccinated against COVID-19 (see here for who's currently eligible).

The state's vaccine hub website has listed a number sites in New Jersey that are administering the vaccine. Click here to see the list.

— Additional reporting by Nicole Rosenthal

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