NJ Extends COVID Emergency, Citing More Vaccine Expansion

NEW JERSEY — With an eye toward expanding the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that the public health emergency initiated a year ago has been extended another 30 days.

Speaking during a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Murphy said that the Department of Health's ability to regulate the distribution of the vaccine is linked directly to a public emergency.

"Failing to extend the public health emergency would threaten our vaccination effort just as we expect our vaccine supply to exponentially increase over the next few weeks," Murphy said. "The faster we can get most New Jersey residents vaccinated, the faster we can end this pandemic."

As of Wednesday, 3,143,096 doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine have been administered to New Jersey residents. That includes 1,099,509 people who have been fully vaccinated.

The state's goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population, and Murphy said they are about 45 percent of the way to their goal.

This week, New Jersey received 10,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. This was one week after not getting any doses. New Jersey received 73,000 doses in its first shipment.

The next shipment would come next week, but Murphy said "bigger numbers" are expected after March 29.

The emergency declaration also means the state will continue to have the authority to order new shutdowns and take similar extraordinary acts if the virus resurges, as it has done in other states.

The health emergency was first declared on March 9, 2020, and it was previously extended in 2020 on April 7, May 6, June 4, July 2, August 1, August 27, September 25, October 24, November 22, and December 21, and again in 2021 on January 19 and February 17. Under the Emergency Health Powers Act, a declared public health emergency expires after 30 days unless renewed.

Murphy also announced that the ban on outdoor state interstate youth sports ends at 6 a.m. Friday. The ban on indoor interstate youth sports remains in effect. Only players, coaches, officials, and up to two parents/guardians per player will be allowed to attend.

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Murphy specifically highlighted the need for teachers to be vaccinated, and for students to return to school, either fully in-person or in a hybrid format.

"It is time for our students to be active in our school and not on black boxes on a Zoom screen," Murphy said. "We are working meaningfully with our educators to prioritize their vaccinations, and ensure vaccinations are available outside regular school hours."

He said thousands of educators were already vaccinated previously, with many qualifying due to chronic ongoing health conditions. Murphy also noted that only 800 of the state's 565,000 cases since Aug. 1 were the result of in-school transmission.

"We know there are students who have fallen behind due to the burden and stress of remote learning, and it is time to stem this tide," Murphy said. "A full year out of their classrooms is not how students move forward or how our educators move forward."

"The more time that a student spends away from in-person instructional time, the greater the risk of learning loss and of social, emotional and mental health impacts," New Jersey Department of Education Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan said.

She said students with disabilities, low-income students, Black and Hispanic students and students experiencing homelessness and in foster care are among those who are most at-risk.

New Jersey received $2.8 million from the American Rescue Plan to help schools reopen and to combat learning loss, and the state also applied for $1.2 billion in federal emergency relief.

The state has applied for a waiver from administering statewide assessments, but will be prepared to do so. Murphy said that because of the different learning environments New Jersey students are in, it's hard to get consistency among all students statewide.

In New Jersey, 142 school districts are open for full in-person instruction, accounting for 107,498 students, Murphy said. Another 534 are open for hybrid instruction, and 37 more are open for a combination of in-person, hybrid and full-remote learning. Ninety-eight are full-remote.

CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreen's have set aside doses for teachers, school staff and child care workers, Murphy said.

He said that it is the state's "complete expectation" that every school will be open for full-time, full in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year.

Overall, the eligibility requirements continue to expand, and the state launched a program focused on vaccinating older residents over the last two weeks.

As of Wednesday, 58 percent of New Jersey residents 75 years old or older have been vaccinated, and the program will continue until they reach 70 percent, Persichilli said.

The state continues to face issues even as doses have increased and teachers and seniors get vaccinated. New Jersey also has new recommendations. Read more: NJ COVID-19 Vaccine Update: State Issues New Recommendations

At least 10 Motor Vehicle Commission sites will be closed for about a week or longer because of the coronavirus. Read more: NJ MVC Updates: 10 More Sites Close Because Of Coronavirus

Murphy also told CBS3 that he believes NJ will be "a lot more normal" amid the COVID crisis quicker than what President Biden hopes. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ 'A Lot More Normal' By Memorial Day Amid COVID