New Mask Rules In Hoboken Friday: Mayor Addresses The Changes

HOBOKEN, NJ — After New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the indoor mask and social distancing mandate as of this Friday for fully vaccinated residents in many places — a change Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla called "a welcome development" — the mayor also asked residents to abide by the requests of individual businesses, as children under 12 and other residents may not be fully vaccinated.

The CDC said this month that people can consider themselves "fully vaccinated" and protected two weeks after their final shot. Vaccines are not yet available for children under 12.

(Masks must remain on in certain settings, including public transportation, schools, government buildings, and more. READ MORE: NJ Lifts Indoor Mask Order)

Bhalla said in updates this week that, regarding local coronavirus cases:

• As of Tuesday, Hoboken had documented only one new case of the virus in the four days leading up to the day.
• During Saturday's update, he noted that a resident had been newly hospitalized in Hoboken with the virus. Hoboken's hospital was now treating five people with the virus.
• From May 15-21, there were 11 new cases of the virus confirmed in town.

Tuesday, he said, "Starting Friday, the indoor mask mandate and social distancing requirements will be lifted for the majority of businesses in Hoboken and throughout the state. This ... clears an important hurdle on our path to an economic recovery."

He noted, "With the substantial decline of cases locally in Hoboken, which includes just one case in the past four days, along with more residents becoming fully vaccinated, the relaxing of regulations is a welcome development." READ MORE: Who's Vaccinated In Hoboken? Here Are The Percentages.

But, he added: "At the same time, while the updated regulations go into effect Friday, any Hoboken establishment may continue to require face masks for employees, customers or guests. I ask residents to please abide by any request from a business to wear a face mask, especially in situations where social distancing may be difficult. While many of us are ready to shed our mask, for others, the added layer of protection is something we should respect."

"I ask residents to please keep in mind that while the majority of adults in Hoboken have had at least one vaccine dose, for children under the age of 12, vaccines are not yet available. It’s more than reasonable for parents or those who come in contact with our children, to continue to wear a mask to set a good example for them."

For those not vaccinated:

"The CDC continues to encourage you to wear a face mask indoors when around others, especially when social distancing is not possible. This guidance is all of the more reason to get vaccinated, if you have not yet done so."

Updated regulations from the State of New Jersey:

The following changes will go into effect on Friday, May 28:

• Lifting the mask mandate in certain indoor public spaces.
  • Businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces will continue to have the ability to require masking for employees, customers, and/or guests.
  • Per CDC guidance, masks will continue to be required in health care settings, including long-term care facilities and office-based settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, as well as transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
  • Additionally, also per CDC guidance, child care centers and facilities, youth summer camps, and public, private, and parochial preschool program premises and elementary and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools, are not affected by this announcement and continue to be governed by existing requirements.
  • Indoor worksites that are not open to the public remain governed by existing health and safety protocols that employers must follow.
  • Masks will continue to be required in public-facing state offices, such as Motor Vehicle Commission agencies.
• Lifting the six-foot social distancing requirement.
  • The requirement will be lifted in businesses, including retail stores, personal care services, gyms, recreational and entertainment businesses, and casinos, and indoor gatherings, including religious services, political activities, weddings, funerals, memorial services, commercial gatherings, catered events, sports competitions, and performances.
  • Businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces can continue to require social distancing should they choose.
• Lifting prohibition on dance floors at bars and restaurants. The prohibition on ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants will also be lifted.

The following changes will go into effect Friday, June 4:

• Removing the general indoor gathering limit, which is currently at 50 people.
• Removing the indoor gathering limit for political gatherings, weddings, funerals, memorial services, performances, and other catered and commercial events, which is currently at 250 people.
• Removing 30 percent capacity limitation for indoor large venues with a fixed-seating capacity over 1,000.

(information above provided from Governor Murphy's office)

How Many Hoboken Residents Are Vaccinated?

The percentage of Hoboken residents vaccinated continues to climb.

As of numbers updated by the state of New Jersey last Friday afternoon, 45 percent of all Hoboken residents are fully vaccinated. However, that number includes children under 12, who are not yet eligible for the vaccine. As far as people 18 and over, 53 percent have been vaccinated, up from 49 percent last Friday. For residents 65 and over, 86 percent are fully vaccinated, up from 85 percent last Friday.

What percentage of Hoboken residents are on their way to full vaccination, having received one dose of the vaccine? More than half of all residents, or 54 percent, have received one shot. That's up from 52 percent last week. Of residents over 18, 62 percent have received one shot, and the percent for those over 65 climbed from 94 to 95 percent.

Studies have shown that the vaccine is at least 95 percent effective against the virus, and among those who still get it, it will reduce the chance of hospitalization and death.

Last Friday, Hoboken reached a milestone: It closed its outdoor coronavirus testing site, which opened in spring 2020, after administering 60,000 tests. READ MORE: COVID-19 Testing Site Closes In Hoboken, After 60,000th Test

As of Friday, 593,000 Americans have died of the virus, up 4,000 since last week. You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map, and see how each county is doing with this CDC link.

Vaccination Information

Last month, a CDC Panel recommended resuming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reviewing reports of 13 women getting blood clots — three fatal — out of 7.98 million receiving the shot. The shot will now come with a warning.

While the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from the virus as been declining, many people are just starting to get vaccinated, including teens. READ MORE: FDA Approves COVID Vaccine For Kids 12+: What It Means In NJ

The state's daily death toll was at its lowest last Sept. 8, when only 2 deaths were reported in one day, after a summer of lockdowns. New Jersey's peak daily death toll on April 30, 2020 was 460 fatalities reported in one day. On Sept. 8, only 2 deaths were reported in one day.

Find out about Hoboken vaccine clinics, coronavirus testing, and more here.

Hudson County also is offering the Pfizer vaccine to people 12 and up.

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