NJ Utility Shutoff Moratorium Amid COVID To End, Gov. Murphy Says

NEW JERSEY - Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that he will be signing an executive order ending the formal moratorium on utility shutoffs, which are expected to end July 1. A grace period will follow through Dec. 31 of this year to give customers time to enroll in payment assistance plans.

The news follows Murphy’s previous announcement earlier this month when he signed an executive order ending the state of emergency in New Jersey related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more: NJ Lawmakers Pass Bill To End COVID Public Health Emergency

“No one will face disconnection of their gas, electric or water services before the end of the grace period,” the governor said. “Households with residential internet service accounts currently being used by school-age children for educational purposes will also be protected from disconnection.”

Certain eligible households, including senior citizens and low-income families, will be further protected under the moratorium through March 2022, according to the governor.

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to work with their utility provider on payment options that will ensure these vital and, in some cases, life preserving services and that they be maintained,” Murphy said. “We fully expect every utility provider to work with their customers in good faith.”

NEW: Today, I’m signing an Executive Order ending the moratorium on utility shutoffs as of July 1st, 2021.

A grace period will run through December 31st, 2021 to give customers the time they need to enroll in payment assistance plans. pic.twitter.com/8LLxPTrs1V
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 14, 2021

The state will also be lifting closure orders on adult medical day health care centers shortly, with
guidance on reopening slated to be sent out from the state department of health later Monday.
“These facilities will need to attest to satisfying the requirements of the guidance, such as screening staff and participants to ensure the centers can be opened safely,” said New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.

Both announcements come as the state reports 4,564,662 fully vaccinated residents, as well as 260 new cases of COVID-19, a 1.01 percent positivity rate and a .9 rate of transmission.

“Suffice it to say, the 260 cases that we are reporting today should be considered to be almost entirely, if not exclusively, from unvaccinated individuals,” Murphy said, emphasizing that the vaccines work effectively against all known strains of the virus to date. “As we have been discussing, this has become increasingly by the day a pandemic of unvaccinated individuals.”

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.