Maplewood Mayor: 'We Will Continue Enforcing Masking Policy'

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — While the CDC recently relaxed some of its outdoor mask recommendations for those who are two weeks post-vaccination, Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee said people in town shouldn't throw their masks, or caution, to the wind just yet.

The CDC recommended that two-weeks post-vaccination, people can go maskless outdoors in certain settings that aren't crowded, with some caveats. There were exceptions for immunocompromised people, in places where employers or others require masks, and more.

"Good Evening," McGehee wrote Thursday night, "In Maplewood, we will continue enforcing our existing masking policy in public spaces where social distancing isn't always possible such as in our parks, business districts, and outdoor events including outdoor markets."

He added, "Even in light of yesterday's announcement by the CDC relaxing outdoor masking in smaller outdoor gatherings or settings and for when walking or exercising alone (or with members of your household), masking is still highly recommended in crowded outdoor settings or events."

He explained, "Too many of our residents have yet to be vaccinated fully, we have not reached herd immunity, so we must continue adhering to the same precautions in order to turn the corner. Subject to additional guidance or directives by state public health officials, we will maintain our existing policy in an abundance of caution and for everyone's safety. If you need information on how and where to get vaccinated, go to https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder/."

To see Patch's list of where to get vaccinated in Essex County, click here.

While the vaccination rollout continues, the virus is still taking lives.

• In New Jersey on Wednesday, there were 35 new deaths reported from coronavirus since the day before. The state has seen a total of 22,884 deaths from the virus.
• 1,768 people were hospitalized with the virus in New Jersey as of Wednesday, 375 of those in critical care. This is down from 2,261 people a week ago Monday.
• The state's daily death toll has not declined to the level of Sept. 8, when only 2 deaths were reported in one day. New Jersey's peak daily death toll on April 30, 2020 was 460 fatalities reported in one day. The numbers then steadily dropped during the shutdowns in the summer, until September, when they began rising again.

As of Friday, across the country, approximately 575,200 Americans have died of the virus, 5,000 more than a week earlier.

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.

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