CDC Loosens COVID Mask Guidance: How Will NJ React?

NEW JERSEY - The CDC on Thursday changed its guidance on masking, saying fully vaccinated people should not have to wear masks or social distance indoors or outdoors except under certain circumstances. And that could lead to changes in New Jersey.

Gov. Phil Murphy has said that such a move would be a "game-changer," and he's suggested that New Jersey could loosen its coronavirus restrictions once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines.

Murphy didn't address the CDC's decision directly during an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, saying the state's numbers "are going in the right direction and that allows us the confidence to say, 'You know what? We can open this place up."

The governor noted that the state's number of hospitalizations dipped below 1,000 for the first time in six months on Thursday.

Murphy did say that he believes the Jersey Shore beaches will be "pretty normal" normal this summer, although "it's probably not going to be entirely normal but I think we're going to have a great summer in New Jersey." He didn't specify what "normal" means.

The change in guidance comes after New Jersey and Connecticut governors announced that capacity limits at restaurants, stores, offices and other areas of life are set to be lifted by May 19 in the tri-state area. Read more: Gov. Murphy: Indoor Mask Mandate In NJ To Remain – For Now

"Should the CDC ... revise its 6-foot distancing guidance, we will revise our requirements accordingly," Murphy said last week.

One of those changes could involve allowing more people in indoor spaces – particularly schools and restaurants – or in potentially crowded outside settings.

Under the new guidelines, Rochelle Walensky, director of CDC, said "you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing before the pandemic" if you've been fully vaccinated.

"We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."

However, the CDC did say that Americans need to abide by "state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance" before changing their behavior.

Vaccinated people still have to wear masks at hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare settings, when using public transportation and at traveling hubs.

Here is the new guidance if you’ve been fully vaccinated:

• You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
• You can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
• If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
• You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
  • You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
  • You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
  • You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
  • You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
• If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
  • However, if you live or work in a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Last week, Murphy said he was sticking with mask mandates until the CDC changed its guidance. He said lifting the indoor mask mandate "continues to be for me a big step" and that "we're not there yet."

"Will we be able to take that step at some point? Yes," Murphy said.

On outdoor mask mandates, Murphy had said people will need to "wear a mask outside if you cannot socially distance. If you can, you do not need to wear."

"That has been the case from Day 1 and it does not have any caveat as to whether you are vaccinated or not."

Recently, New Jersey removed many coronavirus restrictions. Capacity limits at restaurants, stores, offices, and other areas of life were lifted May 19.

Murphy has cited increased statewide vaccination efforts and public health data "decisively trending in the right direction" as reasons to lift the pandemic-related restrictions.