Will NJ Meet It's Vaccination Goal? Gov. Murphy 'Optimistic'

NEW JERSEY — The much-touted goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the adult population against COVID-19 by the end of June is fast approaching and Gov. Phil Murphy is still hopeful the Garden State will get there despite the hurdles faced.

Appearing on WFAN radio's "Moose and Maggie" show Tuesday afternoon, Murphy shared that he was "cautiously optimistic" about reaching the goal.

"It’s going to be close, I think we’ve got a real shot," he said.

Though Murphy told the hosts that climbing vaccination numbers were one of the reasons he felt comfortable lifting indoor mask mandates and doing away with social distancing, he explained that some obstacles remain.

Among the most crucial to overcome is ensuring that the state's vaccine rollout is equitable, which is still "a work in progress," Murphy said.

The New Jersey Department of Health reports that 4.8 million people have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with a confirmed 3,939,735 people fully vaccinated. Over 8.4 million doses have been administered.

Of that 8.4 million, 53 percent have gone to white New Jersey residents, while another 11 percent have gone to Asian residents and 13 percent to Hispanic/Latinx resident. Only 7 percent, or 567,711, have gone to Black residents.

But state and community officials have a plan to address this, Murphy said.

Mobile vaccines have begun popping up across the state, and the long-touted idea for vaccination vans started on Monday in New Brunswick.

Murphy said one factor that hasn't proved detrimental to the state's efforts are "anti-vaxxers," adding that the block of those residents is about as large as the state predicted.

Still, Murphy felt comfortable enough with the vaccination numbers to begin a substantial reopening this week.

People will be allowed to enter restaurants, stores and other indoor spaces without masks starting Friday, and the state will also lift the 6-foot social distancing requirement in both indoor and outdoor settings.

Dance floors and bars will be among the establishments allowed to reopen, and all indoor gathering limits will be lifted on June 4. This includes sporting arenas like the Prudential Center, as well as indoor concert venues.

In a joint statement, the New York Giants, New York Jets and MetLife Stadium announced they are "reviewing stadium policies and protocols," and will announce game day rules prior to the 2021 NFL season.

On the stadium being able to open at full capacity, Murphy said, "it’s a big deal, and I’m thrilled that that’s part of the reality as of this Friday."

But there are some places where masks will still need to be worn, such as health care and long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, public transit (airplanes, buses, trains), transit hubs (airports, bus and train stations), public-facing state offices such as Motor Vehicle Commission agencies, and warehousing and manufacturing facilities.

It's unclear if students in the state's public schools will be wearing masks in September when they return to in-person class full time, but Murphy did acknowledge that some protocols are likely to remain.

He expects the state to issue official guidance in June.

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