The governor's executive order will go into effect Friday at 8 p.m.
People in New Jersey will now be required to wear face masks when outside in public when physical distance from others isn’t possible to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, under a new executive order Gov. Phil Murphy plans to sign Wednesday.
Since April, masks are already required indoors in New Jersey, at stores, restaurants and other businesses or on public transportation. Today’s order extends the regulation to include when people are outdoors with a large number of people and staying six feet away is not practicable, such as when walking on a crowded situation, when walking down a packed boardwalk or standing in line without social distancing.
“Requiring masks outdoors is a step I had hoped we would not have to take,” the governor said. “And, by and large, New Jerseyans have been outstanding in their compliance when masking up to go outside was our strong recommendation. But, unfortunately, we have been seeing a backslide in compliance as the weather has gotten warmer — and, not surprisingly, our rate of transmission has similarly crept up.”
The order will not apply to individuals under two years old, eating/drinking at an outdoor restaurant, or when wearing a mask endangers their health or safety. Penalties and enforcement was not detailed at today’s press conference, but may be addressed in the final order.
The order comes as officials warn that New Jersey’s rate of transmission has jumped back over 1, an indication of the contagion’s spread that, on average, each newly infected resident is passing the virus to at least one other person.