United States: The regular COVID-19 testing requirement for unvaccinated employees in school districts, child care facilities, and state contractors was lifted on Monday by an executive order issued by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
According to him, the modification would take effect immediately for school districts and child care facilities and on September 1 for state contractors.
The removal of the testing requirement follows recent COVID-19 guidelines modifications from the CDC in preparation for the forthcoming academic year.
Murphy mentioned in the statement, “Today’s executive order follows guidance from public health officials at the CDC regarding responsible steps states can take as we continue to adjust to the endemic reality of COVID-19. With young ones as young as six months old now eligible for vaccines and millions of New Jerseyans vaccinated and boosted, more of our residents are safe from severe illness due to COVID-19. As always, I encourage everyone to stay up-to-date on their vaccination and take other necessary precautions to protect themselves as well as their loved ones from this virus.”
Anyone 6 months of age or older is qualified to get the COVID-19 vaccination as of June 17, 2022.
As of Monday, New Jersey had provided more than 18.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 1.9 million of those doses going to children under the age of 18.
The executive order eliminates the testing requirements that had previously been imposed on school districts, child care facilities, and state contractors.
Nothing in the new executive order prohibits these institutions from moving forward with their current immunization or testing policies.
To enable the state to continue monitoring COVID-19 and make data-driven choices to protect people, schools and child care institutions must continue to report immunization and testing data to the Department of Health.
According to earlier presidential orders, covered employees who work in congregate care, healthcare, and correctional facilities must still be up to date on their COVID-19 immunizations, including the first booster shot.
The New Jersey state employee testing program will terminate on September 1 in addition to the new presidential order.
