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State lawmakers on Tuesday took the first step toward ending the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 last year, but Gov. Phil Murphy would still retain vast powers over face mask rules and gathering limits while protecting financially struggling renters and homeowners.
Although a bill introduced in the Assembly would nullify dozens of Murphy s executive orders in the pandemic, it would keep in place legal immunity for hospitals and long-term care facilities, keeping families locked out of the legal system in most cases of medical malpractice.
The bill also leaves a separate state of emergency and 15 of the governor s other orders in effect, including the ability to tighten restrictions should hospitalizations increase or the rate of transmission climb above 1. That rate was at 0.53 on Tuesday.
May 19, 2021
7:50 am
Lawmakers on May 18 continued to move ahead a bill that would let Gov. Phil Murphy’s COVID-19 public health order expire next month, but keep in place many of the broad powers he’s employed these past 14 months to contain the pandemic.
The proposed Assembly Bill 5777 keeps in place 14 separate executive orders Murphy signed since the onset of the pandemic. It was approved by a 7-3 vote at the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, after being introduced at the very meeting.
Murphy announced May 14 that such a bill would move forward and he in turn would lift the public health emergency. The legislation and that agreement have the sign-off from Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-19th District, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-3rd District, both the most powerful lawmakers in their respective chambers.
COVID NJ: Health emergency to end, Phil Murphy retains power courierpostonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courierpostonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Delaware Valley mask rules vary after CDC s update guidance for vaccinated people
Published
CDC: Fully vaccinated people can skip masks in most places
Dr. Mike joins Good Day Philadelphia to discuss the CDC s decision to change mask guidelines for full vaccinated people.
PHILADELPHIA - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s open-ended new guidance on mask-wearing for fully vaccinated people sparked widespread confusion about state mask mandates that are currently in place. While some states adopted the new guidance automatically, others are still upholding mitigation rules for all people indoors and outdoors.
The updated guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.