On Wednesday, May 12th, the CDC accepted a recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to expand the use of the Pfizer vaccine to 12-15-year-olds.

Appointments are available across New Jersey and all individuals 12+ who live, work, or study in New Jersey are eligible.

• Use New Jersey’s Vaccine Appointment Finder to schedule an appointment near you.
• Walk-in vaccinations are available at all six vaccine mega-sites to New Jerseyans age 12+ during select times with no appointment needed.
• The Vaccine Call Center is available at 855-568-0545 from 8 am to 8 pm in more than 240 different languages to answer questions about the vaccine and help individuals get vaccinated.
• If you are homebound, you can request an in-home vaccination.
• If you are 65 or older, you can call a special senior hotline at 856-249-7007 from 8 am to 8 pm for vaccination scheduling support.

As of this week, more than 4.5 million New Jerseyans have received at least one vaccine dose and more than 3.6 million New Jerseyans are fully vaccinated.

On Wednesday, May 19th, New Jersey will take additional reopening steps, lifting and replacing many capacity and gathering restrictions with requirements for social distancing.

Reopening steps include:

• Complete removal of outdoor gathering limit, as long as individuals and groups can remain six feet apart
• Increase in indoor gathering limits: The private indoor gathering limit will increase to 50 people, while business gatherings and certain other organized gatherings in public spaces will be allowed up to 250 people, so long as social distancing can be maintained
• Complete removal of all percentage-based capacity limits for indoor businesses, outdoor businesses, and houses of workshop, subject to social distancing
• Increase in large venue (1,000 fixed seats or more) capacity to 30 percent capacity indoors, so long as social distancing can be maintained

Individuals, non-profits, or businesses with an idea, solution, or initiative that improves job quality and economic security for New Jerseyans are invited to apply to the New Jersey Future of Work Accelerator. Through the free Accelerator, accepted participants will receive connections to funders, custom coaching, and opportunities to pilot or scale worker-centric programs in New Jersey.

Don’t forget to file your taxes by Monday, May 17th! This year, more New Jersey families are eligible for tax credits than ever before, including the Federal and New Jersey Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs, the newly expanded federal Child Tax Credit, and the New Jersey Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. 

Free tax return preparation is also available for people who generally make $57,000 or less, people with disabilities, and limited English-speaking taxpayers. Find free tax prep help near you.

Be sure to file your taxes soon so you can get the payments you deserve.

The Business.NJ.gov Updates share timely updates on regulations, financing, and services likely to affect your business. Whether you own a small business, work at one, or like to stay in-the-know, you won’t want to miss this weekly email.

Read the most recent version of Vax Matters at the link below. Each week, the NJ Department of Health is updating its vaccination newsletter. Last week’s newsletter highlighted Operation Jersey Summer, a series of initiatives to help drive vaccinations, and the work of the COVID Community Corps.