This week, Governor Murphy signed legislation introducing new protections for renter households who experienced economic hardships during the pandemic. All renter households with incomes below 120% of their county’s Area Median Income will be permanently protected against eviction or removal at any time for nonpayment of rent, habitual late payment of rent, or failure to accept a rent increase that accrued from March 1st, 2020, through August 31st, 2021. Some households will qualify for additional protections as well. To learn about protections you may qualify for and to complete the necessary self-certification of your household income, visit covid19.nj.gov/renter.

In addition, the CDC issued a temporary eviction moratorium this week that applies to U.S. counties experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission through October 3rd, 2021. New Jersey is recommending that you complete both the State’s self-certification form and the CDC Eviction Protection Declaration if you believe you may qualify for protection.

For the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, all students, educators, staff, and visitors will be required to wear masks inside of all school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. As of Monday, August 9th, masks are required in the indoor premises of all public, private, and parochial preschool, elementary, and secondary school buildings, with limited exceptions, outlined in the article linked below.

In recent weeks, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics have called for students to wear masks due to the increasing prevalence of the Delta COVID-19 variant, the ineligibility of those under 12 for vaccination, and a rise in pediatric COVID-19 cases. 

Beginning September 7th, 2021, all workers in certain state and private health care facilities and high-risk congregate facilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to ongoing COVID-19 testing. Impacted facilities and settings include:

• Acute, pediatric, inpatient rehabilitation, and psychiatric hospitals, including specialty hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers
• Long-term care facilities, including the state Veterans Homes
• Intermediate care facilities, including the state developmental centers
• Residential detox, short term and long term residential substance abuse disorder treatment facilities
• Clinic-based settings like ambulatory care, urgent care clinics, dialysis centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, family planning sites, and Opioid Treatment Programs
• Community-based healthcare settings including Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, and pediatric and adult medical day care programs
• Licensed home health agencies and registered health care service firms operating within the State
• State and county correctional facilities
• Secure care facilities operated by the Juvenile Justice Commission
• Licensed community residences for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Licensed community residences for adults with mental illness; and
• Certified day programs for individuals with IDD and TBI

Everyone 12 or older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine for free. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing you from getting sick.

• Use the NJ Vaccine Appointment Finder to find available vaccination appointments near you or sites with walk-in vaccinations.
• Find pop-up COVID-19 vaccination events and mobile vaccination clinics in your community on the COVID-19 Community Calendar.

Due to metrics trending in the wrong direction and new data that suggests the Delta variant is more transmissible even among vaccinated individuals, New Jersey strongly recommends that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear face masks in indoor settings where there is increased risk, including:

• Crowded indoor settings
• Indoor settings involving activities with close contact with others who may not be fully vaccinated
• Indoor settings where the vaccine status of other individuals in the setting is unknown
• Where an individual is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease

Docket is an app from the NJ Department of Health that makes it easier for you and your family to securely access your COVID-19 vaccination record.

If you don't have your vaccination card with you or have lost it, you can easily access your record through the app to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as needed.

The Docket app is now available in the App store or on Google Play.