New Jersey Administrative Code
Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE
Section - Executive Order No. 154 (2020)

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024

Governor Philip D. Murphy

Executive Order No. 154 (2020)

An Order Allowing Personal Care Service Facilities to Open, Effective June 22, 2020

Issued: June 13, 2020.

Effective: June 13, 2020.

WHEREAS, in light of the dangers posed by Coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19"), I issued Executive Order No. 103 on March 9, 2020, the facts and circumstances of which are adopted by reference herein, which declared both a Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency; and

WHEREAS, through Executive Order Nos. 119, 138, and 151, issued on April 7, 2020, May 6, 2020, and June 4, 2020 respectively, the facts and circumstances of which are adopted by reference herein, I declared that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency continued to exist and declared that all Executive Orders and Administrative Orders adopted in whole or in part in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency remained in full force and effect; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9-34 and -51, I reserve the right to utilize and employ all available resources of State government to protect against the emergency created by COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, as COVID-19 continued to spread across New Jersey and an increasing number of individuals required medical care or hospitalization, I issued a series of Executive Orders pursuant to my authority under the New Jersey Civilian Defense and Disaster Control Act and the Emergency Health Powers Act, to protect the public health, safety, and welfare against the emergency created by COVID-19, including Executive Order Nos. 104-133, Nos. 135-138, and Nos. 140-153 (2020), the facts and circumstances of which are all adopted by reference herein; and

WHEREAS, to further limit community spread from person-to-person contact through use of social mitigation measures, Executive Order No. 107 (2020) closed all facilities where personal care services are performed that, by their very nature, result in noncompliance with social distancing guidelines; and

WHEREAS, on April 27, 2020, Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, State Director of Emergency Management, issued Administrative Order No. 2020-10 clarifying that the closure of personal care services facilities pursuant to Executive Order No. 107 (2020) extended to providing personal care services in any home or business setting, with limited exceptions; and

WHEREAS, given the decrease in the rate of reported new cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, including a reduction in the total number of individuals being admitted to hospitals for COVID-19, the State can take steps to lift certain restrictions that were designed to limit person-to-person contact; and

WHEREAS, even as the rate of reported new cases of COVID-19 decreases, the ongoing risks presented by COVID-19 mean that many of the State's current measures must remain in place, both to reduce additional new infections and to save lives; and

WHEREAS, after consultation with officials from the Department of Health ("DOH"), I announced a multistage New Jersey's Road Back Plan ("Plan") for the methodical and strategic reopening of businesses and activities based on scientific data and metrics concerning the level of disease transmission risk and essential classification; and

WHEREAS, as the State moves forward with its reopening plans, it is reasonable to take an approach based on which industries can safely proceed while minimizing the spread of COVID-19, due to the challenges associated with assessing the circumstances of every individual business; and

WHEREAS, the State is implementing its reopening process and has begun to relax restrictions on certain businesses, including the authorization of curbside pickup at retail establishments, the resumption of non-essential construction, and the allowance of a number of lower-risk outdoor activities; and

WHEREAS, consistent with this Plan, I have issued a number of Executive Orders, including Executive Order Nos. 133, 142, 143, 146, 147, and 153 (2020), which lifted closures and/or prohibitions of parks, beaches, lakefronts, and most outdoor recreational facilities and activities, with social distancing, cleaning, sanitizing, and hygiene practices in place, given repeated observations from public health experts, including but not limited to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that outdoor environments present reduced risks of COVID-19 transmission as compared to indoor environments; and

WHEREAS, consistent with this Plan, I issued Executive Orders No. 148 and 152 (2020), which allowed additional numbers of individuals to gather indoors and outdoors, consistent with the same repeated observations from public health experts, Executive Order No. 149 (2020), which authorized the gradual restart of ordinary child care services, certain youth sporting activities, and summer camps, with social distancing requirements, and Executive Order No. 150 (2020), which permitted restaurants, bars, and other food or beverage establishments to provide in-person dining outdoors, again with social distancing requirements; and

WHEREAS, consistent with this Plan, facilities where personal care services are performed can begin to open to the public, but should be held to stringent social distancing and cleaning and disinfectant requirements to continue preventing the spread of the virus; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate to allow indoor personal care service facilities but still require other indoor activities to remain closed because unlike other indoor activities, personal care services 1) typically do not have an outdoor alternative, 2) can be conducted with limited and controlled interactions, as opposed to in an uncontrolled environment, and 3) can be conducted with both staff and clients wearing masks at nearly all times, unlike activities such as indoor dining; and

WHEREAS, while it is appropriate to allow indoor personal care service facilities to reopen, personal care services offered outside a personal care facility or a health facility providing medically necessary or therapeutic services should remain prohibited due to the increased difficulty of complying with the health and standards in non-facility settings where the personal care service provider is likely to have less control over cleaning and disinfection procedures, but reasonable accommodations are appropriate for clients confined to their home and unable to travel due to a disability; and

WHEREAS, students at cosmetology schools and other places that provide instruction and training to individuals who are not yet licensed are less likely than licensed professionals to be able to adhere strictly to health and safety standards; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution and statutes of the State of New Jersey, particularly the provisions of N.J.S.A. 26:13-1et seq., N.J.S.A. App. A: 9-33 et seq., N.J.S.A. 38A:3-6.1, and N.J.S.A. 38A:2-4 and all amendments and supplements thereto, confer upon the Governor of the State of New Jersey certain emergency powers, which I have invoked;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT: